Christmas Presence (2018) User Reviews

mostly absent

[pseawrig · 3/10 · 14 December 2018]

This is a mighty thin sliver of a holiday horror movie. It's set at Christmas, but its Christmasy part amounts to a group of friends getting drunk and modeling newly gifted underwear. And this is the movie's best sequence!

The rest is a sketchy, by-the-numbers mishmash of paganism, mean ghosts, and supernatural mind games, the confluence of which seems to have bored the writer, the director, and the cast. It didn't do much for me either.

I did like the chubby, cheese-making, shotgun-toting lesbian character. This role was well-written and the actress who played it seemed present when she came on screen. Everyone else seemed absent, as if their minds were elsewhere. Given this movie's uninspired plot, I can't much blame them.

All in all, despite having come all the way from the UK, this movie leaves little in its wake. It's as if it never fully arrived in the first place

Mediocre Schlock Horror Film

[DoubleDarkness · 3/10 · 14 December 2018]

"Why Hide?" or "Christmas Presence" is nothing more than your garden variety schlock horror film. The only original thing they did was make the characters all LGBT, but did absolutely nothing with it. The first act had a decent build, where it established the characters in a base line sense. The jokes are cringey and I think they may have implied the main character was a TERF, but nothing ever comes of it. Everything that followed got progressively worse. The antagonistic force in this is each characters worst fear. The group figures this out after a few incidents, but whenever they are targeted, they become oblivious again. The ending is a bad, confused twist, possibly to set up a sequel. Don't waste your time.

British horror comedy?

[staciarose20 · 5/10 · 7 February 2019]

I couldn't figure out what this movie was supposed to be. It started off very British sort of comedy, but then it went full speed ahead horror. There were some plot holes. The actors aren't bad, it's just the script needed more pizazz for it to be good.

Don't bother

[facebook-524-719286 · 1/10 · 11 January 2020]

I honestly don't know what to say, it's pointless, it has no story, even the end is predictable, that's it, it's garbage.

At times competent, then others... Not so much.

[samwhite_ · 2/10 · 15 December 2018]

Let me preface this review by saying you should watch this movie for yourself, because although it is somewhat mediocre in parts and often quite terrible, it's worth seeing for the moments it does manage to offer a little scare or the director manages to pull a shot off well.

The aspects which really pull away the stars from my rating are the lazy, lacklustre special effects. This film is a UK production, released in March 2018 and the storyline features a wintery setting, so one would assume this film would be produced during the winter months of the year in order to capture the correct atmosphere and snow-covered landscape. Wrong. It appears this film was shot entirely during early spring-albeit on a dull day-or perhaps on a less than sunny summer day. To create snow, the director has decided to simply use a 'green screen effect' (in quotation marks because it's the very bones of the effect, and doesn't actually utilise flat, green screens for CG backgrounds). He has opted for this method so that all greenery; trees, leaves, bushes and shrubs can be effectively turned black and white with a high rate of contrast, so that almost all things which were once green now appear white. Almost. The effect is poorly done and anyone could see how easily a choice like this may backfire and destroy the movie-watching experience for your viewers. Certain characters hair, their clothing, eyes and even skin is altered by this effect where patches or reflections of green have caught the filter's threshold and turned black and white. It's also incredibly jarring to see the greenery and blossom of the trees appear through windows periodically once the crew are shooting the movie from within the country house.

The acting is less than believable in places, but somehow fits in quite well with the typical dialogue featured in low-budget British horror films - they are essentially behaving just as normal people would, only as caricatures of their "diverse" personas, so as to really hit home just how inclusive this cast is.

There are some wonderful unnerving shots of the creature/entity (except the laughable spider puppet), including the first sighting by the wood store and then again in the bedroom when one character begins to vomit buttons. Yes, buttons. There was little to no explanation as to why that happened, but following along with the plot of the creature appearing as your worst fear, I'm sure there's a contrived reason hidden somewhere within that mess of pine furniture in the bedrooms.

With most direction and shots leaving a lot to the imagination; flat, boring and bland. There are still some wonderful close-ups of the characters by the fire during a scene where they are hypnotising the protagonist to help her deal with her trauma. The director has clearly attended enough film school or classes to know how to successfully light his shots in order to convey a sense of warmth and cosiness. That I applaud him for, because that's one detail I always look for in a Christmas horror film - don't we all? To be warm and cosy, and to watch terror unfold around these fictitious morons is fun and doesn't really get boring, like some low-budget horror films do.

Just awful

[bobeaumont · 3/10 · 28 February 2019]

If this is the current shape of British filmmaking then God help us. A group of pretty vile characters meet up for Christmas in a isolated house where they encounter a supernatural creature. This is just bad, I struggled through to the end but only just. Neither scary or funny, I was happy when characters were killed off. Don't waste your time.

Maybe you have to be British?

[haskel-72951 · 3/10 · 5 December 2020]

I tried. I really did. Maybe you have to be British to get it and enjoy it. I know I didn't. I watch a lot of horror movies. I usually go through 10 to find one good one. This is one of the other nine. The first sin is boredom: if you bore me for a good 40 minutes you'd better have one hell of a second act to draw me back in. This one does not. In fact, the second AND third act are so brain dead, so contrived, that I started missing the boredom of act one. It has high production value, and a competent cast, hence the three stars. If it only had a script with a coherent thought...

Predictable

[noemikate-90218 · 3/10 · 15 January 2019]

Just from the title i expected much more. The beginning was exiting but then it got lame. It became like every other horror stories. The plot was great but it felt like the director didn't know how to keep it going and just made it like that. The ending gave us nothing. It left place for so much improvement. Overall it wasn't that bad.

This is holiday horror movie

[dy38493 · 3/10 · 19 August 2020]

Good movie to watch for especially the scenes are well made and horror is present in every scene the movie is a holiday horror but good to see.

I'd only recommend watching it if you're desperate for a Christmas horror movie to watch

[kevin_robbins · 4/10 · 21 December 2021]

Christmas Presence (2018) is currently available on Shudder and tells the tale of a group of friends who gets together in the countryside of one of the friends family estates. Little do the friends know a tragic event happened to the friend who owns the house at the estate. When the spirits of those responsible for the tragic events returns, the friends get together becomes a different type of party...

This movie is directed by James Edward Cook (Together) and stars Charlotte Atkinson (Truckers), Elsie Bennett (Hitman 3), Lorna Brown (Les Misérables) and Danny Webb (Aliens 3).

The storyline for this is super slow and it takes forever for anything to happen; however, the characters are well developed. The cast is solid and the dialogue is good. The CGI for the presence is pretty good also but the lack of kills and action is disappointing. I will say I loved the ending.

This movie is a bit disappointing and a below average addition to the genre; however, the ending is clever but the movies so slow I couldn't recommend sitting through the entire film to get to it.

I'd score this a 4/10 and only recommend watching it if you're desperate for a Christmas horror movie to watch.

Yeeeeah

[codexniagra · 8/10 · 16 December 2018]

All horror films are terrible once the plot gets going because everything's so forced for the shock or fore. I thought this was no exception, but at least the bit before that is interesting. It's an unlikely group of characters as friends but it's nice to see people over 25 being treated like sexual, and sexually attractive, beings. All the cast do a good job, even if the leading men ham it up a little. Whatever they did with the colour balance is a nice touch, it's both coldly atmospheric and festive simultaneously. The camera angles aren't boldly innovative but they're effective. Same goes for the soundtrack.

Only, after the predictably interesting start, it didn't get less interesting. I was expecting this to be predictable but it kept me guessing. I'm not going to rave about it but I was pleasantly surprised. It's not Tarkovsky but it's enjoyably spooky.

The horror shows up in the middle.

[jesseknightfilms · 6/10 · 20 December 2018]

I watched this on Shudder the other day. At first I was like, "Where's the horror???." Then about half way through it shows up. I have to say the set up took a while but the acting was enjoyable so I kept watching all the while thinking, "Okay, this is on Shudder. Just saw the original Maniac and Mandy which both bring it, so I know something twisted is about to happen. Lingerie party??? WTF??? Anyway, I have to say I am very hard to scare and nothing really scared me at all in film but the acting and pacing kept me watching. The production value is nice too!

Set your sights on some Festive Fear!

[abiuk-69929 · 10/10 · 20 June 2018]

This film caught my attention at the Newcastle International film festival.... I laughed through squinted eyes and was entertained from start to finish with it's unique horror humour! 10/10

Give the Gift of Horror Comedy This Christmas

[jaysen-3 · 7/10 · 20 December 2018]

After seeing banners and adverts and everything else all over Shudder for "Christmas Presence"/"Why Hide?" it felt like I didn't have any other choice but to sit down and give it a viewing. Is it absolutely groundbreaking in story, cinematography, or any other cinematic credentials? Not particularly, but then again, it doesn't feel like it pretends or tries to be anything other than what it is... a fun holiday-"themed" horror flick.

While the story itself (and especially the sinister "presence" in the title) could have used more constraint, the movie has a slow burn to it not in the plot but more in the genre. It starts off a bit cheesy, sure, but when has that been bad for a horror movie? Once you get to know the characters, which is another aspect I'll get to in a second, the movie slowly morphs from silly to scary, shifting away smoothly from the goofy one-liners into scenes with some good suspense and thrilling moments.

One thing to be commended was the film's use of its characters in this story, with several LGBTQ principals all given more depth and dimensionality than many other movies of a kindred spirit would have done. There are some brilliant one-liners, some not as much. I would have liked more structure around the "Presence," which played off the fears of the character, a concept which could have really taken this film in a different direction, but felt like it was reined in... if not a little chaotic. The ending takes a nice twist which you can see coming if you pay attention to the movie and don't just leave it playing in the background.

Again, is it absolutely groundbreaking? No. Is it a well-done, well-shot independent horror film with an original idea and a holiday theme that can compete with the big-budget Hollywood remakes/reboots/refranchises that keep getting churned out? Absolutely! While you won't get gratuitous gore or nudity that you might with some holiday horror film fare, the death scenes and the FX involved them will surely satisfy some sinister craving in you as the family and friends invade for the holidays! Dig it...

HORROR OF THE YEAR!

[karen-604-503702 · 10/10 · 20 June 2018]

Please check out the BLOODY FLICKS review of WHY HIDE? (see EXTERNAL link) Why Hide is the most original horror of 2018 so far.

Ignore that low rating, this is a worthy watch!

[debi-13 · 7/10 · 30 January 2019]

If you are a horror flick aficionado, then this will provide a good story, good action and really good production value. This is a horror film, has a lot of humor and good character development. I am writing this review because the 1 through 5 ratings are undeserved and seem to be given in response to sexual orientation even though there is no sex seen on screen. This movie has a fresh story to tell that keeps you guessing. A solid six, but I gave it seven because it kept me fully engaged from start to finish.

Watched on Shudder as Christmas Presence

[Terrorcore5 · 10/10 · 13 December 2018]

Had an extra day off before Christmas.

Thought I'd check out the new festive releases on Shudder. This is definitely the highlight.

Great Pace, Funny, Creepy Atmosphere, Not what I was expecting but in a good way.

Strongly recommended viewing for any horror film fans! 11/10

Underwhelming if still rather appealing genre effort

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 6/10 · 29 December 2018]

Heading out to the countryside, a group of friends arrives a remote house to celebrate the holiday season, but as the night goes on the group suddenly comes to believe that a malevolent entity is preying on them using their darkest fears as fuel to kill them and must escape the house alive.

This was a fine if somewhat flawed effort. One of the better elements featured in this one is the strikingly enjoyable first half where there's some fun to be had with the build-up of the friends arriving at the house. This one treats the group rather nicely with how they're introduced as they seem like a genuine group of friends that would be hanging out together, poking fun and generally having fun while being together. The scenes of them partying together and having drinks while being out in the wilderness offers a fine starting point to where the horror elements that emerge later on have a rather intriguing base to work off of. When the horror does emerge here, there are some rather enjoyable times here as this one turns into a rather different animal than expected. The idea of being trapped in the house which suddenly starts in on the concept of the spirit getting free and turning their fears onto each other in the attempt to terrify them. These provide the kind of stellar supernaturally-tinged sequences that really could've added a lot more to this one than what's provided. Still, the idea of the relentless series of encounters that spring up as a result of their random encounters throughout the darkened house really drives this with some nice energy during the best part of the film. These here are what hold it up over the main flaws present. The main issue to be had with the film is a rather tonally chaotic final half that doesn't know what it wants to really do with itself. This one goes through a rather odd change-of-pace from the realistic setup of the first half by dropping the idea of them being at the house together and instead goes into a series of random occurrences that are due to to the sudden random appearance of this creature intent on killing them. The appearance of the creature is a complete mystery as to what it actually is, there's nothing about what it's trying to do at the house in the first place, making this part of the film incredibly confusing and disorienting. As well, the film has the rather odd sense of pacing within here that does manage to get progressively worse as the movie goes on. As it spends so long with the friends getting to know them that when it finally gets to the horror very little if anything has been said about what's going on because there's way too much of it about other areas. By then rushing through the actions of the ghostly creature with no information about what's happening really tends to undermine this by taking all the time it could've spent on building that to instead work this out. As well as an utterly moronic finale that doesn't do this any favors by preparing for an unwanted sequel, these here hold this one down.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Graphic Violence.

The true meaning of Christmas Day.

[agla-21011 · 7/10 · 1 September 2019]

Funny film by a new director. There's no need to wait for a super-production, because it's been made with few resources, but very well taken advantage of. The visual effects, when they appear, are quite good, except on one occasion at the end. The protagonists, taking away someone who is a little sad, are the kind that when you've been in the movie for ten minutes, you're wishing that "whatever it is" ends up with them in the most frightening way you can imagine and then put a medal for the good work. In short: The first work of a new director, entertains, has a good time and has had the great success that the end does not bitter the feeling left by the rest of the film, as happens in others supposedly better. Enjoy it.