Holidays

Holidays

"Holidays" is an anthology film that focuses on seven holiday horrors directed by nine indie directors, dealing with the holidays of Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Halloween, Christmas, and New Year's Eve.

Valentine's Day:
An awkward teenage girl is bullied by other girls in her class, while harboring a secret crush on her swim coach.  When she learns he's in dire need of a particular thing, she stops at nothing to get it for him.  The story is pretty funny in a dark sort of way, and it's a good revenge tale in the guise of "Carrie."  B+.

St. Patrick's Day:
Taking the theme of The Lindworm, a woman becomes pregnant with a snake, and deals with the possibility of giving birth to it or not.  There's hues of "The Wicker Man" here, and it's set in Ireland, but the overall story isn't that compelling, and the effects are somewhat laughable - and not in a good way.  C.

Easter:
A girl is confused about Easter, because of hearing conflicting stories about it being about the Easter Bunny, but also Jesus' resurrection.  When she's visited by an other-worldly being that night, she learns the truth.  It's a spooky, strange tale and offers a very unnerving creature that's both terrifying and somewhat mysterious.  A-.

Mother's Day:
A girl gets pregnant every time she has sex, and her doctor sends her to a fertility ritual in the desert, where she meets women who want to get pregnant.  She soon finds there's more there than meets the eye, and her life could be in mortal danger.  Think "Rosemary's Baby" meets Charles Manson, and that's what you get here.  Typical flare, nothing really memorable.  C.

Father's Day:
A woman, who thought her father was long dead, receives a cassette from him recalling a time when they were separated, and leads her to where he's waiting for her.  The best short of the bit so far, it's a throwback to Edgar Allan Poe and doesn't really feature a lot - just a woman walking listening to her father's voice on cassette tape - but the mystery is enthralling and you're with her the entire way, wondering where her father was leading her.  Very well done.  A.

Halloween:
A seedy, greedy Internet Sex Cam owner tortures his three women, until they turn the tables on him.  Directed by Kevin Smith ("Clerks") and starring his daughter, this tongue-in-cheek tale is equally hilarious and scandalous, and a great revenge tale.  A-.

Christmas:
On Christmas Eve, a father wants to get his son the hottest new toy, but a man already got the last one.  When he suffers a heart attack, the father takes the toy and soon has visions of what he did that haunts him.  Starring real-life couple Seth Green and Clare Grant, this tongue-in-cheek dark comedy is every parents' worst nightmare - the extremes they go to get their child the hottest new toy.  A-.

New Year's Eve:
A serial killer finds women online and kills them, but he might have met his match with his latest conquest.  This tells the danger of online dating and is also extremely humorous in a very dark way, but a great way to end the anthology.  A-.


The Summary:
While there were some misses, "Holidays" pretty much hits home with its holiday-themed terrors, and serves as a delightful way to relax on a Saturday afternoon.

The Score: B+