On the second day of Christmas…
Ugly Sweater Party (2018)
Written & Directed: Aaron Mento
Stars: Sean Whalen, Felissa Rose, and Gregory Blair
An ugly sweater party turns into a bloodbath when an evil Christmas sweater possesses one of the partygoers.
– IMDB
I don’t if every movie that winds up on this list is going to be a horror film but, when it comes to Christmas-themed B-Movies, it’s sort of a sweet spot. Ugly Christmas sweater parties became a thing around the start of the 2000s and became a mainstay of the holiday. So, naturally, the next logical thing to do is introduce a sweater that is inhabited by the ghost of a sadistic killer.
Sean Whalen is probably the biggest name in the cast having 143 credits to his name from things like the TV series Ghosts to Men in Black. That’s why he gets to play the ghost of the killer who is pulling the strings from beyond the grave. This isn’t a movie where you’d say the acting was amazing, but the cast is clearly having a lot of fun and it starts with Whalen.
Charles Chudabala is the one who ends up in the possessed sweater so that makes him the lead here, but it’s such an eccentric mix of characters across the board that there’s no conventional lead. If this movie were trying to take itself seriously, that would be a problem but, fortunately, that’s not the case here. I mean, just check out these arm-wrestling Santas.
In a nutshell, it’s sort of like Child’s Play with an ugly Christmas Sweater instead of a doll and without the backing of MGM and United Artists. The budgetary restrictions are very obvious but Aaron Mento isn’t trying to hide that. In fact, I’d say this movie celebrates that aspect.
Recommendation: If you like quirky low-budget horror but also want to show some Christmas spirit, this is what you want in your stocking.
Thanks for reading! I still believe word of mouth is the best way to help, so if you enjoy what I’m doing, please tell somebody. And if you have a comment, I’d love to hear it! Liking, subscribing, and sharing go a long way too. As usual, be well, be safe, and have fun no matter how you get your movies!