''Don't Open Till Christmas'' is a 1984 British

slasher film A slasher film is a genre of horror films involving a killer stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools like knife, chainsaw, scalpel, etc. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a ...

directed by

Edmund Purdom Edmund Anthony Cutlar Purdom (19 December 19241 January 2009) was an English actor, voice artist, and director. He worked first on stage in Britain, performing various works by Shakespeare, then in America on Broadway and in Hollywood, and event ...

, and starring Purdom,

Alan Lake Alan Lake (24 November 1940 – 10 October 1984) was an English actor, best known as the third and final husband of screen star Diana Dors. Biography Alan Lake was born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire on 24 November 1940.Donnelley, Paul ...

, Belinda Mayne, and

Gerry Sundquist Gerald Christopher Sundquist (6 October 1955 – 1 August 1993) was an English actor. Early life Sundquist was born in Chorlton and grew up there with his older brother and younger sister. He developed an interest in acting at primary schoo ...

. Written by Derek Ford and Alan Birkinshaw, the film follows a mysterious killer murdering

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnigh ...

impersonators in London during Christmastime.

Plot

A man in a Santa suit and a woman meet in an alleyway to have sex in a car, and are stabbed to death by a man wearing a grinning translucent mask. During a party, another man dressed like

has a spear thrown through his head, and dies in front of his daughter, Kate Brioski. At

New Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London, Greater London's London boroughs, 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the s ...

, Chief Inspector Ian Harris and Detective Sergeant Powell discuss the murders, and interview Kate, and her boyfriend Cliff. That night, another Santa is killed, having his face shoved onto the grill on which he was roasting

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelate ...

s on an open fire. The next day, a present (which reads "Don't Open Till Christmas") is delivered to Harris, Powell receives a strange call from a man claiming to be a reporter named Giles, and a Santa is shot in the mouth. Cliff tricks Kate into visiting a porn studio owned by an old friend, and after Kate storms off, Cliff and the model (who is adorned in a Santa cloak) prepare for outdoor photographs, but Cliff runs off when a pair of police officers spot them, and the model encounters the killer, who lets her go. At a

peep show A peep show or peepshow is a presentation of a live sex show or pornographic film which is viewed through a viewing slot. Several historical media provided voyeuristic entertainment through hidden erotic imagery. Before the development of the c ...

, a Santa is knifed, which is witnessed by one of the strippers, Sherry Graham. Harris visits Kate and Cliff, and makes it clear that Cliff is a suspect in the attacks, due to being present for two of them. Powell finds Giles digging through his office, and tells him that the newspaper Giles stated he worked for claimed not to know him. Giles retorts by suggesting that Harris is hiding something, and that Powell should keep an eye on him. A Santa is assaulted by a group of teenagers, and runs into the London Dungeon, where he and an employee are killed. In an effort to catch the murderer, several officers go undercover as Santas, and two of them are butchered at a carnival. The killer then abducts Sherry, intending for her to be "the supreme sacrifice to all the evil that Christmas is". Meanwhile, Harris is taken off the case, and when Kate calls him, she is informed by his housekeeper that he is visiting Parklands, a mental institution. A Santa is chased into a theatre where

Caroline Munro Caroline Munro (born 16 January 1949)McFarlane, Brian (28 February 2014). ''The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition''. Oxford University Press. p. 538; is an English actress, model and singer known for her many appearances in horror, ...

is performing, and his body is brought to the stage by a

trapdoor A trapdoor is a sliding or hinged door in a floor or ceiling. It is traditionally small in size. It was invented to facilitate the hoisting of grain up through mills, however, its list of uses has grown over time. The trapdoor has played a pivot ...

after he is stabbed in the face with a machete. Kate tells Powell of her suspicions about Harris (who has no birth certificate) but he dismisses her theories, so she goes to visit Parklands alone, while the killer castrates a Santa in a department store restroom. Kate is confronted in her home by Giles, who she had learned was just released from Parklands, and is the younger brother of Harris (who changed his surname from Harrison after Giles was committed). Powell telephones Kate, and she tries to answer, but Giles strangles and stabs her. Powell hears Kate's death over the phone, rushes to Kate's apartment, and pursues Giles into a junkyard, where Giles electrocutes him. Giles returns to his hideout, which he chases Sherry through when she escapes her chains. Sherry knocks Giles over a railing, and when she goes to inspect the body, Giles springs back to life, and begins throttling her. A flashback is then shown, and reveals that decades earlier Giles walked in on his father (who was dressed as Santa for a Christmas party) cheating on his mother with another woman. When Giles's mother discovered this, she and her husband got into an argument, which ended with Mrs. Harrison being knocked down a flight of stairs. Harris wakes up from a nightmare, goes into his living room, and unwraps the gift he had gotten earlier, which has a previously unseen card that reads "Christmas present from your loving Brother". The present is a music box, which explodes after playing its song, killing Harris.

Cast

Production

Principal photography began in December 1982 and concluded in early 1984. The film notably had numerous production issues such as conflicts between the producers and director and star, Edmund Purdom. These issues would constantly result in filming dates being delayed and scheduling issues. Eventually, Purdom quit the production and writer Derek Ford was hired to take over the directing but he would be dismissed after only two days. The film's editor, Ray Selfie was then hired afterwards to direct and Alan Birkinshaw was hired to rewrite the majority of the script. Because of Purdom's departure, many scenes in the movie had to be reshot or cut all together (including a key scene featuring the character of Dr. Bridle portrayed by Nicholas Donnelly) This resulted in the recasting of numerous characters since many original actors were not available to return for reshoots. However, Purdom would eventually return to the production to finish directing and reprising his role as Inspector Harris. This resulted in the production using the original ending as written before Purdom's departure.

, who portrays Giles Harrison, committed suicide shortly before the film was released in the wake of the death of his wife

Diana Dors Diana Dors (born Diana Mary Fluck; 23 October 19314 May 1984) was an English actress and singer. Dors came to public notice as a blonde bombshell, much in the style of Americans Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren. Dors was ...

earlier in 1984.

Release

The film was distributed theatrically in the United States on 19 December 1984 by 21st Century Film Corporation, opening in New York City.

Home media

It was first released on VHS in the United States and United Kingdom by

Vestron Video Vestron Video was the main subsidiary of Vestron, Inc., a home video company based in Stamford, Connecticut, that was active from 1981 to 1993, and is considered to have been a pioneer in the home video market. The name is now used for a collecto ...

. Since then the film is believed to be in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...

as numerous entertainment companies have released it on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

Vinegar Syndrome Cellulose acetate film, or safety film, is used in photography as a base material for photographic emulsions. It was introduced in the early 20th century by film manufacturers and intended as a safe film base replacement for unstable and highly ...

released the film on

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of s ...

on 25 October 2022.

Critical reception

DVD Verdict DVD Verdict was a judicial-themed website for DVD reviews. The site was founded in 1999. The editor-in-chief was Michael Stailey, who owned the website between 2004 and 2016, and the site employed a large editorial staff of critics, whose revi ...

called the film "barely watchable", concluding "there's very little redeemable about ''Don't Open Till Christmas'', but for exploitation die-hards, Dick Randall's productions are always worth watching for a lot of blood, sex, and a few laughs". Hysteria Lives! gave the film 1.5 out of 5 stars, writing: "Words can hardly begin to say how truly bad this movie is! It is a Christmas turkey (with side trimming of

cheese Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During product ...

, natch) par excellence!"

References

External links

* * * {{Rotten Tomatoes, dont_open_till_christmas, Don't Open 'Till Christmas 1984 films 1984 horror films 1980s serial killer films 1980s slasher films 1980s Christmas horror films British slasher films British Christmas horror films Adultery in films Films set in London Santa Claus in film British serial killer films Films shot in London Films about kidnapping in the United Kingdom 1980s English-language films Police detective films British independent films British exploitation films 21st Century Film Corporation films British splatter films 1980s British films