Don't Open Till Christmas(1984).A murderer is running loose through the streets of London, hunting down men dressed as Santa and killing them all in different, and extremely violent, fashions. Inspector Harris has decided to take on the unenviable task of tracking down the psychopath, but he's going to have his work cut out for him. Only the suspicious reporter, Giles, seems to offer the Inspector any promising leads. Written byJean-Marc Rocher <rocher@fiberbit.net>... Synopsis Don't Open Till Christmas(1984)
Movie Title: Don't Open Till Christmas(1984)
Run Time: 86 min
Rating: 3.4 / 10
Genres: Horror |Mystery
Release Date: December 1984 (USA)
Director: Edmund Purdom
Writer: Alan Birkinshaw (additional scenes written by),Derek Ford... and other credits
Actor: Edmund Purdom,Alan Lake,Belinda Mayne
The only movie directed by 1950s Hollywood costume hunk turned Euro-exploitation regular Edmund Purdom (at least partly--someone else is credited with directing "additional scenes," probably including the nudity inserts) is a typical 1980s slasher involving disco, sexually active youth, and crudely done gory deaths.
I saw it in a budget packet of "Drive-In Movie Classics" that clearly used a 3rd-generation VHS dupe--so I can't fairly judge the film's visual presentation, which seems professional enough. It's odd that at age 60 Purdom suddenly decided to try directing, let alone on such an obviously cheesy project.
This being a British film, the performances are competent despite the script's utterly shallow depths--no doubt everyone was conservatory-trained. At times the film feels jumpy, as if scenes (or just violent bits) were coarsely edited out. Even so, one murdered Santa is garroted, then thrust face-first onto a sausage grill. It's a Brit giallo that's not all bad, or as utterly formulaic as many slashers from the era, but it sure isn't inspired.
