‘Open a box. Leave in a bag.’
Secret Santa is a 2015 Canadian comedy horror slasher film written and directed by Mike McMurran making his feature debut (his previous short films are Beneath and Demon Bitch). The Reel Phobia Productions movie stars Annette Wozniak (Bite), Geoff Almond, and Keegan Chambers.
A group of eccentric college kids, struggling to get through their hectic exams, decide to throw a holiday party, adding a Secret Santa exchange for fun.
Little do they know a maniac is in town and has made a special list and each one of them has a special present waiting for them…
Reviews:
“The unfortunate reality is that a lot of Secret Santa falls into that “nonsense” category, from hambone performances to some suspect sound editing. Whenever the black-clad killer strikes, weapon noises immediately drown out vocal reactions almost as if two audio tracks can’t be played at the same time.” We Got This Covered
“Basically the movie is really funny, but not in the genre-conscious way Scream was funny, but genuinely funny, putting likeable and quirky characters into hilarious situations that invariably help plot or character development, but without being genre clichés or the like.” Mike Haberfelner, Search My Trash
“The impressive cinematography is definitely the focal point and some of the best work I’ve seen (if not the best), given the budget. There’s enough fresh perspective there while still winking at slasher’s from the 80’s era, particularly Black Christmas. The characters all make for a fun watch (lovely eye candy aside) and the standard of acting was refreshing…” Adam the Movie God
“Secret Santa dances a line between adding comical lines and references and outright parody. A couple of moments are genuinely good, like the killer attempting to toss the hair-dryer into a bath but the cord coming out of the socket, and the two-hour exposition from the killer, once unmasked.” Vegan Voorhees
“The film was made on a rough budget of $6000 so it is definitely a low budget entry into the Christmas horror scene. Some of the SFX give nods back to slasher films of yesteryear and look fairly decent. If you want to see a new slasher with lots of blood, you should check this out, but mostly the film will be a disappointment.” Horrorscreams Videovault
Cast and characters:
Annette Wozniak … Nicole
Geoff Almond … Dwayne
Keegan Chambers … Carissa
Brent Baird … Bryan
Nicole Kawalez … Olivia
Tony Nash … Ramsey (as Tony Nashed)
Matthew Chisholm … Clay
Astrida Auza … Phyllis
Alexandra Simpson … Mae
Andre Becker … Pizza Dude
John Nicol … Webcam Creeper
Rebeccah Wyse … Jerry
Brooke Zavitz … Savannah
Release:
Secret Santa made its world debut at the Blood in the Snow Film Festival in December 2015.
Wild Eye Releasing unleashed the film on DVD in North America on December 13, 2016. The DVD includes a feature-length commentary with writer-director Mike McMurran and a behind-the-scenes documentary.
Film Facts:
Not be confused with the 2017 American movie of the same name directed by Adam Marcus.
YouTube review:
Trailer:
Full film free to watch online:
