Good Tidings (2016) User Reviews

Senseless Christmas Killing.

[meddlecore · 5/10 · 15 December 2018]

A trio of sociopathic serial killers, wearing santa claus outfits and masks, target a group of squatters who are held up in a vacant courthouse building for the holiday season.

We follow the de-facto leader of the squatters as he; a recovering addict; one of the main organizers of the group; and a guy they just met and took in; try to survive and attempt to exact justice...or vengeance...for their now deceased friends.

Clearly the largest and most intimidating santa is the dominant force of the trio; with the two others coming off as probably inbred- definitely mentally-ill- twins. There's not much context given to the narrative...it's all just a senseless violence splatterfest.

But the characters are developed pretty well.

The acting from the two female leads- particularly the woman who plays the main organizer- is excellent. Her trauma feels truly genuine.

However, what the guy goes through requires some suspension of disbelief...though, by this point you are invested in their survival...so it's not too bad.

There's quite a bit of gore- which is hit or miss. The use of sausages as intestines was pretty cheesy, but the finale was badass. And overall the special effects are pretty good.

In the end, it's entertaining enough, if you are just looking for senseless Christmas violence.

But I felt it could have had more depth with a little more attention to detail. 5.5 out of 10.

Watchable if flawed Santa slasher effort

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 5/10 · 16 December 2019]

Arriving at a homeless shelter, a man joins his fellow homeless members in a closed-down bank for the shelter when they notice a trio of escaped mental patients dressed as Santa Claus is going around killing everyone and forces his friend to rely on his old Army Veteran skills to save them.

This here was a decent enough though flawed genre effort. One of the strongest elements to be had here is the heartwarming nature of the setup at the shelter. The beginning here brings us into their hardship of the season and what they're doing to make the best of it in the grandest Christmas traditions despite being unable to enjoy the finer things in life and to notice that everyone here is getting into the holiday spirit before the rampage starts is rather nice. The scenes of the group coming in and taking over the bank killing them off one-by-one carries a nice sense of shock at the audacity to go through the plan the way they do like the scenes of them chasing through the building generate some pretty tense moments. There's a nice sense of action and brutality between these continuous confrontations taking place throughout the bank as the group tries to outwit and survive the group which leads to some great deaths and some nice gore. These are really all that work here. There are a few flaws to be had here. The main issue with this one is the decidedly underwhelming killers who provide this one with some troublesome moments throughout here. That they're clearly unhinged mental patients that aren't capable of doing anything in a manner that should make people scared of them is a major stumbling block as a gang of them who take a stand against the intruders will overcome them rather easily considering their slow speed and incapacitated mental facilities who can't fight fair. Anyone who would've taken a fight to them would've been able to overcome them easily the way they're addicted to childish toys and games and becomes far more obvious how they're able to stand up to them later on. The other issue with this one is the continual reliance on characters getting tied up and dragged away by the killers instead of outright killing them. While this plays into their simplistic nature and toying with them is what they would be comfortable with, that they're clearly smart enough to come up with the plan and execute it to the point of success as well as they have which shows there's a level of planning and viciousness to their methods. Yet rather than do something chilling with the killers' interactions with the captured victims it favors demented gift-giving rituals or just simply standing there chuckling at them. This isn't scary at all and is repeated far too often to make any kind of impression. Coupled with the off-screen kills whenever something should be happening and this one does come down quite a bit.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.

This film nailed the intensity, missed out on the opportunity for fantastic gore and had weak acting except for the killers

[kevin_robbins · 5/10 · 7 May 2021]

Good Tidings (2016) is another holiday movie I recently caught on Tubi. The storyline focuses on a courthouse where three vicious men dressed as Santa holds everyone hostage and begins randomly killing the hostages one by one. A soldier uses his skill sets in hopes of stopping them and save the day. This movie is directed by Stuart W. Bedford in his major motion picture debut and stars Colin Murtagh (The Curse of Hobbes House), Liam W. Ashcroft (Crying Wolf) and Giovanni Gentile. The storyline for this movie is crazy but fun to watch unfold. I did enjoy the intensity of the characters and the kill sequences. The candy cane usage was solid and original and the Santa killers were well presented. There could have been more gore, but I still enjoyed watching this film unfold. Overall this film nailed the intensity, missed out on the opportunity for fantastic gore and had weak acting except for the killers. I'd score this a 5/10 and recommend this if you're looking for a solid holiday horror pic.

Bad tidings (spoilers)

[phantasmda · 1/10 · 19 December 2016]

What an absolute pile of garbage this is.

Cheap, corny synth dance music that bellows out every time there's an action scene.

Some of the worst dialogue I've ever heard in a horror film, poor acting, one woman overacts so badly that it becomes a major distraction.

Characters that do some of the dumbest things you'll ever see in a movie.

There must be over 20 deaths in the film and you don't see any of them bar one at the end, all you get is close ups of someones face or a cheap cut away followed by a thump noise and then you see the supposed victim with a bit of blood on their face or a rubber accessory glued to their body.

People who are supposed to be dead, yet they are blatantly moving or breathing.

Fight scenes that are so badly choreographed that it feels like you are watching 2 kids fight over a lollypop.

Victims that are exactly that, seriously, not one character bar the main dude can fight, attack or defend themselves, they pretty much just lay down and say, "here you go, stick a knife in my chest (off camera of course), i don't mind"

There are so many scenes of the killers staring up close at the victims faces and then titling their heads back and forth and these scenes go on forever, they just heavy breathe and laugh like Mutley the dog for no reason, it really is uncomfortable (and not in a good way) to watch.

Editing that is ridiculously amateurish, the list of gripes is endless.

This is obviously a micro budget horror film made in or around Liverpool but it's just so poorly made, that all it makes you do is slap your forehead and roll your eyes every few minutes.

Yes the Santa outfits are pretty creepy and the idea is OK for a horror film, but that's about all i can say positive about what i just sat through.

Seriously, avoid this Christmas turkey at all costs, it won't even please the so bad it's good crowd because it isn't even laugh worthy, it's just an embarrassing and uncomfortable watch.

Oh and spoiler!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You never get to see the killers faces nor do you ever find out who they are or what their motivations are, no back story, no explanation where they even came from or why they choose to break into the place where the killing spree happens....It's one of those films where the killers are there for one reason, to bump off the cast. It's just a shame you never actually get to see any of the cast get killed.

Terrible film.

I would have loved to have been more generous

[Andfinally · 3/10 · 5 October 2022]

I would have loved to have been more generous But I really could not give this more than three stars. In spite of apparently being made with a budget of only £15,000 and with a fine allegorical undertone of Christmas being cruel to the poor, I have to be honest and cannot rate it higher.

This whole homage to exploitation and slasher movies of decades gone by simply does not work. The acting and special effects were decidedly dodgy and at times I felt like I was watching a Home movie.

Of course I can feel a little bit guilty by not offering a little bit more praise but I also feel I must be honest. After all, what can one expect for £15,000?

Happy Bloody Christmas.

[timmoss-26387 · 4/10 · 16 December 2021]

A decent rating for a decent effort,as long as you like films about psychos running amok with machetes and knives causing death by beheadings,along with gore aplenty.

The effects were pretty good and for once,the acting was too.

The whole is rather like 'Die Hard' in reverse,in that the putative hero ultimately fails and relies on another character to save the day.

Very entertaining,if you're into that sort of thing.

You'll know what you're in for.

[tentonpenguin · 6/10 · 1 December 2016]

I saw Good Tidings at the Grindhouse Planet Film Festival.

It was pretty standard horror fare. A group gets locked in a court house during the Christmas season and gets tormented by three killer men in Santa suits. A couple of pretty effective grizzly moments aren't enough to balance out the over-long, boring sequences of the Santas staring and cackling as their hostages say things like 'please don't do this' etc.

You could cut out half an hour easily and although that wouldn't leave you with much of a film, that is kind of the problem. There is simply not enough plot and not enough imagination to justify this being feature length. In a year which has seen so many brilliant (admittedly higher budget) single-location horrors come out, (Green Room, Don't Breath, The Invitation) Good Tidings simply can't complete.

Really enjoyed this movie

[indigohawkk · 8/10 · 11 December 2022]

I watched this expecting a laughable deranged Santa movie, a genre I love. I was shocked to find I was warching a really good slasher movie. I cared about the characters, and the acting was good! I was greatly surprised that it was not the typical Deranged Santa Killing People At Random film I expected.

Kudos to the actors, (especially Adam and Roxy) director, and writers, and thanks for a movie I cared about!

Stop reading now. It tells me I need a couple hundred more characters to submit my review, but I have said everything I want to say. I have nothing else I want to say. We wish you a merry Christmas.....

Christmas Slasher with Social Commentary

[Reviews_of_the_Dead · 6/10 · 7 March 2019]

This was a film that I had heard about from podcasts I listen to. I couldn't remember a lot about what they had said, but since I was out to watch Christmas themed horror films during December, I thought I'd give this one a chance. The official synopsis is a homeless war-veteran with a checkered past must rely on a side of himself once thought buried when he and his companions are targeted by three vicious psychopaths wearing Santa suits on Christmas Day.

We kick off with a man in a Santa Claus suit leaving a house. The yard surrounding the house looks rough and the man might be coming off of a bender. That's when three men attack him, all wearing what looks to be hospital attire. They are all wearing masks. They end up killing the man. We then see that they are all dressed up as Santa, all wearing masks as well. We never see their faces, but they are given the names of the Three Stooges: Curly (Stu Jopia), Larry (Giovanni Gentile) and Moe (Liam W. Ashcroft). Oddly enough, Curly and Larry are two of the co-writers for the film

The film then shifts to a man ask he is digging through the garbage. He is Frank Roland (Colin Murtagh). We learn that he is the former war veteran who is running away from something in his film. There's another homeless man who is watching, Jon Latham (Jonny Hirst). Jon asks if he can come with him.

Frank takes him to where he has been staying. It is an abandoned courthouse where bunch of other homeless people is staying to get out of the cold. They have procured enough supplies to put on their own Christmas party. It is during this that Frank talks with a younger woman, Roxy Muller (Claire Crossland). She is a former junkie, but with Frank's help she has gotten clean.

Things take quite the turn when the three Santas show up, chain the door shut and then they start to toy with those stuck inside. Some are killed and some are rounded up. Why are they doing this and can they find a way out before it is too late?

I have to lead off stating this film hit a lot of positives for me. I love the concept of these three Santas coming in and wrecking havoc. I'm a big fan of taking something as innocent as this character and perverting it like the film does. It is even scarier knowing that the mental patients and that can explain some of things they are doing. Some of it doesn't make sense, but that is explained that they are crazy. Not everything they do is rational.

This film also has some social commentary I'm a big fan of. If you know me, then you know that I'm not a big fan of Christmas. It should be a time that we are thankful for what we have and for those around us, but it is such a commercial holiday now. This film has a bunch of poor people who are the victims here. It seemed like a good allegory of how the holiday beats down those that don't have much and that's what this film seems to do. Going with this though, I actually thought this film is a solid slasher, because I felt bad for these people. Not everyone is given a story why they are there, but we do get some and it helped me connect with them. My favorite slashers make me feel for the character so I care if they are killed and this film did that for me.

Something I would have like fleshed out a bit is why did the killers choose this place. My initial thought was that they are going back to where they were sentenced. This is the way that I read it and the only thing that makes sense.

Going from there, I will touch on the pacing next. I thought the film was paced very well. We are introduced to the characters in a natural way and it doesn't take long for the three killers to show up. It then becomes a cat and mouse game, but I thought that was well done. It was reminiscent of the slashers of the past where we got some stalking with the slashing. I thought the ending was fine and fitting for the genre.

I will say though that the acting was only decent. Murtagh I thought was fine in his role. He didn't do anything to hurt the film, but he really didn't stand out either. Crossland I also thought was fine in her role, but for similar things like for Frank, I just wasn't blown away. This is a slasher film so I don't need to be blown away by the acting. The rest of the people inside the courthouse were fine as well. I did like how Jopia, Gentile and Ashcroft acted. It was definitely believable as crazy people and they all had distinct characterization to help tell them apart.

The effects did have some issues as well. The bigger problem for me was that there were too many off-screen deaths. I'm fine with doing this a bit, but for a film like this, I think we really need to see them. The deaths we did get were creative and some looked to be practical. The other issue though was they decided to go with CGI blood. It didn't look real and that aspect disappointed. I will say that the film was shot well outside of that.

Something I really wanted to talk about was the score of the film. They decided to use a lot of Christmas songs, but play them with creepy bells for most of it. I absolutely loved that aspect. It really creeped me out and helped to enhance the film. The score overall was very well done and is actually one I would like to purchase if I can find it. It definitely would be fun to use at a Christmas party to get a little of my horror side in there.

Now with that said, I actually really enjoyed this film. It was one that I didn't remember much about what others said and came in pretty blind. I thought this was an interesting Christmas slasher that had some solid social commentary with it. The film did have some issues with effects and the acting wasn't great. It was paced well and it had a great soundtrack for me. I think some minor changes could have really made this film really good. Due to some minor issues, I have to say this one is above average.

Gotta Love Christmas Slashers. Good Tidings does not disappoint.

[bmoviep · 7/10 · 29 December 2016]

I don't exactly know what is about the combination of Christmas and horror that goes so well together. Maybe it's the fact that after so much cheer, one can't help but crave a bit of senseless slaughter. "Good Tidings" is about a group of homeless people, locked in a court house who are hunted by three seemingly mindless killers, each dressed as Santa Claus. While the three psychotic, serial killer Santas are silent throughout the film, you manage to get a sense of their individual personalities through their interactions with each other and their victims. The smallest of the three "Curly" seems to simply be following orders from his superiors and doesn't appear to understand the permanence of death or the consequences of his actions. He is child like and almost sympathetic. The second in command displays the most amount of blood lust, killing indiscriminately and without mercy. The leader and largest of the three attempts to keep the other two in line, demonstrating some kind of intelligence and sense of awareness that the other two lack. The three killer Santas have their own conflicts and at times fight among each other as opposed to their victims. All this is shown through non verbal gestures, that manage to make these three even more terrifying and unpredictable. The idea of having the victims consist of the homeless and former drug users gave "Good Tidings" a level of depth absent from typical slasher films. Seeing the victims being slaughtered by the embodiment of Christmas serves as a metaphor for just how cruel and unfair the holiday season can be to the less fortunate. At the start of the film, the homeless are brought together by a war veteran, who attempts to provide them shelter as well as help with their various problems with addiction. A great scene within the first twenty minutes of the movie shows the veteran talking to a former heroine addict. The veteran explains that he had lost his wife and child long ago and hopes to dedicate his life to helping others. The veteran represents the true altruistic meaning of Christmas, while the three killer Santas represent the materialistic and self serving side of the holiday season. The Santas treat the homeless like objects that exist only for their amusement. The use and break them, like children playing with toys, only to discard them when they get bored. On the opposite end of the dichotomy, the veteran cares only about saving as many people as possible and shows great remorse for those he fails to save. It's easy to find a slasher with nothing more than gratuitous gore and violence, but it's less common to find one with an strong underlying message. "Good Tidings" manages to supply enough blood to satisfy most seasoned gore hounds, while managing to serve as an insightful social commentary.

Awesome movie!

[rcollins20 · 10/10 · 5 December 2021]

What's the only thing better than one killer Santa? Three of them! I must say, this film exceeded my expectations big time. Despite being a bit on the low budget side, the acting was good, the story was unique and the soundtrack was awesome. Stu Jopia (who played one of the killer Santas) would also serve as one of the film's writers and producers, while Stuart W. Bedford served as writer, producer and director. And seriously, the film's soundtrack by Liam W. Ashcroft is truly outstanding.

Definitely not your happy Christmas.

[Foreverisacastironmess123 · 7/10 · 21 December 2017]

This surprised me, when I first saw its cheap stark look and heard the accents I thought it was going to be something completely horrible along the lines of Scousers Vs Zombies, but it was a film that was comedy free, in fact it didn't have so much as a hint of humour and was played completely straight and I enjoyed it because of that, because to me it helped with the characterisation and atmosphere. This film is nothing great but in my opinion it's much better than the three it currently has on here would suggest. I really got into it and was glad I'd watched it, it was one of the more effective recent Christmas-themed horror slashers I've seen, one with an unexpected emotional depth to it, and that's not something you'd typically get at all in most horror movies, particularly ones about killer Santas made in the UK! When most people think of Christmas they think of the family friendly side of it and the cheeryness of the lights and presents, but this movie wasn't interested in any of that, the holiday doesn't get more grim and depressing as it does in this low key sombre shocker. But again I liked that in this instance, the obviously low budget helped give what I thought was a sort of raw realism, and the focus on the characters made me care a little about what happened to them and the shock factor was a little more impactful, even if the majority of the kills were off camera. How it was set up and it's limitations to me helped the fear and drama of the situation sink in. The two leads Colin Murtagh and Wensday Pain were people without hope who really didn't care too much whether they lived or died, and I thought their emotional connection was well portrayed and how they gave each other something to fight for. It made me sad for the victims, as homeless people things were already not too bright for them and now they were getting slaughtered by psychotic assholes when they were minding their own business and just trying to enjoy a crappy free meal and a little shelter from the cold on Christmas Day! Some elements of the story strongly reminded me of Clownhouse, like the three escaped lunatics disguising themselves as something that's meant to be nice and trustworthy, and also the scene where they first approach the old courthouse. I thought the giggling and grunting but otherwise silence of the bloodthirsty Santas made them more creepy and threatening and they had a total lack of humanity, with the possible exception of the one that liked being sung to by the Wensday Pain character, I found the scene where she gets him to let his guard down while singing quite poignant.. So this isn't brilliant by any means but it is an interesting and different kind of Christmas slasher that's worth checking out, and I hope it gains a little more respect in the future because it definitely has its good points. And it actually made me grateful, grateful that I don't have to spend Christmas like the poor souls in this movie, and grateful that I'm not dead! And with that being said..um, there's nothing left to say, so I'll stop talking. To all a goodnight! X

It's Christmas Day and we're their toys

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 29 August 2017]

The film opens as we see three laughing lunatics obtain Santa suits. Meanwhile the homeless are celebrating Christmas at a courthouse, closed for the holidays and no watchman. Sam, an ex-GI is the most stable in the group, none of which walk around in soiled clothes, yelling at cars and talking to themselves like hard core NYC homeless. The three Santas break-in and uncharacteristically, methodically plan to kill everyone.

One Santa killer, good, so three would be three times as good? Sometimes less is more. There was no background on the killers who seemed mindless at times and scheming at other times. The fighting and killing choreography needed work. It looked faked. And when you have a machete in your lung, you won't be talking, you'll be gasping for air. Just saying. People run and hide and look to fight back. You know the drill and the ending.

Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity. Plenty of blood squirts and decapitations.

'Sometimes Christmas can be a right pain, but this time its bloody murder!'

[Weirdling_Wolf · 8/10 · 19 October 2021]

Independent Horror film-maker Stewart W. Bedford is sinfully spreading some good blood smear, his three psycho Santa's slay merrily, bringing gore-ious gut-spill, and good kill to all men! Amen!!!! This grisly 'Good Tidings' is a gruesome gift to Yule-snide slasher fans, while undeniably cheap and deliciously nasty, with Gorgonzola-garlanded goof-ball amateur acting calamity, this frightfully festive fright flick, while far from a silent night is certainly a night to dismember! 'They're cutting people's phooking heads off!'