Christmas Cruelty

"This Christmas Santa is going postal..."

Director: Magne Steinsvoll Year: 2013 Runtime: 96 min IMDb: ⭐ 3.8

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Synopsis

We follow a serial killer and his victims as they all prepare for Christmas in their own ways. This year it doesn't matter if you have been naughty or nice, Santa is coming to town no matter what, and he knows where you live.

A man brutalizes a family whose home he has broken into, raping the mother in front of her bound and gagged loved ones before murdering all of them, starting with the baby, who he eviscerates with a circular saw. Elsewhere, three friends named Eline, Magne and Per-Ingvar celebrate the holiday season by making decorations, pulling pranks and getting drunk. The next day, while the trio recover from their hangovers, the killer, revealed to be a loving family man and a NAV employee, begins stalking them after stumbling onto Eline and Per-Ingvar's case files, at one point telling his wife, "I can't stop thinking about a poor girl and a guy in a wheelchair. They are going to have a horrible Christmas. I have to contribute in my own way, so they don't have to worry about the new year at least." Per-Ingvar holds a small Christmas party at his apartment and unintentionally injures one of his guests, who Magne escorts to the hospital, accidentally leaving the door open on his way out. The killer, disguised as Santa Claus, barges in, fatally bludgeons one of the revelers, and sexually assaults Eline while Per-Ingvar is forced to watch. Before the killer can finish he is interrupted by a pair of late arrivals, one of whom he decapitates before incapacitating the other. Returning to Elise, the killer stabs her in the genitals and performs cunnilingus on her before he resumes raping her, knifing and smothering her when she begs him to stop. The killer cleans himself up afterward, makes dinner (which he eats while seated on Per-Ingvar) and spends the night at the apartment. In the morning, the killer uses Per-Ingvar's debit card to purchase a chainsaw, which he uses to dismember both Per-Ingvar and the remaining party guest. Answering a call from his daughter, the killer reassures her that he will be home soon as he writes "Merry Christmas" in blood on one of Per-Ingvar's walls.

Summary adapted from TMDb and Wikipedia sources.

🎄 Holiday Cheer Breakdown

☠️ Takes place on or around a holiday —
☠️ Features holiday symbols and decorations —
☠️ Features a traditional holiday activity —
☠️ Features an iconic holiday character —
☠️ Someone is killed in a festive or holiday-specific way —

Content Warnings

⭐ IMDb Parents Guide 🛡️ Common Sense Media

someone is sexually assaulted

spoiler Two brutal rape scenes, one at the very beginning and another near the end.

animals are abused

spoiler A character pours alcohol into a fish bowl but the fish lives.

there's child abuse

spoiler Not abused specifically, but a baby is murdered.

a woman is brutalized for spectacle

Yes

someone is stalked

Yes

alcohol abuse

Yes

someone is sexually assaulted onscreen

Yes

there's pedophilia

spoiler Antagonist fantasizes about a girl whose age is unspecified. She could be 16, could be 18+.

rape is mentioned

Yes

someone is restrained

Yes

someone's mouth is covered

Yes

there's excessive gore

Yes

there's torture

Yes

there's genital trauma/mutilation

Yes

there's body horror

Yes

there's finger/toe mutilation

Yes

heads get squashed

Yes

there's decapitation

Yes

someone's throat is mutilated

Yes

there's amputation

Yes

someone is crushed to death

Yes

someone struggles to breathe

Yes

someone asphyxiates

Yes

someone breaks a bone

Yes

hands are damaged

Yes

someone is stabbed

Yes

Someone becomes unconscious

Yes

a minor is sexualized

spoiler Antagonist fantasizes about a young woman whose age is unspecified. She could be an older teenager, could be 18+?

a kid dies

Yes

an infant is abducted

Yes

a major character dies

Yes

someone dies

Yes

the r-slur is used

Yes

a family member dies

Yes

someone is kidnapped

Yes

there are shower scenes

Yes

someone vomits

Yes

There's audio gore

Yes

there's spitting

Yes

Autism specific abuse

Yes

someone has an eating disorder

spoiler But eating disorders are mentioned briefly.

there's misophonia

Yes

shaky cam is used

Yes

there's flashing lights or images

spoiler Technically no, but some of the editing could trigger someone sensitive to flashing lights.

a baby cries

Yes

there's screaming

Yes

there is obscene language/gestures

Yes

someone is watched without knowing

Yes

there is a baby or unborn child

Yes

there's fat jokes

Yes

there are homophobic slurs

Yes

there's ableist language or behavior

Yes

someone speaks hate speech

Yes

there's demons or Hell

spoiler Main characters make Krampus/demon-esque masks to play pranks.

there is sexual content

Yes

someone is sexually objectified

Yes

someone has a chronic illness

spoiler One of the main characters has brittle bone disease and uses a wheelchair.

Santa (et al) is spoiled

Yes

the ending is sad

Yes

there's blood/gore

Yes

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🎄 Christmas

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