Holidays (2016) – Movie Review

It’s very hard for anthology films to be completely successful. There are always going to be good stories and bad stories. Not every short film is a winner. Holidays is no exception.

(Synopsis provided by IMDb.com):Holidays is an anthology feature film that puts a uniquely dark and original spin on some of the most iconic and beloved holidays of all time. This film brings us eight stories by eight different directors that challenges our folklore, traditions, and assumptions.

I definitely agree that most of the stories are original. However, like many anthology films, Holidays is uneven. There are good segments and bad segments. Since there are eight shorts by eight different directors, I’ll give a brief analysis on each one.

1. Valentine’s Day

This segment was written and directed by Starry Eyes (2014) teammates Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Wydmyer. Valentine’s Day is probably my favorite segment in this movie, although the short is pretty clichéd when it comes to subject matter. Valentine’s Day follows outcast Maxine (Madeleine Coghlan), who has a crush on her gym coach (Rick Peters) and is bullied by the rest of her classmates. But an innocent Valentine’s Day gesture leads to horrific results. The biggest cliché is the outcast becoming obsessed with the one person who is kind to her, not to mention the bullies getting their comeuppance. It’s all been done to death! But this segment kept the subject about the holiday, and it was a pretty good start to the film.

2. St. Patrick’s Day

Directed by Gary Shore (Dracula Untold 2014), this segment is loosely based off the old Norwegian folktale “The Lindworm Prince.” A young teacher (Ruth Bradley) learns the frightening truth about the legendary snakes of St. Patrick. A student makes her deepest wish come true with a sick twist. I’m giving points to Gary Shore for throwing out the usual St. Patrick’s Day story and bringing us a good, modernized folklore short. I have to admit, the execution is just silly – there’s actually giant, fake-looking snake with Danny Zucko hair. Yeah, I know.

3. Easter

Directed by Nicholas McCarthy (At The Devil’s Door 2014), Easter centers around a little girl (Ava Acres) who anticipates the arrival of the Easter Bunny. When she finally sees him, she’s in for the shock of a lifetime. I’ll admit, I do like the concept of this short because I like the idea of Jesus Christ and the Easter Bunny being one and the same. But Easter would easily be forgettable if it wasn’t for the grotesque looking Jesus/Bunny hybrid.

4. Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day was directed by Sarah Adina Smith (The Midnight Swim 2014). A woman (Sophie Traub) who gets pregnant every time she has sex finds herself involved with a coven of barren witches after attending a strange ritual. This concept was intriguing and I’ve never seen anything like it. The execution was well done, but then they lost me at the ending.

5. Father’s Day

Father’s Day was directed by Anthony Scott Burns, who’s directed mostly short films and an episode of Darknet in 2014. A teacher (Jocelin Donahue) receives a cassette tape from her long-estranged father that leads to a darker mystery. The only complaint I have is that it spends the whole time leading up to the answer of this big mystery and then leaves us with a somewhat ambiguous ending. Many people might argue that the ending wasn’t ambiguous, but Father’s Day left me with more questions than answers.

6. Halloween

Halloween was directed by the one and only Kevin Smith (Tusk 2014) and stars his daughter, Harley Quinn Smith. A man (Harley Morenstein) running an internet sex cam business finds himself in dire straights when he crosses his employees on Halloween. Although the story is not really even about Halloween, it’s a very enjoyable tale of revenge. Halloween brings twisted humor that only someone like Kevin Smith could bring.

7. Christmas

Director Scott Stewart (Legion 2010) brings us this unique short with Seth Green (Idle Hands 1999) playing the lead role. A man goes to terrible lengths to get a virtual reality device for his son for Christmas. The man soon finds himself haunted by his actions. I love the interesting twist on virtual reality. Christmas is definitely one of the better segments on this list.

8. New Years

New Years was directed by Adam Egypt Mortimer (Some Kind Of Hate 2015). A disturbed young man (Andrew Bowen) discovers that his New Years’ date (Lorenza Izzo) may be as twisted as he is. New Years was very predictable, but it brought great performances by Andrew Bowen and Lornza Izzo. New Years wasn’t really a solid way to end the film, but it was still enjoyable.

Final thoughts:

Overall, all the stories had great directors, great casts, and so much potential. Unfortunately, somewhere down the line, they all fell short. Holidays started out great, became a little boring in the middle, then brought the laughs near the end. I love the originality of each short and all of the acting in the film was very solid. However, some of the stories are pretty forgettable. If you like anthology flicks and you’re looking for a film to get you into the holiday spirit, you might want to give Holidays a chance!