I think every year I find a movie that looks like it was made for a high school project. A movie that my friends and I could have made way back when if we had the time or thought about it. Secret Santa is this year’s installment of that type of film.
Exam time at the local college is here and everyone is on edge. Some of the students are ready to take their exams after months of paying attention in class, taking notes, and studying the entire time. Some of the students might be ready after cramming for 12hrs straight and drinking a dangerous amount of coffee. Either way, now that they are all past the exams, it’s time to blow off some steam and have a party. A Secret Santa Christmas party.
A handful of students gather at a friend’s house for some drinks, laughs, and exchange a few presents. Unfortunately what they don’t know is that there is a killer in the house and they have their own version of spreading Christmas cheer. Someone has replaced all of the presents meant to be thoughtful considerate gifts with knives, drills, and other tools of torture. Who did this, and why would they have a grudge against these kids? Well… it ain’t Kris Cringle.
Secret Santa is a great movie if you look at what it attempts to do. Does it always pull those things off flawlessly? No, but it has heart. I can see what they were going for, and they WENT for it. Sure the special effects are simple old school bags of “stuff” and red food coloring. Yeah, the acting isn’t great. There’s a lot of plot holes and things that don’t add up… but it tried. I have said many times before in these reviews they got a movie made, and people outside their circle of friends have watched it. That’s more than I can say about the stuff my friends and I made.
It’s kinda telling that the synopsis for the film on IMDB was written by the director. I respect it though. He got it done and is just trying to promote it. It’s probably not a movie I would watch again, or recommend anyone seek out, but I’m happy it exists.
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