Unholy Night unleashes holiday mayhem (Fantasia 2026 review)

Holiday horror has become its own subgenre. Ever since the classic slasher Black Christmas released in 1974, there has been a glut of bloody yuletide movies, especially lately, with some far better than others. Writer/director Michael Gabriele's Unholy Night is the latest movie to turn the holidays into a grisly affair, and thankfully, his movie is an entertaining and wild watch, complete with the reanimated corpses of loved ones.

The movie stars Marc Bendavid as Gino, an outcast in his family. His parents, Lucia (Toni Ellwand), and Giuseppe (Ron Lea), criticize everything that he does, even the way that he cuts fruit for the Christmas Eve dinner. His mom even rags on his shirt and makes him change, and his brother, along with other family members, make fun of the fact that he never finished his master's degree and works as a paint specialist. This is a close-knit Italian family, and yes, there's plenty of Italian jokes laced throughout the movie and close-ups of food that looks absolutely delicious, including a mountain of meatballs, a dessert tray that looks like a colorful Christmas tree, and much more. It's tough not to feel hungry while watching some of the scenes of Christmas Eve dinner preparation.

Prior to the full family introduction, the movie opens with a flashback of a young Lucia (Morgan Saunders) barely surviving an attack against her family. Well, it turns out that loved ones can apparently return as reanimated corpses. The film explains it as a curse. Essentially, if the loved ones were not remembered, felt disrespected, or had unfinished business, they return. Gino's family faces a grandmother back from the dead. There are some gnarly kills and attacks in this movie, including a moment where she shoves a wooden spoon down a throat and lashes out at another family member with a pot of boiling water. Grannie has a way of turning familiar domestic utensils into deadly weapons, and it's a blast to watch.

However, the undead aren't quite mindless zombies. They can speak and also recognize their loved ones. One minute, grandma is a vicious killer, and the next, she embraces her family if they bring up a fond memory. It's a clever take on an otherwise familiar monster, and it also humanizes the villain. Meanwhile, the curse spreads throughout the neighborhood and every house faces its own attack. Though not necessarily the hero type, Gino throws himself into action to rescue his old lover and friend, Renee (Shailene Garnett), from across the street. Like everyone else in the neighborhood, she has her own problems to deal with, and though his family pleads with him to stay inside, Gino leaves to help Renee, though she can certainly defend herself. The dynamic between them is another interesting layer to the movie, while raising the question if some relationships are better left in the past. Still, it's fun to watch them join forces and battle zombified neighbors together.

As for the Christmas setting, it's not overdone. Yes, there are shots of snowy streets and holiday decorations adorning houses. However, the movie doesn't overdo the holidays, and the real focus here is on the family. Christmas is just the backdrop for a clever premise.

Overall, Unholy Night is one of the better recent holiday movies. It's a solid horror comedy with well-crafted jokes and gore. Once the holidays roll around, I can see myself returning to this movie.

Unholy Night just screened at the 2026 Fantasia Film Festival.