Monday, December 31, 2012

Merry Deathmas: Saint Nick

Let's close out this year with a silly, silly bang!  Today's film is Saint Nick, a movie that I've just been DYING to see.  Granted- I could have watched it back in- I think- May when Netflix first got it on Streaming.  What would be the point of that though?  I was saving it for Christmas...so that's what I did.  Saint Nick is a Foreign Horror film that plays off of some old Folk Tales to create modern terror.  The film is a bit tongue-in-cheek at times, but never betrays a serious tone too much.  The concept is a bit silly, although the characters don't question it.  It's a tale of love, loss and dickhead College students in the Netherlands.  Will old St. Nick kill them all or will our brave hero- joined by a crazy cop- save the day?  To find out, you have to read on...
Saint Nick circa the 1500s was kind of a dick.  He robbed, killed and assaulted a small village.  Nobody could stop him.
 All of that changed on one December 5th when the Village worked together and burned him to death.  He didn't take it well.
The spirit of Saint Nick returns for a post-title kill in 1968.  He takes out a family, leaving just one son who hid.

Jump cut to 2010 and the kid is now a jaded Cop.  Meanwhile, this young couple is just adorable.  Seriously, don't you want to just kill them?
It's December 5th again and we have the first Full Moon on that day since 1968.  That means that Saint Nick is back.

Dutch Uncle Sam is pissed!
 Saint Nick is enjoyed by his group of Black Petes.  If you like your henchman as Pirates in black-face, this is your film!
 Since this is a Foreign film, some of the taboos that we hold dear are fair game.  If you take the time to translate that sign, you'll know that this movie pulls no punches!
Will our heroes- a hapless College Student and a crazy cop- win the day?
Will Saint Nick get medieval on some modern-day Cops?
 Will Saint Nick ride off into the sunset or will he finally pay for his crimes...again?  To find out...watch the movie.  The End.
The season may be over, but I can still enjoy Foreign Horror Movies.  I will say one thing: the Streaming version on Netflix (which I watched, since I'm lazy) is Dubbed.  It's not the worst Dubbing I've seen- I own about 30 Kung-Fu films which are worse- but it does deter from the film.  That out of the way, I kind of liked this movie.  It has a simple premise- evil Saint Nick attacks a city of 'sinners- and works well for it.  I would have liked a bit more on-screen action throughout, as opposed to the bottom-heavy finale that we actually get.  I could also say that the make-up work for Saint Nick is not super-great.  It's not bad...but it reminds me a lot of that movie Uncle Sam.  The gore effects are goofy at times as well.  In spite of that, I liked the use of practical effects, the overall concept and the production values in general.  It's a well-made movie about a silly idea.  It's a film that probably couldn't be made the same way in America.  Speaking of things that can't be done in America...
Next up, we're entering all-new territory as I cover new films AND have no announced schedule.  First up, will the third film in a Spanish film series renew my fandom?  Stay tuned...

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for the review... been curious about this one on Netflix for a while now. At least now I'll sort of know what to expect.

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