My quick rating - 5,1/10. They do a fine job of introducing us to a couple characters that are so annoying you will be hoping they are the first ones to hit the naughty list. Riley Dandy and Sam Delich are handed the reigns to the opening and introduce us to the absolute pointless banter type conversation that was obviously inspired by Clerks. Don't mistake that comparison as a compliment since this version is just riddled with excessive F bombs that don't fit into the dialogue almost for shock effect. When these two get past the banter you know is leading them to the bedroom, along the way we get to meet a couple extras and our robo-Santa. Commercials on the TV allude to the fact these robotic Kringles have not only been armed but also recalled due to possible malfunctions. Easy enough excuse to lead us straight into a gore-filled slasher flick as our two new characters break the cardinal sin of horror flicks to have sex in the store where the Santa resides, and it comes to life deeming these two "naughty." And so the slasher begins and I was welcoming the violence ladden kills we appeared to be on our way to. But once you do sit through the entirely too long intro you are expecting a present in return and instead it gets very muddled in being a slasher with uneven action to support the mayhem going on. For the budget though, it does look pretty good at times. The effects are practical and mostly on point. And then came the last 15 minutes that had me so either impressed or annoyed that I took to Twitter to ask our writer/diretor Joe Begos to find out if this was a ripoff or an homage to Hardware. I am not expecting that everyone has seen this 1990 underrated scifi gem but the last scenes of this movie borrow the entire look and feel, the actual flaw of the robot, and even actual music from Hardware. The whole slasher feel gets lost and it evolves into a crazed on the loose droid flick. Since Begos hasn't responded, I am still unsure which it is but either way, that whole turn left a bad taste in my mouth for losing its own course and borrowing their wrap up entirely from another flick. Up until it decided to go Terminator/Hardware robotics, it was moving along as an above average slasher with a killer you'll have forgotten is even a robot for the holidays but ended up letting you down when that fact becomes front and center stage to the climax. If you are looking for some bloody entertainment for your Xmas, this may foot the bill but it will most likely be a one time viewing since the story and tonal shift won't be bringing you back to watch again. Not in my opinion at least, as always, use this info as you will.
A Shudder original so that means free with your Amazon prime membership. Click the poster below to check it out or also playing in select Marcus and AMC theaters as of December 9th.
