Christmas Cruelty!

Christmas Cruelty isn't shocking in any meaningful or artistic way - it's simply vile. This isn't horror; it's sadism pretending to be cinema. When a film relies on explicit violence against children and animals, it exposes just how bankrupt it is creatively and morally. That isn't bravery or boundary-pushing - it's exploitation.

There's nothing thoughtful, innovative, or earned about what's shown here. Using children and animals as shock props is the laziest, most desperate form of provocation imaginable. It doesn't disturb in a way that adds depth or commentary; it repulses because it has nothing else to offer. The film feels less like a story that needed telling and more like a calculated attempt to provoke outrage for attention.

Instead of atmosphere, tension, or purpose, it delivers cruelty for cruelty's sake. No substance, no empathy, no restraint. If this is what passes for "extreme horror," the genre has lost its compass entirely. Some things aren't controversial - they're just indefensible. This film is one of them.

This film opens with a horrific scene featuring a middle-aged "serial killer" (Tormod Lien) terrorizing a family in their home. After having his way with a young woman, he butchers a baby in its crib. The scene then shifts to a nightclub, where three friends named "Magne" (Magne Steinvoll), "Per-Ingvar" (Per-Ingvar Tomren), and "Eline" (Eline Aasheim) are having several drinks. A little while later, they all go to the home where Magne and Per-Ingvar live and continue to drink and have a good time. What they don't realize, however, is that the middle-aged man from the first scene has been spying on them and, after donning a Santa outfit, plans to make their acquaintance in his own special way. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that I didn't particularly care for this film for several reasons. For starters, I didn't understand the significance of the first scene or how it related to any of the other scenes. It made no sense, and if there was a connection, I couldn't figure it out. Also, when it comes to horror films, I typically prefer those that feature a good amount of suspense over those that rely solely on gore to heighten the horror. If there's a lack of suspense, some mystery or action might suffice in its place. Maybe. Unfortunately, this film relied almost exclusively on gore, and it just wasn't something that interested me all that much. No doubt, those who enjoy splatter films will probably love this movie, and that's okay. Personally, I didn't care for it, and I have rated it accordingly.

I recently watched the Norwegian movie 🇳🇴 Christmas Cruelty (2013) on Tubi. The storyline follows a serial-killing Santa Claus as he quietly stalks homes in search of his next victims. When Christmas Eve arrives, he makes his choice-and a brutal home invasion ensues...

This picture is codirected by Magne Steinsvoll (Killungard) and Per-Ingvar Tomren (Headless Entanglement), and stars Eline Aasheim (Headless Entanglement), Tormod Lien (Killungard), and Magne Steinsvoll (Killungard).

The film has a long, slow, methodical-and honestly boring-start, but the last 20 minutes are worthwhile and genuinely entertaining. It's an independent production, and it shows in both cinematography and overall execution. The writing is uneven, though there are some unexpectedly funny moments, including a "Dutch Duck Cheese" line that had me cracking up. There's also a killer montage that works really well, a fantastic decapitation, and once the violence kicks in, it's a lot of fun... but it's definitely a slog to get there.

In conclusion, Christmas Cruelty has just enough good kills to keep it from being a total waste of time, but not enough to save the movie. I'd score this a 4/10.

Right, well I stumbled upon the 2013 Norwegian horror movie "O'Hellige Jul" (aka "Christmas Cruelty") here in 2022. And seeing the movie's cover, I immediately picked it up and decided to give it a view. And it being a Norwegian horror movie just made it all the more interesting.

Writers Eline Aasheim, Janne Iren Holseter, Anita Nyhagen, Magne Steinsvoll and Per-Ingvar Tomren put together a very unique and entertaining script and storyline here. The movie starts out rather violently, but then takes a turn for a more strange and somewhat weird storyline. And that had me wondering why this was actually a horror movie. But then directors Per-Ingvar Tomren and Magne Steinsvoll brings the violence back threefold, so stick with the movie, even while the narrative is a bit strange.

It is hard to describe a movie such as "O'Hellige Jul", because it has to be seen and experienced to fully understand. And believe you me, this is definitely a movie that I will warmly recommend for all you gorehounds out there. I've never seen a Norwegian movie this bloody before.

The acting performances in the movie were quite good, despite the fact that the majority of the performers were also either directors and/or writers. Usually that is something I frown upon, but they pulled it off quite nicely here actually.

There is an abundance of violence in "O'Hellige Jul", and it is quite visual and visceral, so the movie may not find an appeal with everyone in the audience, especially not those of delicate demeanor.

My rating of "O'Hellige Jul" lands on a well-deserved six out of ten stars.

Every time I think I've seen the worst movie ever made, something else comes along to make me realise no...THIS is the worst movie ever made.

Christmas Cruelty lives up to its name in its opening few minutes while some fat guy rapes a woman in front of her family and then murders the infant with a chainsaw. Then we get an hour of nothingness. They could have chopped about 20 minutes off the runtime if they didn't have montage scenes to the full length of soft rock songs. Nobody needs 3-4 minutes of watching three people get drunk, or some guy at his desk. If you can't give your film a decent plot line or write enough dialogue for a full length film, then make a short. Or maybe that's what the Christmas Cruelty is, that we sat through this waiting for something to happen? Eventually the ending happens and once the depravity is over the credits roll.

This movie was offensive. One character is just non-stop with the misogynistic/ableist dialogue and you can forgive yourself for laughing at it the first time out of shock but it gets old really fast. It also has some of the worst film editing of all time.

If you don't mind a film with no plot and is straight up torture porn and gore, knock yourself out you'll love it!