Director – Bruce Blain
Starring – Bruce Blain (Riverdale, Arrow), David Bloom (iZombie, Almost Human), and Chloe Cruz (Deadline)
Release Date – 2019
Rating – 4/5
Halloween is fast approaching so now is a good a time as any to check out a Christmas horror flick, right? A few days ago I was asked to check out and review a new horror short from director and actor Bruce Blain. The short, Mad Santa, is a little out of season this time of year but I love a good horror short. Thanks Bruce for sending this one my way to check out for Horror Society!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a disgruntled mall Santa (Blain) who was passed over for the job. He decides that those responsible, directly and indirectly, should pay for his short comings. He then kidnaps them and then kills them for ruining his holiday season.**Spoiler Alert**
I fucking love holiday themed horror movies. Halloween is obviously my favorite but Christmas horror a easily my second. As much as I love Halloween I find myself turning more and more into Clark Griswald as I get older. I love the Christmas season and Christmas horror really gets me in the Christmas spirit as weird as that sounds. Mad Santa is a fun short that uses the run time effectively and works for what it is.
The acting in this is pretty much a one man show. Director Bruce Blain takes on the main role as the “mad Santa” and delivers some serious dialogue. He really dedicates himself to the role and he’s pretty much the only one with any real screen time. I believe this short is one of two things. Either Blain wanted to step behind the camera for once and try his hand at directing OR used this short as an opportunity to make his own sizzle reel. Either way, it fucking works and he does an outstanding job.
The story for this one is short and sweet. It makes great use of time and the viewer does not get filler scenes that do nothing for the story and extend the film’s running time. I liked the story for what it’s worth but at times it does feel a little like a Christmas themed torture porn minus the extreme horror. I can dig that but it wouldn’t have worked if the movie was longer than what it was.
Finally, we do get a little blood but all the fun takes place off camera. This short would have been perfect if we got to see some of the carnage unfold with decent practical effects. Overall, Mad Santa is intense at moments and extremely fun. I highly recommend checking this one out.
