Christmas Evil (aka You Better Watch Out) (1980) ***1/2

Christmas Evil (aka You Better Watch Out) (1980), the Taxi Driver (1976) (review) of Christmas films, is one of my favorite holiday movies, riding the line between trash and genuinely well-made cinema. It's a bit too long, it falters here and there, and the budget shows at times, but it also features a one-a-kind, all-in central performance by Brandon Maggart as a mentally disturbed Santa-obsessed man, a unique score with a great sense of unease, and a vibe that balances creepiness, humor, and shock factor very well. Plus that bonkers ending!

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