Deadly Little Christmas (2009)

When will parents learn that you should never get freaky while dressed like Santa?  Little Devin witnesses Santa and the maid getting busy. Next thing you know, they're both dead and Devin is on the front lawn with a bloody knife in his hand and a dazed look in his eyes.

Fifteen years later, Devin is still locked in a sanitarium and is not impressed with Mom's visit to bring him his Christmas presents, since it can't help remind him of killing Santa and all that. But Mom's not having any of his shenanigans and yells that she put him in there to get well. Say what now?  Were the police not involved in his incarceration?

Back at the family home, Devin's sisters Taylor and Noelle bicker about Devin and how Mom hasn't really talked about him since the murders.   Noelle wants to continue to ignore this issue or confront Mom.  You see, the writing isn't always consistent so it gets confusing.

• Noelle: "If it weren't for Mom, you would have done what I did - block it out so you can get on with your life."

• Taylor: "We need to confront Mom about this."
• Noelle: "No kidding! I've been telling you about this since High School." (She only graduated a few months earlier).

When Devin escapes from the asylum, the family isn't notified until the next day.  The asylum claim their protocol is to call the cops. But the cops are practically useless as they theorize Devin is probably curled up in a ball sleeping and totally harmless.

We run into some continuity problems as Devin is seen at the family home, then back in the Asylum basement slashing some orderlies... and now back at home again watching his younger sister.  It's just not possible for him to teleport like that.

Meanwhile Taylor is producing a play at the community theater (oh yes!) and Noelle is one of the leads.  Their rehearsal is in two hours, but only two of the four actors show up to rehearsal.  Apparently the play consists of a total of four actors and no crew. But Taylor doesn't seem to notice that half her cast is missing, and never figures out they've been murdered.

When the play is performed, there are only eight people in the audience, which includes the cop investigating Devin's escape, Taylor, and some guy who was working on the stage.  The missing two actors are never mentioned.   Why such a low turnout?  They comment on how the play is a total success. Really?  Maybe turnout is low because the play is on Christmas Eve.  Did they not promote it?  Is that just a bad day for a play, what with church services or family parties?  Would a community theater really hold a play on Christmas eve?

This movie does give us one of the most ridiculous murder scenes ever when a guy is murdered with an obviously collapsible knife and overacts the hell out of his death scene.

Also we get brilliant lines like:

• I keep having to tell you to calm down. I don't want to keep having to tell you to calm down.

Felissa Rose, famed lead from Sleepaway Camp, is the mother in this film.  I'm rooting for her, but boy she was as bad as the rest of the cast.

This movie is far better than Christmas Massacre, Psycho Santa, and Satan Claus.  But those were so bad, that isn't saying much.  At least this one has lighting and the acting is so over the top that its pretty funny in places. Plus the dialogue is ridiculous rather than just plain lame. Still, not recommended.