With less than a week until Christmas, an underrated festive horror emerges for your consideration

It’s certainly no secret that the Yuletide season is typically saturated with everlasting joy, an abundance of horrid fruit cakes, and a large collection of holiday songs. However, there is another specific element that relates to Christmas, and it doesn’t exactly point toward cheer and delight. Rather, the festive horror sub-genre is what draws many folks’ gaze — especially when underrated gems like Christmas Evil (1980) are available to watch.

Directed by Lewis Jackson, the eye-watering premise centers around a man named Harry Stadling who, after developing an unhealthy obsession with Santa Claus, embarks on a murderous rampage dressed as the iconic Christmas figure. On the surface, the aforementioned premise appears ridiculously campy, although the project contains several elements which present it with a much darker, terrifying vibe.

Over on the r/horror subreddit, horror fanatics and Christmas connoisseurs alike are singing their praise for the overlooked ‘80s classic — with several users declaring the film a personal holiday pleasure, John Waters’ favorite Christmas film, and a “hilariously cheesy” project that will be remembered for years to come. And although the movie didn’t become a blockbuster hit, largely in part due to its low-budget quality, it has maintained its status as a bona fide cult classic.

Considering its allure amongst the horror fandom, one user reminisced on the potential for Robin Williams to star in a remake of the flick. But due to Williams passing away back in 2014, that idea will unfortunately never happen. Still, it remains to be seen if another actor would ever be interested in starring in the remake. After all, David Harbour is just a phone call away.