Dec. 23, 2025
Stir A Little Murder Into Your Egg Nog With Our Favorite Holiday Ho-Ho-Horror Flicks
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RSS Feed If you’re looking for a Christmas Movie this week that adds a little twist and terror to the holidays, this episode is for you! Amy and T.J. go over their favorite holiday horror movies they love curling up to this time of year.
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00:00:02
Speaker 1: Hey, the folks, it's Tuesday, December twenty third. Time to get the family around the TV and watch Miracle on thirty fourth Street, or maybe it's a wonderful life. Don't come to our house because you're gonna see Crampus And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and Teacher. Do people find that strange? I suppose I think you would recommend a not just a horror movie, but specifically, we're gonna do a Christmas.
00:00:26
Speaker 2: Horror movie, a holiday themed horror movie.
00:00:29
Speaker 3: And if you all haven't checked it out, if you just look that up on Google or Rotten Tomatoes, you will see dozens and dozens and dozens of gory, scary movies, all themed for Christmas.
00:00:44
Speaker 1: What does that say about one who chooses this type of entertainment.
00:00:51
Speaker 3: I guess it might say that we're looking for a thrill along with the fireplace and the presence wrapped the tree, looking for a little thrill.
00:01:01
Speaker 1: Maybe that's fair. We want something that I guess messes up that norm, that perfect holiday package. Right, Sometimes we know how Christmas movie is gonna go, yes.
00:01:14
Speaker 3: And sometimes it can make us feel bad about our own lives. Whereas if I watch crampis my life's looking pretty day good.
00:01:22
Speaker 1: Some folks, we decided we love you all know we love our horror movies around here, So we decided we give you a few recommendations. Now tread lightly here. I don't know what you probably shouldn't introduce these to a mixed craft. You should know this group pretty well before you put this movie on any movies on.
00:01:41
Speaker 3: Yes, we watch these with our daughters because I actually think I raised my daughters to enjoy, Like I tried to just give them enough of a sample and then got them on board so that we've not created a tradition.
00:01:51
Speaker 2: By the way, we're doing it again this year, but.
00:01:53
Speaker 3: On Christmas Day, after we open our presence and eat our turkey, we all go to the movie to watch a horror movie. So last year it was Nows Faratu, and this year it is Anaconda.
00:02:06
Speaker 1: So is that that's horror comedy? Probably right?
00:02:09
Speaker 3: Yes, it's horror light okay, yeah, but it still counts.
00:02:13
Speaker 2: It still counts, all right.
00:02:15
Speaker 1: So we thought we'd give you some recommendations. These are things a little off the beaten path. And then there's one classic we're going to give you as well that you might not a lot of people might not consider it a Christmas movie.
00:02:28
Speaker 2: Or a horror movie, but we're calling it both.
00:02:30
Speaker 1: Yes, so we'll do that, and I am gonna start I'm gonna mix up the list totally on you, Robes, and I'm gonna start the bottom because this was a cool movie we found out of nowhere and it was one of our favorite little delights. Now, the movie is There's Something in the Barn. And you know, Robes, I love when people just tell you what you're gonna get. Literally, there's something at the bar.
00:02:53
Speaker 3: Yeah, they weren't playing on words. There is actually something in the barn. It's twenty twenty three rted R. It's an hour and forty minutes, and here is the synopsis. An American family fulfills their dream of moving back to their roots after inheriting inheriting a remote cabin in the mountains of Norway, but there's a surprise waiting for them, and maybe say it's in the barn. But the funny thing is when this first starts out, I thought, oh no, it's going to be a foreign language film, and I look, I've seen many amazing foreign language films, even foreign horror films.
00:03:27
Speaker 2: We love, but sometimes you're not in the mood.
00:03:30
Speaker 3: So I almost turned it off because it starts with Norwegian just wanted to let you know, and then it flips over to English completely. But the first time you're like, wait, no, I'm not going to watch a Norwegian movie right now. It's an American family, so it completely goes to English. But this is just a fun, funny with just enough gore and creepiness that just makes it a delight.
00:03:56
Speaker 1: It is, and it's an unexpected delight. We didn't know what we were going to get. Another synopsis here, I can't remember where I saw this, and one of the two different ones. But an American family inherits to home in Norway to find their Christmas festivities, sparking murderous rage in a small but vengeful entity. That's a good synopsis. This is a bonkers movie.
00:04:20
Speaker 3: Yes, you have to keep the barn known happy, and if you don't keep the Barn known happy, well that's what happens in this movie. That's where there's something in the barn was born.
00:04:30
Speaker 1: What do you think about the ritten Tomato scores here eighty one percent for the critics, fifty one percent for the audience.
00:04:35
Speaker 3: That's pretty big prizing to me because I obviously I agree with the critics. I think this is a I think it's such a fun, smart, just scary enough kind of movie.
00:04:43
Speaker 1: You know what.
00:04:44
Speaker 2: I think.
00:04:45
Speaker 3: I didn't read the bad reviews by the audience, but if I had to guess, they might have wanted it to be scarier. They might have wanted it to be more frightening and less funny. That would be the only thing I could think. People might have had expectations that it was going to be more one thing than the other and were disappointed because it was a great film.
00:05:03
Speaker 2: I thought it was.
00:05:04
Speaker 3: It was equal on probably more funny than scary, but it had enough of both.
00:05:09
Speaker 1: See, I thought this might have been flipped. I thought maybe the audience would like this better than the critics would. This is such a surprise of a movie. It was like you just get slapped by a movie. If you can imagine doing that that you were expecting whoa wait what and you don't even know what just happened to you. It's that kind of a freaky fun movie. And it has the whole climax at the end the scene. It is a blast of a movie. Now here's The critic consensus about it says, the movie unwraps a wildly entertaining holiday rampage filled with witty jokes, creature, feature charm, and eye popping practical effects. Now the audience dislikes for the most part, they just thought it was They couldn't get on board with the premise.
00:05:52
Speaker 2: Really, that's so interesting.
00:05:55
Speaker 1: It wasn't very deep. Some people DECI, yeah.
00:05:57
Speaker 2: It doesn't have to be.
00:05:58
Speaker 3: And honestly, if I'm watching a holiday horror flick, I really don't want to think too much. I've already announced that by choosing that genre.
00:06:06
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's weird that they had access to the same synopsis we did and came out of it.
00:06:12
Speaker 2: What was done?
00:06:13
Speaker 1: Yeah?
00:06:15
Speaker 2: Oh my goodness.
00:06:16
Speaker 3: Well, right now it's streaming on AMC Plus and on Stars, so it should be readily available.
00:06:21
Speaker 1: All right, the next movie on our list here, This might be a tough one for some people. It's called Better Watch Out. Great great title from twenty seventeen, But bro, this is once we get to the synopsis here, I think you know what I need to ask you this. Do people need to be told ahead of time? Or are we ruining it by telling what the main plot there is.
00:06:49
Speaker 3: Well, it's oh wow, there might be a bit of yeah, I'm trying to think at some point.
00:06:56
Speaker 1: All right, we'll just read the synopsis.
00:06:57
Speaker 2: Okay, that's fair, all right.
00:06:59
Speaker 3: This is Ashley travels to the suburban home of the Learners to babysit their twelve year old son Luke at Christmas time. She must soon defend herself and the young boy when unwelcome intruders announce their arrival.
00:07:13
Speaker 2: So we cannot give it.
00:07:14
Speaker 1: Away, but check out the second synopsis.
00:07:19
Speaker 3: Well, I think that's okay. Here's the second synopsis. On a quiet suburban street, a babysitter must defend a twelve year old boy from intruders, only to discover it's far from a normal home invasion.
00:07:31
Speaker 1: That works, Okay, we don't give an a thinking. So the twist, at least on this one. What a lot of people in the audience had a problem with is the idea of what the twist ends up being.
00:07:45
Speaker 2: That was my issue.
00:07:46
Speaker 1: They had a hard time stomaching what the twist was, which wasn't something you found out at the end, You found out early and it is the main theme of the movie. Yes, and a lot of people said, this is not believable.
00:07:58
Speaker 3: So if you go, I would just say it's a delightfully fun, entertaining movie. If you already say okay, there's going to be something that is exceptionally improbable, and then just lean into the absurdity of it, and if you can laugh with it and not be judging it, like come on, that would never happen. So if you start saying that, then you don't know how to enjoy a horror movie, because most horror movies have at least three of those moments we're like, come on, that would never happen. And that's usually when either someone reminds me like that's because it's a movie and it's not real life. So anyway, if you can suspend that judgment for what they need you to accept in order for the movie to be entertaining, you just go into it saying I will accept what they get with you.
00:08:43
Speaker 1: I love watching this movie. It was fun as ridiculous as it was, but yeah, it's it's it's lunacy, but it was fun to watch. And I think the young lady, oh my goodness, she's has a lot of credits to her name, Olivia de Jong. Maybe it's your name, but she plays Priscilla opposite what's his name, Airon right.
00:09:04
Speaker 2: I can't remember his name. Yes, I'm never gonna come up with it, but yeah.
00:09:08
Speaker 1: She had that role. She has a couple of good credits, yes, very very solid. And the Montgomery there, I don't know his first name either, but docker doctor Montgo Montgomery. He's the guy that plays Billy and Stranger Things. Oh.
00:09:22
Speaker 2: Yes, of course he's great in it.
00:09:24
Speaker 1: Yes, he has a small but very important and fun and memorable role. But the movie feels twisted in a lot of ways, like it's it's like that's sick.
00:09:35
Speaker 3: Yes, yes, well the audience dislikes the twist and it's twisted, so they didn't.
00:09:39
Speaker 2: Like either one of those.
00:09:40
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:09:41
Speaker 3: The Rotten Tomato score eighty nine percent, audience sixty three percent.
00:09:44
Speaker 1: I'm shocked.
00:09:45
Speaker 3: That's a big disparity as well. The critics consensus, carried by its charismatic young cast, Better Watch Out is an adorably sinister holiday horror film.
00:09:55
Speaker 1: That's a really good way to put it, adorably sinister.
00:09:57
Speaker 2: Adorably sinister holiday horror film.
00:10:00
Speaker 1: They beat us in the description that is actually exactly Leddy is now the one I mentioned off the top here folks, Crampis. I think everybody gets the idea. Everybody knows who Crampus is at this point, right, But this one's from twenty to fifteen, and I was surprised this was not a rated R movie.
00:10:16
Speaker 2: I am too.
00:10:17
Speaker 3: I you know what though, I I did go see this in the theaters when it came out, and I did bring children with me, so that would make more sense now.
00:10:26
Speaker 1: But that's never a stop. No.
00:10:29
Speaker 3: I've actually been shamed in the movie theater for bringing my kids to some of the conjurings.
00:10:32
Speaker 1: To this day, lady, if you're out there, please no, she still talk to me, I do.
00:10:36
Speaker 3: I said, please turn around, please turn around and stop speaking. But yes, Crampis, I did bring children to this in twenty fifteen, rated PG.
00:10:45
Speaker 2: Thirteen.
00:10:46
Speaker 3: It's an hour and thirty eight minutes. Yes, it's perfect in that sweet spot. The synopsis is this, while the holiday season represents the most magical time of year, ancient European folklore warns of Crampis, a horror beasts who punishes naughty children at Christmas time. When dysfunctional family squabbling causes young Max to lose his festive spirit, it unleashes the wrath of the fearsome demon as Crampis lays siege to the Angle home Mom Tony Collette, who is so good in this pop Adam Scott who he love. Sister Uh and brother must band together to save one another from a monstrous fate.
00:11:25
Speaker 2: It's great.
00:11:26
Speaker 1: The cast is great. I can't remember this guy's name, the comedian in there, the the ball guy who's over the top. Yeah, you know what, this is how people will remember him. He was the sports anchor for Anchorman and Anchorman.
00:11:45
Speaker 2: Oh yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, I can see.
00:11:48
Speaker 1: Yes. He was Ron Burgundy's sports guy. It's that guy.
00:11:53
Speaker 2: I didn't even put that two and two together.
00:11:54
Speaker 1: I want his name, but he's like But it's a fun cast and they are nailing it. I don't know how PG thirteen they get away with. Still they create some scares. But I didn't realize it was a PG thirteen movie.
00:12:10
Speaker 2: Yeah I didn't either.
00:12:11
Speaker 3: And you know what, this Rotten Tomato score is pretty low given the way we I really loved it. So the critics gave it sixty seven percent, the audience gave it fifty two percent, and it made for Hey, it made forty two million dollars worldwide. So it did well, right, that's pretty decent for a horror movie.
00:12:28
Speaker 1: Yeah, got Yeah, I didn't list the budget here, but yeah, you can't imagine.
00:12:31
Speaker 2: Yeah, it wasn't that big.
00:12:33
Speaker 3: So the critics consensus, Crampis is gory, good fun for fans of non traditional holiday horror, that's hilarious. Now we have traditional and non traditional holiday horror with a fondness for Joe Dante's B minus movie classics, even if it doesn't have quite the savage bite its concept calls for. So what are the audience not like about this film?
00:12:55
Speaker 1: Yeah, they came into this. I have here one quote from folks saying, if you come into this movie with a serious attitude, you will miss out on the demented Christmas fund And I think that was the theme throughout. That was an expectation of.
00:13:14
Speaker 4: More, something scarier, scarier, or more believable if you will, like, come on, folks, it's a family is hiding out from a horned demon. Right, It's okay to take some liberties right.
00:13:29
Speaker 3: Exactly exactly, And you know what, and they did have fun. The cast had fun with it. It was comedic at times. You know, you hear Crampis maybe people wanted that dark, you know, Christmas time more where this was some evil entity. They wanted more viciousness or something. But I thought it was wonderfully done. I loved it.
00:13:48
Speaker 1: We have one more to recommend, folks, but we're going to recommend a Christmas horror movie that some people don't even agree as a Christmas movie or a horror movie. What movie are we talking about? Stay here? Grimlins is next. We continue here on Amy and TJ with some I guess odd Christmas movie recommendations. It's weird. Somebody says to you, hey, you gotta get Christmas movies you recommend and we throw out Crampus. You think where people look at us like we're.
00:14:22
Speaker 2: Great, Yes, I think better watch out.
00:14:25
Speaker 3: We almost went with It's a Wonderful Knife, but we decided not to so like, there's a lot of fun names and twists on some of these movies, so it would be slightly embarrassing and we'd probably be judged for suggesting.
00:14:39
Speaker 1: Yeah, we didn't. We have to ease y'all into this thing. We didn't want to start with It's a Wonderful Knife, but it has.
00:14:46
Speaker 2: Yes, we love Justin Long.
00:14:47
Speaker 1: Justin Long is our he might be our favorite actor of all time. Yes, but one more here do you would you have before this debate, put Grimlins in the realm of Christmas movie? No, okay, before this, would you put it in the realm of horror movie? No? Damn? Where would you put it?
00:15:09
Speaker 2: Like fantasy? A fantasy movie, a fantasy movie? Yeah? Maybe?
00:15:14
Speaker 3: But then now that you say both of those things, and I rewatched it, and I hadn't seen it in twenty years probably, Plus I realized it actually is a Christmas movie, and it is a horror movie.
00:15:27
Speaker 1: And folks, this is one you can have fun with. This is absolutely one you need to revisit. Maybe you haven't seen it in a while. Came out in nineteen eighty four, but Grimlins has some charm to it. It's cute, it's even the evil is coming from such a small, funny toy like package that for some reason, you still think you could take them if you had to spike ye right.
00:15:53
Speaker 2: As a kid, I always thought of the blender.
00:15:55
Speaker 3: It always stayed with me, the blender, the blender, the blender, and I had forgotten about.
00:16:00
Speaker 2: And then you're like, oh man, we used to talk about that.
00:16:02
Speaker 1: So, folks, this is a good one to revisit. Hour and forty six minutes, good run time. But if you don't remember, it's about a gadget salesman looking for a special gift where his son finds one at a store in China Town. The shopkeeper is reluctant to sell him the mug why, but sells it to him with the warning to never expose him to bright light or water, or to feed him after midnight. All of this happens, and the result is a gang of Grimlins that decide to tear up the town on Christmas Eve.
00:16:35
Speaker 3: Yeah, so it's Christmas Eve and it's great and it's terror and I mean, you know, on a smaller scale, but still nonetheless it's And you even said, I actually remember Sabine just telling us that she her memory of this movie was being Afraid. So yes, it's PG and you have to know your kid whether or not they'll be able to handle it. But it's funny you were surprised that she said I remember being afraid.
00:17:01
Speaker 1: Yeah, because this is given the stuff she watches with us.
00:17:05
Speaker 2: Now, it's hilarious.
00:17:06
Speaker 1: This movie is nothing for her, but she hasn't really watched it again. But yeah, I guess that's a heads up that these things are scary critics to younger kids.
00:17:16
Speaker 3: I actually think, though, as hardened horror movie watchers as our girls are now, if we all sat them down Christmas Eve and we all watched Gremlins together, I bet everybody would get a kick out of it, like everybody would have fun.
00:17:29
Speaker 1: Oh yes, it's a fun movie. And when she flies out the window with the stairs what was her name again, Polly Holiday? She passed this season? She did?
00:17:37
Speaker 3: I mean that you absolutely mentioned the scene in Gremlins. That was what you'll always remember. Rotten Tomato score eighty six percent from the critics, seventy eight percent from the audience. It made one hundred and fifty three thousand domestically million. Oh wow, one hundred and fifty three million, that's what I meant to say. One hundred and fifty three million, six hundred and forty two thousand, one hundred eighty dollars domestically, and the critics consensus.
00:18:01
Speaker 2: Whether you choose to see it as a.
00:18:03
Speaker 3: Statement on consumer culture or simply a special effects heavy popcorn fleck flick, Gremlins is a minor classic.
00:18:12
Speaker 2: That's funny.
00:18:12
Speaker 1: Fine, fine, I'll buy all of that the audience. Again, it was a pretty overwhelming positive, not a whole lot of dislike, so I didn't find a theme necessarily in there. You can see this thing on Disney Plus, Hulu, HBO Max. Now this makes me want to go watch it right now, because I mean, come on, little Gizmo is so cute.
00:18:32
Speaker 3: Gues Phoebe, it's so cute, they argue, and you know what, it is worth rewatching. I would watch it again, even though we already did last week. I'll do it again, all.
00:18:40
Speaker 1: Right, Well, folks, enjoy Christmas night. Don't be scared. Don't be scared to recommend it.
00:18:47
Speaker 2: A horror movie.
00:18:48
Speaker 1: To mix things up at Christmas, I make this the new tradition. Well for that, for Avery Robot, I'm TJ. Holmes. We'll be talking to alls here. Take the bad t thin
Speaker 1: Hey, the folks, it's Tuesday, December twenty third. Time to get the family around the TV and watch Miracle on thirty fourth Street, or maybe it's a wonderful life. Don't come to our house because you're gonna see Crampus And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and Teacher. Do people find that strange? I suppose I think you would recommend a not just a horror movie, but specifically, we're gonna do a Christmas.
00:00:26
Speaker 2: Horror movie, a holiday themed horror movie.
00:00:29
Speaker 3: And if you all haven't checked it out, if you just look that up on Google or Rotten Tomatoes, you will see dozens and dozens and dozens of gory, scary movies, all themed for Christmas.
00:00:44
Speaker 1: What does that say about one who chooses this type of entertainment.
00:00:51
Speaker 3: I guess it might say that we're looking for a thrill along with the fireplace and the presence wrapped the tree, looking for a little thrill.
00:01:01
Speaker 1: Maybe that's fair. We want something that I guess messes up that norm, that perfect holiday package. Right, Sometimes we know how Christmas movie is gonna go, yes.
00:01:14
Speaker 3: And sometimes it can make us feel bad about our own lives. Whereas if I watch crampis my life's looking pretty day good.
00:01:22
Speaker 1: Some folks, we decided we love you all know we love our horror movies around here, So we decided we give you a few recommendations. Now tread lightly here. I don't know what you probably shouldn't introduce these to a mixed craft. You should know this group pretty well before you put this movie on any movies on.
00:01:41
Speaker 3: Yes, we watch these with our daughters because I actually think I raised my daughters to enjoy, Like I tried to just give them enough of a sample and then got them on board so that we've not created a tradition.
00:01:51
Speaker 2: By the way, we're doing it again this year, but.
00:01:53
Speaker 3: On Christmas Day, after we open our presence and eat our turkey, we all go to the movie to watch a horror movie. So last year it was Nows Faratu, and this year it is Anaconda.
00:02:06
Speaker 1: So is that that's horror comedy? Probably right?
00:02:09
Speaker 3: Yes, it's horror light okay, yeah, but it still counts.
00:02:13
Speaker 2: It still counts, all right.
00:02:15
Speaker 1: So we thought we'd give you some recommendations. These are things a little off the beaten path. And then there's one classic we're going to give you as well that you might not a lot of people might not consider it a Christmas movie.
00:02:28
Speaker 2: Or a horror movie, but we're calling it both.
00:02:30
Speaker 1: Yes, so we'll do that, and I am gonna start I'm gonna mix up the list totally on you, Robes, and I'm gonna start the bottom because this was a cool movie we found out of nowhere and it was one of our favorite little delights. Now, the movie is There's Something in the Barn. And you know, Robes, I love when people just tell you what you're gonna get. Literally, there's something at the bar.
00:02:53
Speaker 3: Yeah, they weren't playing on words. There is actually something in the barn. It's twenty twenty three rted R. It's an hour and forty minutes, and here is the synopsis. An American family fulfills their dream of moving back to their roots after inheriting inheriting a remote cabin in the mountains of Norway, but there's a surprise waiting for them, and maybe say it's in the barn. But the funny thing is when this first starts out, I thought, oh no, it's going to be a foreign language film, and I look, I've seen many amazing foreign language films, even foreign horror films.
00:03:27
Speaker 2: We love, but sometimes you're not in the mood.
00:03:30
Speaker 3: So I almost turned it off because it starts with Norwegian just wanted to let you know, and then it flips over to English completely. But the first time you're like, wait, no, I'm not going to watch a Norwegian movie right now. It's an American family, so it completely goes to English. But this is just a fun, funny with just enough gore and creepiness that just makes it a delight.
00:03:56
Speaker 1: It is, and it's an unexpected delight. We didn't know what we were going to get. Another synopsis here, I can't remember where I saw this, and one of the two different ones. But an American family inherits to home in Norway to find their Christmas festivities, sparking murderous rage in a small but vengeful entity. That's a good synopsis. This is a bonkers movie.
00:04:20
Speaker 3: Yes, you have to keep the barn known happy, and if you don't keep the Barn known happy, well that's what happens in this movie. That's where there's something in the barn was born.
00:04:30
Speaker 1: What do you think about the ritten Tomato scores here eighty one percent for the critics, fifty one percent for the audience.
00:04:35
Speaker 3: That's pretty big prizing to me because I obviously I agree with the critics. I think this is a I think it's such a fun, smart, just scary enough kind of movie.
00:04:43
Speaker 1: You know what.
00:04:44
Speaker 2: I think.
00:04:45
Speaker 3: I didn't read the bad reviews by the audience, but if I had to guess, they might have wanted it to be scarier. They might have wanted it to be more frightening and less funny. That would be the only thing I could think. People might have had expectations that it was going to be more one thing than the other and were disappointed because it was a great film.
00:05:03
Speaker 2: I thought it was.
00:05:04
Speaker 3: It was equal on probably more funny than scary, but it had enough of both.
00:05:09
Speaker 1: See, I thought this might have been flipped. I thought maybe the audience would like this better than the critics would. This is such a surprise of a movie. It was like you just get slapped by a movie. If you can imagine doing that that you were expecting whoa wait what and you don't even know what just happened to you. It's that kind of a freaky fun movie. And it has the whole climax at the end the scene. It is a blast of a movie. Now here's The critic consensus about it says, the movie unwraps a wildly entertaining holiday rampage filled with witty jokes, creature, feature charm, and eye popping practical effects. Now the audience dislikes for the most part, they just thought it was They couldn't get on board with the premise.
00:05:52
Speaker 2: Really, that's so interesting.
00:05:55
Speaker 1: It wasn't very deep. Some people DECI, yeah.
00:05:57
Speaker 2: It doesn't have to be.
00:05:58
Speaker 3: And honestly, if I'm watching a holiday horror flick, I really don't want to think too much. I've already announced that by choosing that genre.
00:06:06
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's weird that they had access to the same synopsis we did and came out of it.
00:06:12
Speaker 2: What was done?
00:06:13
Speaker 1: Yeah?
00:06:15
Speaker 2: Oh my goodness.
00:06:16
Speaker 3: Well, right now it's streaming on AMC Plus and on Stars, so it should be readily available.
00:06:21
Speaker 1: All right, the next movie on our list here, This might be a tough one for some people. It's called Better Watch Out. Great great title from twenty seventeen, But bro, this is once we get to the synopsis here, I think you know what I need to ask you this. Do people need to be told ahead of time? Or are we ruining it by telling what the main plot there is.
00:06:49
Speaker 3: Well, it's oh wow, there might be a bit of yeah, I'm trying to think at some point.
00:06:56
Speaker 1: All right, we'll just read the synopsis.
00:06:57
Speaker 2: Okay, that's fair, all right.
00:06:59
Speaker 3: This is Ashley travels to the suburban home of the Learners to babysit their twelve year old son Luke at Christmas time. She must soon defend herself and the young boy when unwelcome intruders announce their arrival.
00:07:13
Speaker 2: So we cannot give it.
00:07:14
Speaker 1: Away, but check out the second synopsis.
00:07:19
Speaker 3: Well, I think that's okay. Here's the second synopsis. On a quiet suburban street, a babysitter must defend a twelve year old boy from intruders, only to discover it's far from a normal home invasion.
00:07:31
Speaker 1: That works, Okay, we don't give an a thinking. So the twist, at least on this one. What a lot of people in the audience had a problem with is the idea of what the twist ends up being.
00:07:45
Speaker 2: That was my issue.
00:07:46
Speaker 1: They had a hard time stomaching what the twist was, which wasn't something you found out at the end, You found out early and it is the main theme of the movie. Yes, and a lot of people said, this is not believable.
00:07:58
Speaker 3: So if you go, I would just say it's a delightfully fun, entertaining movie. If you already say okay, there's going to be something that is exceptionally improbable, and then just lean into the absurdity of it, and if you can laugh with it and not be judging it, like come on, that would never happen. So if you start saying that, then you don't know how to enjoy a horror movie, because most horror movies have at least three of those moments we're like, come on, that would never happen. And that's usually when either someone reminds me like that's because it's a movie and it's not real life. So anyway, if you can suspend that judgment for what they need you to accept in order for the movie to be entertaining, you just go into it saying I will accept what they get with you.
00:08:43
Speaker 1: I love watching this movie. It was fun as ridiculous as it was, but yeah, it's it's it's lunacy, but it was fun to watch. And I think the young lady, oh my goodness, she's has a lot of credits to her name, Olivia de Jong. Maybe it's your name, but she plays Priscilla opposite what's his name, Airon right.
00:09:04
Speaker 2: I can't remember his name. Yes, I'm never gonna come up with it, but yeah.
00:09:08
Speaker 1: She had that role. She has a couple of good credits, yes, very very solid. And the Montgomery there, I don't know his first name either, but docker doctor Montgo Montgomery. He's the guy that plays Billy and Stranger Things. Oh.
00:09:22
Speaker 2: Yes, of course he's great in it.
00:09:24
Speaker 1: Yes, he has a small but very important and fun and memorable role. But the movie feels twisted in a lot of ways, like it's it's like that's sick.
00:09:35
Speaker 3: Yes, yes, well the audience dislikes the twist and it's twisted, so they didn't.
00:09:39
Speaker 2: Like either one of those.
00:09:40
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:09:41
Speaker 3: The Rotten Tomato score eighty nine percent, audience sixty three percent.
00:09:44
Speaker 1: I'm shocked.
00:09:45
Speaker 3: That's a big disparity as well. The critics consensus, carried by its charismatic young cast, Better Watch Out is an adorably sinister holiday horror film.
00:09:55
Speaker 1: That's a really good way to put it, adorably sinister.
00:09:57
Speaker 2: Adorably sinister holiday horror film.
00:10:00
Speaker 1: They beat us in the description that is actually exactly Leddy is now the one I mentioned off the top here folks, Crampis. I think everybody gets the idea. Everybody knows who Crampus is at this point, right, But this one's from twenty to fifteen, and I was surprised this was not a rated R movie.
00:10:16
Speaker 2: I am too.
00:10:17
Speaker 3: I you know what though, I I did go see this in the theaters when it came out, and I did bring children with me, so that would make more sense now.
00:10:26
Speaker 1: But that's never a stop. No.
00:10:29
Speaker 3: I've actually been shamed in the movie theater for bringing my kids to some of the conjurings.
00:10:32
Speaker 1: To this day, lady, if you're out there, please no, she still talk to me, I do.
00:10:36
Speaker 3: I said, please turn around, please turn around and stop speaking. But yes, Crampis, I did bring children to this in twenty fifteen, rated PG.
00:10:45
Speaker 2: Thirteen.
00:10:46
Speaker 3: It's an hour and thirty eight minutes. Yes, it's perfect in that sweet spot. The synopsis is this, while the holiday season represents the most magical time of year, ancient European folklore warns of Crampis, a horror beasts who punishes naughty children at Christmas time. When dysfunctional family squabbling causes young Max to lose his festive spirit, it unleashes the wrath of the fearsome demon as Crampis lays siege to the Angle home Mom Tony Collette, who is so good in this pop Adam Scott who he love. Sister Uh and brother must band together to save one another from a monstrous fate.
00:11:25
Speaker 2: It's great.
00:11:26
Speaker 1: The cast is great. I can't remember this guy's name, the comedian in there, the the ball guy who's over the top. Yeah, you know what, this is how people will remember him. He was the sports anchor for Anchorman and Anchorman.
00:11:45
Speaker 2: Oh yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, I can see.
00:11:48
Speaker 1: Yes. He was Ron Burgundy's sports guy. It's that guy.
00:11:53
Speaker 2: I didn't even put that two and two together.
00:11:54
Speaker 1: I want his name, but he's like But it's a fun cast and they are nailing it. I don't know how PG thirteen they get away with. Still they create some scares. But I didn't realize it was a PG thirteen movie.
00:12:10
Speaker 2: Yeah I didn't either.
00:12:11
Speaker 3: And you know what, this Rotten Tomato score is pretty low given the way we I really loved it. So the critics gave it sixty seven percent, the audience gave it fifty two percent, and it made for Hey, it made forty two million dollars worldwide. So it did well, right, that's pretty decent for a horror movie.
00:12:28
Speaker 1: Yeah, got Yeah, I didn't list the budget here, but yeah, you can't imagine.
00:12:31
Speaker 2: Yeah, it wasn't that big.
00:12:33
Speaker 3: So the critics consensus, Crampis is gory, good fun for fans of non traditional holiday horror, that's hilarious. Now we have traditional and non traditional holiday horror with a fondness for Joe Dante's B minus movie classics, even if it doesn't have quite the savage bite its concept calls for. So what are the audience not like about this film?
00:12:55
Speaker 1: Yeah, they came into this. I have here one quote from folks saying, if you come into this movie with a serious attitude, you will miss out on the demented Christmas fund And I think that was the theme throughout. That was an expectation of.
00:13:14
Speaker 4: More, something scarier, scarier, or more believable if you will, like, come on, folks, it's a family is hiding out from a horned demon. Right, It's okay to take some liberties right.
00:13:29
Speaker 3: Exactly exactly, And you know what, and they did have fun. The cast had fun with it. It was comedic at times. You know, you hear Crampis maybe people wanted that dark, you know, Christmas time more where this was some evil entity. They wanted more viciousness or something. But I thought it was wonderfully done. I loved it.
00:13:48
Speaker 1: We have one more to recommend, folks, but we're going to recommend a Christmas horror movie that some people don't even agree as a Christmas movie or a horror movie. What movie are we talking about? Stay here? Grimlins is next. We continue here on Amy and TJ with some I guess odd Christmas movie recommendations. It's weird. Somebody says to you, hey, you gotta get Christmas movies you recommend and we throw out Crampus. You think where people look at us like we're.
00:14:22
Speaker 2: Great, Yes, I think better watch out.
00:14:25
Speaker 3: We almost went with It's a Wonderful Knife, but we decided not to so like, there's a lot of fun names and twists on some of these movies, so it would be slightly embarrassing and we'd probably be judged for suggesting.
00:14:39
Speaker 1: Yeah, we didn't. We have to ease y'all into this thing. We didn't want to start with It's a Wonderful Knife, but it has.
00:14:46
Speaker 2: Yes, we love Justin Long.
00:14:47
Speaker 1: Justin Long is our he might be our favorite actor of all time. Yes, but one more here do you would you have before this debate, put Grimlins in the realm of Christmas movie? No, okay, before this, would you put it in the realm of horror movie? No? Damn? Where would you put it?
00:15:09
Speaker 2: Like fantasy? A fantasy movie, a fantasy movie? Yeah? Maybe?
00:15:14
Speaker 3: But then now that you say both of those things, and I rewatched it, and I hadn't seen it in twenty years probably, Plus I realized it actually is a Christmas movie, and it is a horror movie.
00:15:27
Speaker 1: And folks, this is one you can have fun with. This is absolutely one you need to revisit. Maybe you haven't seen it in a while. Came out in nineteen eighty four, but Grimlins has some charm to it. It's cute, it's even the evil is coming from such a small, funny toy like package that for some reason, you still think you could take them if you had to spike ye right.
00:15:53
Speaker 2: As a kid, I always thought of the blender.
00:15:55
Speaker 3: It always stayed with me, the blender, the blender, the blender, and I had forgotten about.
00:16:00
Speaker 2: And then you're like, oh man, we used to talk about that.
00:16:02
Speaker 1: So, folks, this is a good one to revisit. Hour and forty six minutes, good run time. But if you don't remember, it's about a gadget salesman looking for a special gift where his son finds one at a store in China Town. The shopkeeper is reluctant to sell him the mug why, but sells it to him with the warning to never expose him to bright light or water, or to feed him after midnight. All of this happens, and the result is a gang of Grimlins that decide to tear up the town on Christmas Eve.
00:16:35
Speaker 3: Yeah, so it's Christmas Eve and it's great and it's terror and I mean, you know, on a smaller scale, but still nonetheless it's And you even said, I actually remember Sabine just telling us that she her memory of this movie was being Afraid. So yes, it's PG and you have to know your kid whether or not they'll be able to handle it. But it's funny you were surprised that she said I remember being afraid.
00:17:01
Speaker 1: Yeah, because this is given the stuff she watches with us.
00:17:05
Speaker 2: Now, it's hilarious.
00:17:06
Speaker 1: This movie is nothing for her, but she hasn't really watched it again. But yeah, I guess that's a heads up that these things are scary critics to younger kids.
00:17:16
Speaker 3: I actually think, though, as hardened horror movie watchers as our girls are now, if we all sat them down Christmas Eve and we all watched Gremlins together, I bet everybody would get a kick out of it, like everybody would have fun.
00:17:29
Speaker 1: Oh yes, it's a fun movie. And when she flies out the window with the stairs what was her name again, Polly Holiday? She passed this season? She did?
00:17:37
Speaker 3: I mean that you absolutely mentioned the scene in Gremlins. That was what you'll always remember. Rotten Tomato score eighty six percent from the critics, seventy eight percent from the audience. It made one hundred and fifty three thousand domestically million. Oh wow, one hundred and fifty three million, that's what I meant to say. One hundred and fifty three million, six hundred and forty two thousand, one hundred eighty dollars domestically, and the critics consensus.
00:18:01
Speaker 2: Whether you choose to see it as a.
00:18:03
Speaker 3: Statement on consumer culture or simply a special effects heavy popcorn fleck flick, Gremlins is a minor classic.
00:18:12
Speaker 2: That's funny.
00:18:12
Speaker 1: Fine, fine, I'll buy all of that the audience. Again, it was a pretty overwhelming positive, not a whole lot of dislike, so I didn't find a theme necessarily in there. You can see this thing on Disney Plus, Hulu, HBO Max. Now this makes me want to go watch it right now, because I mean, come on, little Gizmo is so cute.
00:18:32
Speaker 3: Gues Phoebe, it's so cute, they argue, and you know what, it is worth rewatching. I would watch it again, even though we already did last week. I'll do it again, all.
00:18:40
Speaker 1: Right, Well, folks, enjoy Christmas night. Don't be scared. Don't be scared to recommend it.
00:18:47
Speaker 2: A horror movie.
00:18:48
Speaker 1: To mix things up at Christmas, I make this the new tradition. Well for that, for Avery Robot, I'm TJ. Holmes. We'll be talking to alls here. Take the bad t thin