Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out! (1989)

After a good first installment and a garbage retread, we split the difference with a ho-ho-hum sequel to the SNDN franchise. Laura is a blind girl with latent clairvoyant abilities, undergoing experimental sleep studies where she shares a psychic link to a survivor from the last film. I kinda liked this one; it attempts to do something different with the series. But with so many directions it could have gone, but it settles for the road most travelled. The whole thing feels staged in slow motion and bound to put you to sleep with milk and cookies.

2 session tapes out of 5

Santa's Slay (2005)

Wrestler Bill Goldberg plays a jacked demonic Santa with attitude, free from a thousand year curse. The first four minutes of this movie is killer. The rest fails to live up to it, but still pretty damn fun if you're tired of the typical Christmas offerings. The one ingredient a lot of Christmas horror movies are missing is irreverence and this one has a heaping dose of it. With repeat viewings over the years, it's bound to become a staple of the season. Pair it with Krampus.

3 curling matches out of 5

Hannie Caulder (1971)

Raquel Welch plays the titular Hannie, a woman on a mission to exact revenge upon a trio of men who stormed into her life and left it in ruins.
There's a scene early in the film that's harrowing to watch, given additional wallop by a powerful musical accompaniment. It's the reason the story goes in the direction it does, but a subsequent turn of events weakens the set-up. It's as if the makers feared they'd gone too far and attempted to alleviate the criticism they might receive. I feel that was a mistake, and is likely the reason the film is remembered more for its beginning than for its entirety.
Welch's character works best when silent. Thankfully, Robert Culp is on hand to pick up the slack there, doubling as tutor and mentor in both practicalities and the more meaningful soul-searching aspects of the story.

3 cold nights out of 5