The Christmas Spirit

original but terrible

I found myself skipping through the film just to get to the end.

Pretty disappointing Christmas movie. Horror- ha. Why is this on shudder ? But even for the Christmas aspect, I dunno. Maybe because I legit have a psych disorder that causes delusions, when I’m full blown manic, I legit become delusional psychotic, radio talks to me, warns me about the people following me, I don’t usually see visual hallucinations, but I hear them, including voices, and sometimes the voice is consistent and has its own personality and story, it gets bad. I’m bipolar. Type 1. Anyways. I’m not usually sensitive about mental illness since movies. At all. I’m pretty friggin laid back and I have a wicked sense of humor. But this movie actually has me feeling like a fcking loser who will never ever blend and never fit in or matter. Maybe it’s my own sht. But I hate it. You have to see it to understand. But I don’t get it. The main character goes through hell and is seen as an outcast loser by the world, even his own mom, none of it is his own fault, he didn’t do anything to deserve it, he’s a schizophrenic, causing his outcast status, because of this delusion aka the Christmas spirit that has stalked him for 20 years. The entire movie the Christmas spirit wants him to do what he tells him to do, in order to make everything right in the world. Sound familiar? It’s a common tropee for psychotics. But I was imagining a pay off where in the end, everything he does isn’t in vain and he finally is free, free of being the outcast, free of being discarded by society, free from being alone, but nope. He literally ends up screwed 100 times over, with everyone else having an amazing ending, an amazing ending that is completely dependent on his psychosis and his bad ending. I just feel so betrayed. I know I’m being sensitive and it’s personal. But damn. I just feel like I got shredded in the worst way.

The movie has some goofy conceits (the titular Spirit manifests as a luchador from the main character's favorite video game), but doesn't have a goofy energy. Tonally, it's pretty grounded when it should be more heightened, more absurd, really lean into being a dark black comedy. As it is, it's only okay, has some curious elements (the kids and the cops feel like filler or ways to move props to where they need to be), and doesn't earn its concluding message. Competently done, but also written, directed, and produced by only one person. I'd like to see what they can do in collaboration with someone who can suggest changes.

Not a horror movie and weirdly bad.