Violent Night is My Number 1 Favorite Christmas Movie

Merry Christmas to me, because Violent Night is my new favorite Christmas movie. Is it perfect? No. Does it become predictable and annoying at times when it single-handedly delivers a cute-as-pie “good girl” at its center to spew forth all the sentimental crap you can handle? Yes. But, hear me out. Christmas movies are generally genre-specific.

You can have many different types of cinematic experiences that involve Christmas. The Hallmark Goop wants you to be grateful for everything, no matter what you have going on.

The comedic Christmas schlep wants you to laugh at either romantic folly or reckless hijinks to get you through the holiday season. And let’s not forget religious Christmas films, which are remarkably similar to a funny Christmas movie. Then there is the Christmas horror section that promotes all kinds of vicious and spatter-filled scenarios that revolve around the silly season and a slew of things going awry. I have time for a few of these cinematic playing fields, but Violent Night is the kind of action-filled Yuletide version I ultimately want.

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For a bible based review of Violent Night check out this article.

For more violent Christmas horror watch these titles next: The Leech | Carnage for Christmas | The Killing Tree | Trim Season or It’s a Wonderful Binge (Binge 2) | Elves TV Series

Action + Horror Christmas Splatter Movie

I guess it all depends on what type of festive season sentiment you like in December. Violent Night is not original fare and never claims to be. The likes of Billy Bob Thornton from Bad Santa in temperament is all but clothed in a David Harbour suit as the film opens with Saint Nick in a bar, drowning his sorrows. He groans and moans about the throwaway society he faces every year. A fitting rhetoric if you ask me, the mother of two boys who open presents with a vapid disregard each year.

At the center is a greedy, wealthy family helmed by an evil matriarch, Gertrude. The Lightstone Family has amassed a fortune only rivaled by the members’ willingness to backstab each other. Aside from the youngest and more generous of spirits, Trudy and her mother, everyone else seems eager to prove to Gertrude that their spot in the one-day inherited wealth should fall on them. In the middle of the cringeworthy display of brown-nosing, the staff stops attending to the impending dinner. They shake off their uniforms and quickly switch into assassin mode. They want the $300 million grandma has been squirreling away in an impenetrable high-tech safe.

Santa Warrior Trope

The Home Alone classic feature film overtone comes into play early. Young Trudy quotes one-liners from the movie. This happens after she has just seen it for the first time. Later, when the heist is in full swing, Trudy deftly applies what she learned from Home Alone and shifts into something more in line with the horror movie based on it some years later (Better Watch Out.) Tonal elements of Fatman shade the latter stages of the film when Kris Kringle handles weaponry while evolving into a facade more suited to the series, Vikings. In Violent Night, people on the naughty list inevitably get splattered by Baba Noel and his trusty weapon of choice, Skull Crusher.

Special effects in Violent Night were outstanding. Choreography and fights were the types that made you glue your eyes to the screen. There is something mesmerizing about watching Santa kick some ass. Much of the R-rated label is dialed back. Low light used in one scene in a barn de-escalated the use of mulchers and other extraneous kills. Off-screen graphic violence was favored instead of in-your-face gore. Nonetheless, most of the kills were inventive, glorious, and fun.

The Lightweather family and their drama play second fiddle to the man in the red suit because no one really cares about anyone else. What I wanted out of this title wasn’t to have my faith in Santa Claus restored. The family proclaiming their investment in believing in the final scene wasn’t meant to force a tear from my eyes. The only thing I cared about was that Sanctus Nicolaus was the last man standing.

The Violent Night movie is rated

4.5 Best action Christmas movies out of 5

Who Stars in Violent Night

The cast for the 2022 movie, “Violent Night,” is David Harbour, John Leguizamo, Beverly D’Angelo, Alex Hassell, Cam Gigandet, Alexis Louder, Edi Patterson, and Leah Brady.
Directed by Tommy Wirkola (Dead Snow and What Happened to Monday).
Written by Pat Casey and Josh Miller.
Production Companies: 87North | Québec Production Services Tax Credit | Universal Pictures

❓Is Violent Night Ok for My Kids / What’s the Parental Guide

Is Violent Night safe for kids or younger teens?

Probably not. Violent Night is basically “Santa with a sledgehammer,” and the film doesn’t mess around. It earned an “R” rating in the U.S. and an “MA 15+” in Australia; that’s not for holiday-family-movie night. Expect heavy violence (shootings, stabbings, blood, explosions, even a grenade-into-armour bit), lots of strong profanity, and a fair dose of dark humour and gore. In short: don’t pop this in while the kids are around unless they’re in their late teens and have a stomach for it.

What age would be the minimum I’d consider showing this film to?

Realistically, late teens, 17+, maybe 16+ if very mature. The official ratings mean it’s intended for adults or older teens only.
If you were after a fun Christmas-movie vibe, this isn’t that type of film. It’s more “holiday action horror + dark comedy,” so treat it like the “Scary Santa” you warn kids about rather than the gentle one from the sleigh.

Why is it rated “R / MA 15+”? What are the “bad bits” that don’t make it kid-friendly?

Glad you asked. Here’s the short, parent-friendly summary of what’s inside: Strong, graphic violence & gore, not for the fainthearted. People get shot, stabbed, impaled, blown up. One scene has a grenade inside armour, another uses a sledgehammer and Christmas trappings as weapons. There are blood spurts and realistic injury detail.
Dark humor and adult tone — the film isn’t sugar-coated. Violence often has a punchline, but it doesn’t soften the hit.
Profanity throughout — expect plenty of “F-words,” insults, and coarse dialogue.
Adult behaviour — characters drink alcohol, there are some crude sexual references, and the overall vibe is very adult-themed.

Bottom line: it’s more “grimy action Santa” than “family-friendly Christmas.”

If you’re a parent asking yourself “Should I watch this or let the kids?” Quick Verdict

Good for adults looking for a dark, gory, Christmas-themed action-horror with a twisted sense of humour.
Not recommended for children under 16–17, or sensitive teens.
Probably worth waiting until they’re older — or watching without them if you want to enjoy the chaos and keep the holiday mood intact.