‘Heather takes a babysitting job surrounded by a mysterious secret’
12 Deaths of Christmas is a 2017 British horror film directed by James Klass (The House on Elm Lake) from a screenplay written by co-producer Scott Jeffrey (The Legend of Mandy the Doll; Unhinged; Fox Trap). Retitled Mother Krampus for its US release.
The Proportion Productions movie stars Claire-Maria Fox, Faye Goodwin and Tony Manders.
Based on the myth of Frau Perchta, a witch that comes on the twelve days of Christmas taking children each night…
Buy DVD: Amazon.co.uk
Reviews:
As far as Christmas horror movies go this isn’t the best but what it lacks in engaging characters and fun it makes up with some decent gore and a story you can follow easily. You do have to deal with family issues as you watch the film which does drag this Christmas terror down a bit but is necessary in the long run.” Horror Screams Video Vault
“The movie tries to shock with its gore, but it is all quite fake and bad looking. Again, it works out as too distracting from the movie and it certainly doesn’t enhances its horror. It actually has a pretty decent main villain and concept in it, but it is too bad that it doesn’t really how to use it.” Boba_Fett1138
” …it flails to fill a 90-minute film with only a 30-minute idea. By this point, tidings of goodwill evaporate and the warts on this witch’s nose obscure every other feature on her face. Bluntly put, none of the kids featured in the film could act their way out of wet wrapping paper. Adult performers fare a bit better, though not by much.” Culture Crypt
“In spite of the title, the ’12 deaths’ are just about cobbled together from flashback scenes, missing kids who we only assume are toast as they’re never seen again, and otherwise most scenes of violence are directed at younger women, a facet of the genre that irritates me no end.” Vegan Voorhees
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“The script is atrocious, with not one line managing to feel natural, the direction from Klass is generally competent, I guess, but then we also have to consider his ability to get decent performances from his cast members. He doesn’t manage it. At all.” For It Is Man’s Number
“The first half of the film suffers from a little too much repetition, as the narrative seems to stumble one step forward, then two steps back which has the knock-on effect of stifling any initial momentum. Irrespective of this, it’s still a very recommendable indie horror.” The Schlock Pit
“This film is a bloody, dark, Grimm’s fairy tale with a heaping dash of mystery. You never really quite know what the hell is going on. People are dying, disappearing and getting cut up with cookie cutters and fried up extra crispy. If you like your horror movies dark, bloody, and confusing this will be right up your alley.” B & S About Movies
“At first it seemed like we would be getting a well made, if low budget, Christmas horror story, but after quickly sliding into a morass of emo drama and throwing in some starkly contrasting cheeseball horror with very little of it thought through, it ends up being both annoying and unsatisfying.” Video Junkie
Cast and characters:
Claire-Maria Fox … Vanessa
Tony Manders … Alfie
Faye Goodwin … Amy
Tara MacGowran … Frau Perchta / Molly
Michelle Archer … Leslie
Oliver Ebsworth … Callum
Tom Bowen … Wildon
Dottie James … Debbie
Sian Crisp … Martha
Amy Burrows … Miss Kitchen
Tim Freeman … Joe
Penelope Read … Heidi
Oliver John Lee … Kevin
Becca Hirani … Jessica (as Becky Fletcher)
Blythe Rosewarne … Tilly
Clayton Frake … Perry
Jevan Frake … Holly
Emily McQueen … Tiffany Rose
Henry W. Smith … Ronald (as Henry Smith)
Amelia Godfrey … Molly’s Daughter
Nimoy Summerscale … Frau’s Cat
Terence Pickering … Narrator
Jean Frake … Maureen Artwood
Release:
In the UK, the film was released on DVD by Left Films on 20th November 2017.
Full film free to watch online:
MOVIES & MANIA says:
This is an atrociously-acted cheap production that comes across like a soap opera with a poorly conceived horror sub-plot. It is astounding that some reviewers have been even vaguely positive about this yet perhaps a reflection of how low standards of horror have sunk generally. The unrelated Krampus cash-in retitle simply adds insult to the unedifying proceedings.
