Director(s) – Brittany Blanton (Breaking Vera), Rob Collins (Mr. Buzzkill), and Travis Wilson
Starring – Brittany Blanton, Anthony Brownlee (Don’t Fall Asleep), and Courtney Clark (Slaughterhouse: House of Whores 2.5)
Release Date – 2019
Rating – 3.5/5
I know my reviews the last few days has been mostly me bitching about not being in the Christmas spirit and so forth. I’m not trying to be negative but between being sick and everything going on with work and at home I just don’t feel much like celebrating Christmas. I know this is the opposite of how I am at this time in previous years but this year I’m just not feeling it. That doesn’t mean I’m going to pass up a chance to see the new Christmas themed anthology from Concept Media!
A few years ago Concept Media released Season’s Greetings which, if I’m remembering correctly, was a sequel to their anthology Watch This. When they announced a sequel I couldn’t wait to check it out. Thanks Shawny-poo for sending this one my way.
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows a man who is reading three Christmas themed horror stories to the viewer. The first, The Manger, follows a young woman who is tossed in the middle of a cult attempting a sacrifice. The second tale, Merry Fucking Christmas, follows a recently single woman who is trying to keep to herself during the holidays only to find a deranged man has made his way into her home. The third and final tale, The Naughty List, follows an evil elf sent to kill those that found themselves on Santa’s naughty list.**Spoiler Alert**
I enjoy Concept Media’s anthology films. Hell, Watch This! was probably my favorite release of theirs until recently when they released Don’t Fuck in the Woods and Betsy. Season’s Greetings was another hit in my book so I was very open to a sequel and this one did not let me down. I was a little hesitant at first when I learned that Shawn Burkett and Ryan Stacy was not helming the three shorts but Brittany Blanton, Rob Collins, and Travis Wilson did not let us down.
The acting in this one is solid and pretty consistent across the board. Everyone dedicates themselves to their roles and deliver some pretty solid performances. No one really stands out from the rest which works with the film and what the three filmmakers were really going for. This solid casting really makes these segments as strong as they are.
The stories for these are fun as shorts but a few of them could have been bigger than what they were. The first segment is from Brittany Blanton and is the one that really pulled me in the most. I love cultish films and I liked where this one was going. The story is bigger than the short itself and I feel some stuff may have been left out in order for it to fit in the anthology. The second story is from Rob Collins and fits in the anthology very well. I liked the simplicity of the story and how a simple cat and mouse story was incorporated into the anthology. It doesn’t deliver anything knew but it is fun and works. The final segment is from Travis Wilson and is very similar to a Christmas themed horror short I recently reviewed from Josh Miller called Hell on a Shelf about an elf on a shelf that comes to life when a drunken Santa sends him to kill those on the naughty list. Where Hell on a Shelf gave us a horror comedy this segment is void of humor. We get a slasher like short that delivers on the carnage.
Finally, this film does not shy away from the blood. We get several amazing kills with some top notch practical effects. In fact, I was thoroughly impressed by several of the gags in the film. Overall, Season’s Greetings 2 is a truly entertaining holiday horror anthology worthy of the Concept Media name. I highly recommend adding this to your Christmas viewing list!
