Alright, this has been on my list for a while and I'm finally getting down to writing this.
First of all I always love a good holiday horror no matter how common and overused they've become; but to see an entire anthology full of them makes my eyes light up. More so because it isn't all the same holiday; sure there are some familiar ones like Halloween (of course), Christmas (yet another classic), Valentine's Day (always a bloody good time) as well as the budding ones like Easter and New Years. However, we also get some brand new ones like good old St. Patrick's Day and the Days of the parents; which are fun concepts in of themselves.
I also love a good anthology in addition, there's always something fun and exciting about mashing together different stories; mostly if it is tied to one cohesive storyline. However, that is not the case here; but it still worth a watch nonetheless.
My review is going to be broken down by my opinions on each individual holiday story as thus:
Valentine's Day
Strangely enough, this segment reminds me of "Carrie", albeit without the telekinesis and is somewhat creepier; because at least Stephen King's classic didn't involve a disturbing crush that turned obsessive. Another story of why bullying shouldn't be tolerated; but it also involves a lesson about being aware of the emotions of those around you. Especially if it is someone who has a crush on you. Naturally the color red is everywhere, from the swim attire at the beginning to the blood that doesn't take long to flow. This one wasn't too bad for a short story, frankly it could have used a longer run time and bigger body count.
St. Patrick's Day
Oh boy, there's so much to unpack with this one! Let's start with the negative: the over-the-top film within a film shown to a class full of school children that was saturated with anti-Pagan propaganda; as someone who is uncomfortable with organized religion in general and their bloodied pasts this was a bit hard to listen to, somehow I managed to get through this after biting my lip and tuning them out. Now for the positive: a creatively disturbing storyline that does involve Ireland's past in regards to the story of St. Patrick. Although I feel bad for the mouse...
Easter
Interesting enough premise, a deformed Easter bunny and child endangerment, but at least there's cute little chicks peeping away to make things a whole lot better!
Mother's Day
Between a controversial topic, nuttiness and an insane plotline...this had so little to offer; a shame since this had potential.
Father's Day
Low-key disturbing but intriguing till the end; might have been better as a longer short film though.
Halloween
In this short, revenge is in this case a dish best served hot...maybe a little fried? This one was admittedly somewhat amusing...
Christmas
Before watching this I always believed that Black Friday was the only busy shopping time where people weren't hesitant to step over dead bodies to get what they want; but this is a cold reminder that Christmas too is all about greed. On the upside, we get to see a cool gadget that could easily turn out to be the worst thing to ever own and Seth Green too!
New Year's Eve
I know that the so called 'midnight kiss' is a New Year's tradition, but that doesn't mean that you should log on to dating sites out of desperation; especially since you don't know who they are...at least the twist at the end was decent enough...
Overall, this isn't the best anthology out there but it isn't the worst one either (probably); it has its ups and downs and its budget certainly shows in the cheesy acting and fake props. I recommend only watching if your bored.
Grade: C
