‘Christmas Bloody Christmas’ Blu-Ray Review – A Gory Holiday Nightmare

In CHRISTMAS BLOODY CHRISTMAS, it’s Christmas Eve and fiery record store owner Tori Tooms (Riley Dandy) just wants to get drunk and party, until the robotic Santa Claus at a nearby toy store goes haywire and makes her night more than a little complicated. Santa Claus begins a rampant killing spree through the neon drenched snowscape against a backdrop of drugs, sex, metal and violence, ultimately forcing Tori into a blood splattered battle for survival against the ruthless heavy metal Saint Nick himself.

For in-depth thoughts on Christmas Bloody Christmas, please see my colleague Mike Vaughn’s review from its original theatrical debut here. 

Video Quality

Christmas Bloody Christmas comes to Blu-Ray with a dazzling AVC encoded 1080p transfer that brings this movie to life perfectly. The cinematography features some vibrant pops of color that conjures the spirit of the holiday. These colors bring a heightened reality to the story that aids it quite a bit. The picture is mostly clear with only brief instances of murkiness during a few of the darkest moments. While the film does not really feature much of anything in the way of bright daytime sequences, the transfer maintains an impressive level of detail both in the dimly lit interior sequences and more stark nighttime outside shots. Nearly every element from the smallest facial details to the texture in the production design is quite impressive. Skin tones are natural throughout with some impeccable details present in certain shots. RLJE Entertainment has done a solid job with this release. 

Audio Quality

The film comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that keeps with the throwback aesthetic and sounds great as it opens up this world. Environmental effects play a substantial role in the film, and this track brings these elements to with a vengeance. This track creates a fully fleshed-out world full of unique sonic details. The directionality is quite precise so sounds always present as natural when coming from their respective points. Dialogue comes through clearly without being overwhelmed by any of the other sounds. Activity in the low end delivers some great texture during the appropriate moments. RLJE has delivered a dandy track that packs a punch. There are English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles for those who desire them. 

Special Features

• Behind The Scenes of Christmas Bloody Christmas: A four-minute piece in which the cast and creative team discuss the origins of the film as a Silent Night, Deadly Night remake, the shooting locations, the practical nature of the effects, shooting on film and more. 

• The SFX of Christmas Bloody Christmas: A three-minute look at the special effects team who brought this crazy vision to life from the animatronics and the gore effect, the inspirations they brought to the table and more. 

• The Cast of Christmas Bloody Christmas: A nearly four-minute look at the performers who inhabit this world, the audition process, how the takes evolve, how the characters surprised the performers, the dynamics between Begos and the actors, and more. 

Final Thoughts

Christmas Bloody Christmas is a deliriously fun ode to slasher films. There are several different subgenres at play here, but they all coalesce in a really effective way that makes this an easy addition to your holiday horror lineup. Director Joe Begos has a great eye for crafting a visually enthralling and tremendously fun horror film. RLJE Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray with a great A/V presentation and a fun array of special features. If you want a demented addition to your holiday celebrations, give this one a shot. Recommended 

Christmas Bloody Christmas is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: RLJE Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.