Director – James Dean (Fountaine and the Vengeful Nun Who Wouldn’t Die)
Starring – Drew Marvick (Pool Party Massacre, Murdercise), Morrigan Thompson-Milam (Crackcoon, Blood and Breakfast), and Jonathan May (Unresolved, Fountaine and the Vengeful Nun Who Wouldn’t Die)
Release Date – 2023
Rating – 3.5/5
I spent a good portion of December binging as many Christmas themed movies as I could. Luckily, Tubi has a surplus of Christmas centered horror films to choose from. I spent days watching no budget films about Krampus, killer elves, and so on before I wanted something a bit more.
That’s when I remembered that several months back I bought James Dean’s XXX-Mas on blu and put up for December. I quickly rushed to my movie collection to snag the blu to watch. I’m glad I remembered because this film did not disappoint.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows an adult film crew as they work on a feature length fuck flick about Santa. However, Santa (Marvick) himself finds out about this and sets out to kill everyone involved one by one. **Spoiler Alert**
XXX-Mas was a lot of fun but it had some serious issues. While the issues stopped me from giving it a 4 or 5 out of 5, it doesn’t stop me from enjoying it the way it is. It’s a blast from start to finish and the cast makes the film one that you can watch over and over again without tiring of it.
The acting in this one is one of the highlights of the film. Drew Marvick never disappoints in front of the camera. He could be hosting a cooking channel on Tik Tok or being solicited for sex at a gym. If the camera is on him then you know you are going to have a great time. XXX-Mas is no different. We still get some scenes showcasing his comedic side but most of the film shows how well he can portray a cold-blooded killer. The remaining cast is just as great. We see some of my favorite indie scream queens/starlets show why they are continuously being cast in so many amazing project.
Morrigan Thompson-Milam and Jessa Flux both show that they have the looks and on screen talent to steal the show. Both of them, regardless of the film you see them in, will go above and beyond for the project. This one is also my introduction to Madilynn Paige and Niv Aranea. Both do a fantastic job in their scenes and I really look forward to seeing them in more genre titles. Their male counterparts are just as good with amazing performances from Jonathan May, Newt Wallen, and the rest of the cast. Honestly, whoever was responsible for casting this film truly deserves a pat on the back and all the praise they can get.
The story for this one is great for a late night watch but I did have some issues with it. I really liked the light humor scattered throughout and how even though the film’s main location was the adult film set, it didn’t over do it. Don’t get me wrong, nudity does have it’s place in horror but a movie with blood and boobs with no plot is dull as hell. We get a lot of character development, interaction, and a story that is straight to the point. With that being said, the whole “eat a cookie and become dazed” bit was cheap as hell. Could these beautiful and chiseled adult film stars not protect themselves from Santa Home Alone style? I can sit here and name at least a dozen other Christmas classics that they could have paid tribute to while protecting themselves from Santa besides feeding him cookies and letting the diabetic coma take over.
Finally, the film has a lot of fun deaths and plenty of blood. While the kills are not as gruesome as I would have liked, the addition of the great cast and all the skin more than makes up for it. Overall, XXX-Mas is a must see during your holiday season. This is the kind of Christmas movie I could see late night programing, like USA’s Up All Night, would be showing late in December. I highly recommend snagging this one when you can.
