Sommerleigh Pollonais, Horror Head Writer
Plot: After saving her town from a psychotic killer, Winnie Carruthers' life is less than wonderful. When she wishes she'd never been born, she finds herself in a nightmare parallel universe where without her, things could be much, much worse.
Review: Terrible pun aside, It's a Wonderful Knife follows in the vein of Freaky and Happy Death Day, both movies that took classic films (Freaky Friday and Groundhog Day respectively) and added a unique horror twist to them. Unfortunately, the fun energy and engaging characters of those movies are all but missing from this one.
Do you think I'm pretty?
Winnie (Jane Widdop of Yellowjackets) has her entire blissful life turn upside down after she's forced to take the life of a killer known as "The Angel" on Christmas. A year later, Winnie is still dealing with the trauma as well as the loss of her best friend who was murdered that fateful night, and in a moment of sadness wishes she was never born. Surprisingly, her wish comes true, but she discovers it comes with huge ramifications because if Winnie never existed The Angel was free to go on a rampage, taking not only the lives of dozens of townsfolks but that of her beloved brother too.
Even if other movies hadn't already tackled this particular style of horror better, It's a Wonderful Knife would still be a sub-par genre entry which is a shame because the premise is solid and the cast includes the likes of Joel McHale (Becky, Deliver us from Evil) Justin Long (Jeepers Creepers, Barbarian) and Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps, Freddy vs Jason). All these actors are no strangers to both horror and comedy and, with the aid of a stronger script and better direction, could've created a fun Christmas horror movie for the ages. Long, who has been making a go of it with more villainous roles of late, is memorable as tycoon Henry Waters but not in the way you want him to be. His oversized teeth and ridiculous haircut make him more off-putting than comedic.
I'm Justin Long and this is a horror movie. You know this will not end well for me
Not only is the humour tepid, but the kills are also forgettable (possibly the bigger flaw when it comes to slashers), and The Angel looks like a lazy knockoff of Ghostface (he trips over his robes at one point and that got a bigger laugh from me than anything else here). Slicing and dicing might be fine for a character like Ghostface but The Angel being Christmas-themed could've gone so much further with the kills and the only one that stood out involved a giant candy cane. We needed more of that.
Like a ski-lift getting stuck halfway, It's a Wonderful Knife starts off promising and to its credit Jane Widdop as final girl Winnie gives it her all. It's just a shame the story falls apart pretty much right after the opening act and, unlike the movie that inspired it, I don't see this being added to anyone's Christmas watch list in the foreseeable future.
Sommer's Score: 5 out of 10
And you can check more horror content below, including some of the Yuletide variety:
ELI ROTH'S THANKSGIVING: A FEAST FOR OLD SCHOOL SLASHER LOVERS
BODY SWAP HORROR COMEDY 'FREAKY' IS A GENRE-BENDING BLAST
BETTER WATCH OUT! TOP 5 SCARIEST SANTAS IN HORROR/THRILLER MOVIES
TOTALLY KILLER: A TOTALLY FUN TIME TRAVEL SLASHER COMEDY
Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge-Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever, and I'll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes. Double Tap Baby! Read More
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