Once Upon a Time at Christmas (2017) Reviews

• The Girls Smile When They Die!!

  The_Hallow2017-12-13

  The acting is terrible from most of the cast especially from the victims. Aside from the painful obvious cartoon-like CG blood, most of the victims who are being murdered have this half smirk/smile as they die or as they're dead. It takes away from the movie more than anything. The only good part from this is the boonies like Santa Claus. He at least acted well, but not Mrs Claus, she was like a porn hybrid of Mrs Claus and Suicide Squad's Harley Quinn and not in a good way.

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• Are they sure this isn't a comedy?

  duvernetphotography2017-12-13

  Is it possible that a horror movie could be so bad it is funny? If you were going to make up a spooky story at a campfire, this would be it. Barely average in every respect: acting, dialogue, plot line, filming, etc. It is particularly funny how the corpses are still breathing. The guy with the ax is a wild swinging nutcase who is careful enough to hit the right spot on a victim's chest, you know, where the fake blood bag is. The movie has the stereotypes, smooching teens, giggling girls, slutty night clubs, four level words, white lives crumbling, freaky relatives, a sheriff with a history of drinking, the town mayor more interested in votes and money. So bring it on and have a good laugh. A little more melodrama and it would be full on!

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• A fun movie which you dont have to watch in season

  s-bannerman122018-02-13

  Starting off with a scene of what i can only describe as a very Christmassy version of Harley Quinn, I wasnt sure what sort of film I would get with Once Upon A Time At Christmas, the latest film by Paul Tanter whose work for me was more associated with crime films such as the White Collar Hooligan Trilogy and He Who Dares rather than horror films (although he did direct Shame The Devil which fits perfectly into the horror thriller genre) Its 12 days before Christmas and Santa Clause and Mrs. Clause opt to go on a killing spree in Woodbridge, This aint no regular Christmas movie. Once Upon A Time At Christmas is a lot of fun and doesnt take itself too seriously. Its also a fun reminder of some of the classic slasher films that most horror fans will have seen over the years such as April Fools Day, Happy Birthday To Me and even non holiday films like Chopping Mall where we meet a bunch of characters who we know the majority of, wont make it to the end credits (Im not saying if they do or do not, youll have to find that out for yourself) Standout roles in the film of course go to Mrs Clause (played by Sayla de Goede ) and Mr Santa Clause (played by Simon Phillips) who are the Christmas Bonnie and Clyde or Mickey and Mallory Paul Tanter again increases his game and delivers a fun film that is not just for Christmas but can be watched all the year round with a bucket of popcorn and the lights dimmed or turned off. and whilst I still do miss seeing a new Paul Tanter British Crime film coming into my watch pile, its always great to see something different from a filmmaker im a fan of. Once Upon A Time At Christmas delivered.

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• Loved The Storyline!

  ouellet-243622017-12-14

  The storyline to this film was very unique and different with the 12 days of Christmas theme. It was suspenseful at times, and funny at times. I thought the dynamic between the Sheriff and Deputy were played really well. Hats off to them, and the rest of the cast.

• Killing spree at Christmas

  TheLittleSongbird2018-06-10

  'Once Upon a Time at Christmas' drew me into seeing it, with a cool poster/cover, an slightly intriguing premise and as someone with a general appreciation for horror. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there, made me though apprehensive. It is sadly however yet another film seen recently, hence some reiteration because the exact same strengths and flaws those films have are present here, that to me was incredibly disappointing considering its potential which it doesn't do anywhere near enough with. 'Once Upon a Time at Christmas' is terrible, with a plethora of problems (huge ones too) and doesn't do enough with its potential, which was hardly small. There is next to nothing to recommend. Lets start with the positives. The scenery and lighting are atmospheric and spooky. Simon Phillips does his best as Santa and tries to create a creepy presence and mostly somehow is successful. Unfortunately, the scenery and lighting are not done justice by the rather direct to video schlocky way it's shot and edited, it was very clear that the film was made in a rush with no care or enthusiasm. The bathroom scene especially looks terrible. Going on further to the negatives, the story does feel paper thin, disjointed and over-stretched and some of it feels vague, under-explained in the last third where the film especially became duller, more predictable, more senseless and less scary. Too many characters are too sketchy and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. Their annoying and illogical decision making and behaviours frustrates. Making the film feel bland and forgettable with not enough heart put into it. The effects are ropy at best, the sound quality is obvious and utilised cheaply (being too loud in the build ups and people's reactions) and it's best not mentioning the uniformly lumbering and histrionic acting. The acting for Mrs Claus is a painful example of the latter and many of the victims act inappropriately in the kills. Dialogue, which is far too exposition-heavy, can be stilted and rambling, with lots of clichés and no depth whatsoever, while the pace goes to a standstill very quickly and drags on forever with very little going on worth caring about and useless padding, never recovering. Found too many the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the supposedly creepy atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness, a lot of dumb and vague moments and explanations and the lack of tension and suspense. Would not have minded the lack of originality (the film is extremely derivative and in a dumbed and watered down way) if the story and atmosphere were at least alright in execution, in reality they were both very poorly done. A lot of 'Once Upon a Time at Christmas' has underdeveloped plot elements and often nonsensical and confusing character motivations, while too many of the things to make you jump or shocked are far from creative or scary and are pretty tame. The ending makes the film finish on an incomplete and confused whimper. There is not enough threat, and what there is of it tends to be used poorly, it is completely unimaginative and more odd than creepy, completely failing to show any sense of horror or creativity. The kills are neither creative, suspenseful or nail-biting, let down by terrible acting from the victims, characters not worth investing in and no real atmosphere other than unintentional humour. Some badly sagging momentum too. The direction is leaden and like their heart was not in it or ill at ease. Some elements are gratuitous to overused and abused effect, further adding to the cheapness. The music doesn't really fit. All in all, terrible. 2/10 Bethany Cox

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