The Nights Before Christmas

It is interesting to see how the Christmas party has often been a major source of inspiration for many horror films. Impossible not to think of the classics such as Black Christmas (1974), Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984), Gremlins (1984), Santa Claus Origins (2010), Krampus (2015), Safe Neighborhood (2016) when we think of horror films that divert the festive spirit of Christmas to bring monsters of all kinds to life. The new film by director Paul Tanter (Kill Ratio (2016)) succeeds in bringing to life a new duo of psychopathic killers worthy of the greatest psychopaths that cinema has ever put forward.

After a particularly striking and effective introductory scene reminiscent of John Carpenter's classic Halloween, we discover a couple of psychopaths named Santa Claus (Simon Phillips) and Mrs Claus (Sayla de Goede) who seem to have a perfectly set machiavellian plan for revenge. When a series of murders committed during the holiday season turns out to be linked to them, FBI Special Agent Natalie Parker (Kate Schroder) is put in charge of tracking them down. As Christmas approaches, this couple of psychopathic killers make their way through their list of special villains, playing cat-and-mouse games with the FBI and leaving a trail of bloody bodies in their wake. Director and co-screenwriter Paul Tanter takes great pleasure in creating a truly frightening atmosphere and punctuates his film with many scenes that are as striking as they are successful.

The Nights Before Christmas succeeds in constantly surprising us and to align many jubilant and violent scenes at the same time in which this duo of psychopaths has nothing to envy to Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees and other Freddy Krueger. Far from having the same financial means as the current Hollywood studios to give life to his film, Paul Tanter shows that it is still possible to make excellent horror films with reduced means. The result here proves to be as full of adrenaline as it is of bloody outbursts of all kinds...

While many horror films by major Hollywood studios tend to be based on predefined rules, The Nights Before Christmas manages to create its own universe and at the same time pay tribute to the above-mentioned films. Whether it's the character of Mrs. Claus, who will remind some people of Harley Quinn, or the killer dressed as Santa Claus, who doesn't hesitate to release a few humorous and violent dialogues, everything contributes to make The Nights Before Christmas a classic of the genre par excellence. Paul Tanter's direction proves to be as effective as it is masterful and gives this film the aura of a future classic of the genre in the making. Given the success of this film, it is easy to understand that a sequel is already in production for this film, One Christmas Night in a Toy Shop and announced for release next year.

The Nights Before Christmas
Directed by Paul Tanter
Produced by Ken Bressers, Mem Ferda,
Written by Paul Tanter , Simon Phililips
Starring Simon Phillips, Sayla de Goede, Kate Schroder, Anne-Carolyne Binette, Simon Phillips, Paul Tanter
Music by Mateo Palmisano
Cinematography: Jamie Bailey, Julian Garofalo
Edited by Robert Gajic
Release date: October 25, 2020
Running time: 95 minutes

Seen on October 17, 2020 (Screener press)

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