REVIEW: ‘Violent Night’ is a Bloody Christmas Miracle

I love Christmas horror movies. Something about decking the halls with blood and guts that just works, and something that has left me desperate for other genre takes on the holiday. Violent Night brings the action in spades and allows David Harbour to deck the halls in chunky brain-filled fake blood while still capturing the spirit of Christmas. Corny, chaotic, and oh-so-rewarding, Violent Night is directed by Tommy Wirkola and features a screenplay from Pat Casey and Josh Miller, the writers of Sonic the Hedgehog.

When a team of mercenaries led by Scrooge (John Leguizamo) breaks into a wealthy family compound on Christmas Eve, taking everyone inside hostage, the team isn’t prepared for a surprise combatant: Santa Claus (David Harbour) is on the grounds. Spirit broken from the move to cash as stocking stuffers and the bottomless pit of “I want more” that children have turned into, this Santa has lost his ho ho ho. But when a young girl reaches out to the not-so-jolly Saint Nick and his reindeer leave him stranded, Santa Claus absolutely destroys every bad guy on his naughty list.

Violent Night knows exactly what it is, panning the camera in close to the faces of its characters right when a totally 90s action-level cheese line is about to be delivered. That self-awareness is what makes this film so perfect. The film is stacked with one-liners that had me and the rest of the theater howling. Delivered with every bit of seriousness and often surrounded by carnage, each and everyone is completely out of place and somehow perfect. These corny gut-busters are perfectly matched to absolutely bonkers violence. In a John Wickian fashion, everything has to be a weapon because Santa is not ready to fight. That said, he’s somehow extremely equipped to fight the intruders and save the family at the same time.

Call Christmas magic or a tragic past, or both, Santa is both a killing machine and a drunkard who just really wants kids to stop being “little shits.” David Harbour brings every element of Santa Claus to life. His holly jolly connection to humans, his absolute berserker rage, and of course his depressive drunk side causes everything else to be displayed in varying elements. Harbour is a physical force. He’s strong, he’s clumsy, and he dominates every single scene with his physicality. Not to mention he has assuredly landed a top spot on any sexy santa list. But much like his other roles, Harbour’s ability to also be caring and emotive with Tudy (Leah Brady), the child at the center of the story is nothing short of heartwarming.

The most surprising element of Violent Night though, is that it is somehow equally a bloodbath and a movie filled with the meaning of Christmas. It’s an absurd balance that takes the traditional theme, like Santa getting his “ho ho ho” back because a child showed him that some still believe, and then also has a kill with a star through an eye and a face catching on fire. Christmas magic is never second fiddle to the action, and vice versa.

I am floored by how easily Violent Night perfectly captures the holly jolly for people who like Christmas and who don’t (like me) and just absolutely incredible geysers of blood and creative kills. It all just works. While I have been in love with Christmas horror films for some time, most of those come with moral tales or outlandish adventures that don’t center on a traditional holiday narrative. Here, though, we get it clearly. Wirkola, Casey, and Miller love Christmas, and they also really really love 90s action movies too.

Love and joy flow through Violent Night. It’s in every gunshot, every crazy kill, every dumb codename, and every bit of Santa Claus lore. I can’t state enough that Violent Night is a bloody Christmas miracle and one that manages to be dumb fun, kinetic action, and unique holiday spirit. Violent Night is my new favorite Christmas movie. It’s everything. And it perfectly pairs well with films like Krampus and A Christmas Horror Story while blazing a path in the action genre and the holidays to connect.

Violent Night is in theaters nationwide now.

Kate Sánchez

Kate Sánchez is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of But Why Tho? A Geek Community. There, she coordinates film, television, anime, and manga coverage. Kate is also a freelance journalist writing features on video games, anime, and film. Her focus as a critic is championing animation and international films and television series for inclusion in awards cycles.