I just saw this on Fearnet last night. What a wonderful, unappreciated little gem of a film this is. Not big on gore, which usually loses points with me, the tension is so skillfully built up over the course of the film, and the lead character's psychosis so well developed that it more than makes up for less than stellar effects. The ending also went in a totally different direction than I ever thought it would. This would normally score points with me, but it was just so weird & out of place that I can't say as I liked it much. But this may be the only slasher flick I've ever seen where I find myself really feeling bad for the killer, thanks to scenes such as the Christmas party he attends as Santa (where the bomb guy from "Scarface" drags him in) and the scene where he steals toys from the factory where he works & gives them to a hospital for retarded children. But watching as his pathology worsens, as he escalates his stalking of the bad boy next door, is truly creepy at the same time. Overall, very well done and deserving of more attention than it usually gets.
Edited to add: I almost forgot the tragic irony thrown in, as his actions on Christmas Eve have exactly the opposite effect of what I'm sure he intended, as evidenced by the voice over of the news bulletin that interrupts his brothers' kids' viewing of "March of the Wooden Soldiers" on Christmas morning.
Edited to add: I almost forgot the tragic irony thrown in, as his actions on Christmas Eve have exactly the opposite effect of what I'm sure he intended, as evidenced by the voice over of the news bulletin that interrupts his brothers' kids' viewing of "March of the Wooden Soldiers" on Christmas morning.
