You know those fan trailers of a horror or drama film, recut to look like a romcom or screwball comedy? The juxtaposition of genres is what makes it so fun. Unfortunately, when that scenario travels the other direction it bleeds the joy right out of it. And that is the case we have here. It looks bizarre and fun, and probably even funny. With a rich vengeful child hiring Walton Goggins to kill Mel Gibson’s Santa Clause; seems wild enough to have humorous legs doesn't it? Well, those legs were hacked off and replaced with morbid desiccated stumps of humorless bones and drearily grim chilled skin.
This was so self-serious, approaching every scene with a thin lipped scowl. It is bitter and gruesome and almost avoids comedy on purpose at every turn. It is composed well and the look is slick, but I can’t see how anyone would find the tone appropriate. The chunks, when taken on their own and placed in the realm of another film venture, might actually work well. But in this instance, when all you might want is twisted Christmas cheer and you get morose violence and bloody misery. There are no tongues in cheeks or clever joking winks, just murder and malice.
Goggins plays into his standard character type well, and as far as somber St. Nicks go, Mel’s intense austerity kills. They are just in the wrong flick. Those characters and the film just needed some lightheartedness to play off of or interact with. This is bleak and hardened; leaving any cheer in the trailer and deliberate interest a spent ember of hope.
