THE DEAD TIMES

RATING:

ZOMBIE RATING:

DESCRIPTION:

When evil descends on the small town of Bailey Downs at Christmas time, not even Santa Claus is safe from horrors including the deadly Krampus, nightmarish Zombie elves and other malevolent spirits. In a series of interwoven tales, introduced by a festive-loving radio presenter (played by William Shatner), we see how Christmas Eve can change from the most wonderful time of year into one very unholy night.

MY VERDICT:

First off, this is an anthology movie of four different stories eventually intertwining into one coherent whole; only one of which contains Zombies. So, while not a true Zombie film, I think the following two words will convince you that A Christmas Horror Story is well-deserving of a place in Zombie history... Zombie Elves. That's right, those fun-loving characters that help Santa prepare all those bodacious gifts for Christmas have contracted a Zombie virus of some form, turning them into ravenous freaks; running around, biting other Elves, spreading the infection and generally ruining everything. It's down to the aging, ass-kicking Santa Claus to stop the horrible bunch before they sap all the fun out of the most wonderful time of the year. Alright, it is all a bit contrived and there is never any real threat to humanity but, it's extremely entertaining to see Santa smacking the Hell out of diminutive crazed Elves which are often portrayed as happy figures, immune from harm. There's blood too and foul-language, proving this is not a light-hearted comedy. Still, the Zombies don't play a massive role which is disappointing - if understandable given the whole 'multi-part' concept of the movie, which can get a little confusing at times. The twist at the end though is golden and enough for me to recommend this film to anyone wanting some alternative yuletide fun.