Hollywood often embraces Christmas horror films, yet releasing a holiday-themed nightmare in theaters just one day before Halloween is an interesting choice. Briarcliff Entertainment executes this strategy with “Christmas at the Kringles,” director Kevin Lewis’s thirteenth feature. Unfortunately, this stocking stuffer delivers more coal than presents.
Written by Zack Imbrogno, the film follows Mark Severson (Ron Livingston), his wife Julie (Rachel Bilson), and their son Bobby (Jack Jewkes) as they relocate to a quiet suburban neighborhood. Their welcoming experience takes a rocky turn when Mark nearly collides with a drunken Santa (Rob Riggle). Neighbor Daryl (Donald Faison) offers some semblance of normalcy.
Then the Kringles arrive. Nick (Thomas Lennon), his wife Carol (Arden Myrin), Nick’s mother (Beverly D’Angelo), and their children live as if every day is December 25. Decorations, enthusiasm, and holiday cheer seem practically mandatory. While Julie and Bobby relish the attention, Bobby grows increasingly attached to the family, which leaves Mark suspicious that their relentless Christmas spirit hides something sinister.
On paper, I can appreciate this absurd premise. Lewis exhibited his flair for embracing the ridiculous with “Willy’s Wonderland”, and there’s potential in having suburban neighbors who turn holiday festivities into a hostage-like situation.
The issue is that “Christmas at the Kringles” can’t decide how seriously we should take the threat. The jokes land sporadically, the tension rarely resonates, and the mayhem isn’t as entertaining as the setup suggests.
Rachel Bilson brings a mature allure to the film, looking as radiant as ever and providing a welcome screen presence, even though Julie is thinly written. Thomas Lennon understands the assignment and leans into the family’s aggressively cheerful eccentricity. However, the always likable Donald Faison is completely underutilized as Daryl.
Comedy is his forte, thanks to “Scrubs”, so it’s disappointing not to see him take on a role as a rogue Santa or even an antagonist, which would have given him more to work with. Meanwhile, Ron Livingston and Rob Riggle seem to be going through the motions; Livingston appears disengaged, and Riggle’s boozy Santa routine quickly becomes tiresome.
I will give the movie credit for one thing: the twist is clever and pays off nicely, even if getting there means wading through half-baked gags. The action picks up toward the end, but a louder finale cannot erase the uneven pacing that comes before it. A stronger script might have made the holiday obsession genuinely unsettling.
I’m also puzzled by the release strategy. This film is clearly Christmas-themed horror, yet it arrives closer to Halloween than Thanksgiving, let alone Christmas itself. Perhaps the distributor believes that the spooky season is enough to sell it.
Regardless, “Christmas at the Kringles” isn’t the holiday gift I hoped for. Some presents are better left under the tree.
Final Grade: C-
Christmas at the Kringles” is in theaters this Friday.
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