All Through the House (2015)

This Xmas slasher movie starts off with a woman being (very bloodily) butchered in her shower and the carnage carries on throughout, I'm pleased to say. Real throw back to the slashers of the 1980's, it ticks all of the boxes. Hot chicks, lots of blood & graphic deaths, a somewhat predictable but good plot & some dark humour in the mix, though it is by no means a comedy. Acting is reasonable, as are the special effects, given the low budget. I bought the DVD way back last January but it was well worth waiting 11 months to watch it, one of the best Xmas horror movies out there.

"All Through The House" is hardly original and in fact a homage to the early 80's slasher area. The story combines elements from classic horror films like "Prom Night" and "Sleepaway Camp" and is the best Santa Slasher next to the classic cult film "Silent Night Deadly Night". The acting varies from average to good, especially the 'final girl' character is well played. The killer's look is eerie what also can be said about the score, the music works well and delivers during the suspenseful scenes. In this day and age we're 'treated' with bogus and godawful CGI effects but not this time: the special effects are prosthetic and done without any CGI and come off realistic: brutal, bloody, gory and over the top. They remind you of films like "The Prowler", "Hatchet" and the early "Friday the 13th" films. There's no Tom Savini at work here but some effects come close. Many copycat slasher after "Friday" and "Halloween" had lousy and cheap effects but here you get your money's worth. If you like those films, be sure to check this one out. It will never be a classic, but a nice addition to the genre.

Rachel is sad this Christmas, she misses her mom. Her neighbor, Mrs. Garrett is mourning her daughter's mysterious disappearance.Mrs. Garrett is celebrating by filling her house with creepy mannequins. Rachel is invited over to help with the decorating.Meanwhile, lovely ladies are trying to get some Christmas coitus. A psycho Santa runs around with garden sheers collecting his own bag of genitals.Don't be fooled by the stilted writing & over the top acting. You get used to it. The prize is a twisty plot, tons of gore and a really messed up family gathering. Mrs. Garrett should get an award, she ratchets it up to a rare level of crazy.The big reveal was exciting even though I had already guessed the killer's identity. I still didn't figure out the whole story.The blood & special effects are uneven. At times you can see the edges of appliances, at others it is flawlessly executed. The strangest part is that the blood appears to be mixed on site (at one time effects artists made their own with a recipe) so it varies from red to brown to black. This makes it even more disgusting.I want to see more of this director's films.

College student Rachel Kimmel (a solid and appealing performance by Ashley Mary Nunes) returns to her home town to celebrate Christmas with her family and friends at the same time that a psycho dressed as Santa Claus (an unnerving portrayal by Lito Velasco) decides to embark on a vicious killing spree.Writer/director Todd Nunes keeps the engrossingly twisted story moving along at a constant pace, delivers a handy helping of in-your-face nasty gore, maintains a take-no-prisoners harsh tone throughout (the wacko cuts guy's penises off with a huge pair of garden shears), does a sturdy job of crafting a supremely creepy atmosphere, pays nice tribute to such 1980's slice'n'dice classics as "Alone in the Dark" and "The Slumber Party Massacre," and even throws in a smidgen of tasty gratuitous female nudity for extra good trashy measure. Melynda Kiring easily cops the top acting honors with her divinely deranged turn as the bitter and unhinged Mrs. Garrett, who's harboring one hell of a sick family secret. Moreover, the filmmakers deserve additional praise for using nifty old school practical splatter make-up effects. Ryan J. Anderson's sharp cinematography provides a pleasing polished look. Irving Victoria's shivery score hits the spirited shuddery spot. A fun little seasonal slasher outing.