Holidays

Holidays is a 2016 anthology horror film that delves into the darker side of the festive season. A respectable ensemble of directors including Kevin Smith, Gary Shore, Scott Stewart, and others each tackle a different holiday to create an anthology of chilling tales. The movie shows viewers what eerie and bizarre events might look like if they were woven into familiar holidays. The film weaves intersecting stories set during different holidays, with the ideologies and ideals each day represents serving as a horrifying backdrop for the narrative.

The anthology, which consists of eight short films, embraces the unsettling backdrop of various holidays of the year—Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Halloween, Christmas, and New Year's Eve—providing a unique and gripping twist on each traditional celebration.

A promising young actor Madeleine Coghlan plays the lead in the segment 'Valentine's Day', portraying a high school student who is bullied and has a crush on her coach. Savannah Kennick's noteworthy performance as a teenage girl who has an unexpected Easter transformation is truly unsettling. She articulately blends innocence and horror, creating a tangible sense of discomfort that symbolizes the film’s overall aim. Rick Peters provides a solid performance in the 'Father's Day' segment, where he delivers a distressing wish, adding another layer of intrigue and horror to this special day.

Holidays does an incredible job of taking the joy and cheer out of these festivals, replacing them instead with a macabre, eccentric, and often bone-chilling tone that presents an eerie paradox against the usually giddy and festive background. What sets Holidays apart from other horror anthologies is how it employs symbolism. The movie's thematic consistency revolves around the broader canvas of cultural traditions and holidays, hinting at the underlying dread and despair that can lie hidden beneath joyous events.

While the movie indulges in grotesque and intense sequences, it also incorporates elements of humor and satire, making for an unpredictable and riveting viewing experience. Each of the eight tales balances this humor with relentless horror and suspense, challenging the norms with thematic creativity while still delivering the intensity that horror fans expect.

More than just a compilation of creepy tales, Holidays offers a critical perspective and commentary on societal and cultural norms associated with these holidays. While the film embellishes the horror genre's traditional elements, such as jump scares, eerie settings, and unsettling characters, it also digs deeper into our psychological fears and the often unexplored darker themes related to these globally celebrated days.

Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer's unnerving take on Valentine's Day and Anthony Scott Burns' disturbing interpretation of Father's Day stand out as some of the anthology's most resonating entries. Meanwhile, Kevin Smith's Halloween segment transforms the celebratory night into a grisly revenge tale.

To sum it up, Holidays is a bold and imaginative horror anthology. It expertly juxtaposes our universal celebrations with unsettling narratives and insightful commentary, creating a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience. This movie's charm lies in its unique approach of using culturally significant holidays as its thematic backdrop. While Holidays may not be your everyday horror movie, it provides an eclectic mix of stories that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats. Offering a mixture of prominent directors' styles and vision, it is a compelling take in the world of horror anthologies, a ghoulish feast that horror fans won't want to miss. Given its striking premise and its delivery, Holidays proves that even the most festive occasions can be a fertile ground for a good scare.