STORYLINE: The Severson family move to a suburban neighborhood where their neighbors, the Kringles, celebrate Christmas year-round and harbor sinister intentions to hypnotize and indoctrinate them.  (IMDb)

  Once upon a Christmas, Krampus frightened filmgoers in the terrifying motion picture Krampus (2015).  Santa had his reign of terror in Santa’s Slay (2005).  In 1974, the sororities had their holiday fright in Black Christmas.  Horror returns to Christmas, in the new release Christmas at the Kringles.

  Holiday films and horror is an odd match up, of cinema.  Typically, holiday movies are associated with classic like Miracle on 34th St (1947), which I watch every year.  Why can’t there be horror and holiday movies blended together?  Christmas at the Kringles, says why not.

  All the ingredients are in place for a fun, and frightening motion picture. There is a new new neighborhood, odd neighbors, and a creepy loner character.  There is a story, that has the potential to be creepy, and if you like horror films, cheesy fun.

The problem is nothing comes together. Everything is a random mess.  Christmas at the Kringles tries to emulate the films of directors such as Lucio Fulton (City of the Living Dead, 1980) and Dario Argento (Suspuria, 1977). It misses the mark.  Hereditary (2018) did it the perfectly.

  I wanted more then I got out of this holiday horror motion picture, espically going into the holiday season. I was hoping for more of a cheesy B movie, instead of a movie that tried to copy the style of some of the masters of the horror genre.

  Christmas at the Kringles is a horror film with all the ingredients to be a fun B rated hortor film.  In the end falls short of a high mark set by ecvellebt filmmakers from decades ago.

  Until next time, I will see you at the movies!