A Christmas Horror Story is in the vein of Creepshow or the more recent Trick Or Treat. There are several stories, all loosely connected by by characters. For example, one story follows a teenager and her family, while her boyfriend is a part of another story. Three kids are trying to pull a Ghost Hunters types of investigation of a haunted school. They are watching video of a police walk through and one of the cops is the center of another story.
One of the unique takes here is that, unlike the majority of anthology films, the stories jump from one to another. So, we see a few events in one story, and then jump back to one of the others. The stories are pretty decent. There is one in which parents getting a Christmas Tree in the woods results in a strange change to their child. Another has Santa fighting Zombie Elves. Another a family is running from the Krampus. This is more interesting as an idea, as it is a blending of the Wendigo and Krampus myths. Except, instead of human flesh (as with the Wendigo), it is dark feelings that open the door to the dark spirit of Krampus.
The stories are held together by William Shanter’s DJ. He keeps trying to bring Christmas Cheer, but is finding that in short supply. It has some decent visual effects, with the Krampus and zombie elves looking best. Overall, I think this was a pretty effective anthology. While not rising to the heights of fun that Trick ‘R Treat pulled off, this is still a decent set of tales.
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