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Don't Open Till Christmas [1984]
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Our Price: £6.84 (subject to change)
Get your claus out
Review date: 2008-08-12 Rating: 8 out of 10
This super seedy Santa slasher came out as the British horror industry was experiencing a lull in creativity. Hammer was concentrating on the television market, Amicus had completed its cycle of portmanteau E.C style films and Tigon was dead and buried. Hellraiser was still a few years away as well.
This however, is about as far away from your archetypical classy Brit horror as you can imagine. The only British horror films that come close are Pete Walker's more lurid efforts, and Walker is like Samuel Beckett in comparison.
I actually quite enjoyed the movie, despite its limitations, and some quite inventive methods are found to despatch our list of victims. In fact we've got a wide array of Santa's lined up for the chop. Theres Gangster Santa, Drunk Santa, Pervy Santa, Page Three Santa... well you get the picture. The film also comes complete with a low rent Carpenter like Synthesizer score, and is also pretty gory and mean spirited.
I'd recommend watching it whilst sitting round the Christmas tree gorging yourselves on mince pies and cheap sherry, as an alternative to the Queen's speech
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Reviews
british budget slasher
Review date: 2007-12-19 Rating: 6 out of 10
another slasher from the 80s but this time a british production,"dont open
till christmas".from the start of the movie it looks dated & the sound is
noisy & distorted in places but its actually quite good, inspite of the film
looking as though transfered straight from video tape to dvd ! there is a
spate of santa killings,some brutal,particularly the one in the gents!ooh!
but im afraid its another"bloke from a mental asylum"scenario.a good cast
with lots going on but i feel sometimes im watching an episode of " the
sweeney!" all those cops! but its a good whodunnit,so watch it & see if you can figure out who the killer is!a good effort but wish the quality was
better! come on anchor bay or blue underground!
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Alan Lake
Gerry Sundquist
Mark Jones
Belinda Mayne
Edmund Purdom
Creators:
Edmund Purdom (Primary Contributor)
Alan Lake (Primary Contributor)
Alan Pudney (Cinematographer)
Ray Selfe (Editor)
Dick Randall (Producer)
Stephen Minasian (Producer)
Al McGoohan (Writer)
Derek Ford (Writer)
Director(s):
Recording label: Televista
Manufacturer: Televista
EAN: 0018619666197
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Colour, DVD-Video, PAL,
Release date: 2007-10-09
Universal product code (UPC): 018619666197
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Running time: 86 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1984-12
Language: English (Original Language)