Title: All Through the House Writer/ Director: Todd Nunes Cast: Ashley Mary Nunes, Jessica Cameron, Melynda Kiring, Natalie Montera, Lito Velasco Year: 2015 Min: 88
Rachel (the lovely Ashley Mary Nunes) has come home for the holidays during her college break. But, there are two mysteries that she and the rest of the neighborhood doesn't know the answers to, still to this very day. Those are: what happened to her mother and what happened to the little girl, Jamie, that was Rachel's neighbor. In the meantime, Jamie's mother, Gia (Melynda Kiring) is trying to put up the last of her Christmas decorations in and around her house. Rachel tells her that she will give her a helping hand to do just that. She gets her two pretty friends to accompany and help her out. Gia it ends up being, is going on a "date" leaving the girls alone in the admit ably creepy house. The thing is a scary and psychotic guy dressed in a Santa outfit that is heading to that exact house and has been racking up the body count on his way there, with the three of the girls being next.
I am a sucker for a good Christmas horror flick, and All Through the House is just that. In fact, it ranks with the best of the lot. A bloody slasher, it is a great throwback to the sub-genre's heyday. It's fun and gory and is sure to become part of your annual Christmas horror viewing habits.
The movie moves at a quick pace, leaving little quite moments during it's 88 minute duration. From beginning to end, it just flat-out rocks. In fact, it really takes very little time to set-up, as drop dead gorgeous scream queen and horror filmmaker Jessica Cameron (below) gets offed early on. Jessica has quickly become one of my favorite scream queens in the genre. And as such, it was great to see her in this movie. Although her role is short, her death scene is one of the movies most shocking scenes. The pull no punches aspect of this kill sets up the tone of the rest movie, as not only is super gory and explicit but also accompanied some admit ably funny tinges of humor.
writer/ director Todd Nunes has a great use of Christmas imagery in way that is super-creepy. Gia's house is filled with some of the scariest shit, I have ever seen used for Christmas decor! His use of Christmas colors and lighting adds a nice and stylish look to the movie. He also delivers a kick ass and suspenseful climax, as the film really hits on all cylinders during the last 15 or 20 min or so.
The gore FX that are a big draw of the film. These bloody kills would NEVER get an R-rating. Our killer Santa has an affinity for using garden sheers to end the life of his victims. This causes some gruesomely realistic splatter that includes: breast stabbings, graphic (and funny!) castrations (yes plural!), stabbings, sheers to the head, eye gouging, and more. Another wonderful special effect is the movie's beautiful female cast. So, that it hits all that is needed for a destined to be loved slasher.
The acting of the cast ranges from adequate to quite good. Ashley Mary Nunes (below) and Kiring really shine in their roles. Nunes, who is an absolute stunner, makes for a great and tough final girl. She is put through the ringer and really delivers in her role. Kiring is simply great as the unhinged Gia. She is given a lot to do and a chance to give different emotional levels, which she handles with much zest.
As with most slashers, it does fall under most of the trademarks and beats of that type of movie. However, it's done in such a fun manner and flair that it works. You can tell and feel that it is being done by someone who has a real love for slashers and does it out of his love of them, and not cause he is some unoriginal hack.
Try not think to much about our killer though, who seems to pop in front of victims at each and every turn, even when it makes no real logical sense. Maybe he is actually Nightcrawler from the X-Men? In a lesser movie it would totally sink it further (Friday the 13th Part VII: Jason Takes Manhattan anyone?), here it is done in the context of such an enjoyable film that I just shrugged it off and enjoyed the movie, itself. Also, the killer, himself, looks creepy as fuck. You gotta love that mask he is wearing being accompanied by the Santa suit. It's just a fucking great look for him!
All Through the House is a great time to be had. It's fun, super bloody, filled with pretty girls, and has a real love for the subgenre(s), as in both slashers and Christmas horror movies. Moving at a breakneck pace and leading to kick ass climax, it is destined to be a cult favorite. Make sure this Christmas season it joins your viewings of Black Christmas, Silent Night, Deadly Night, Gremlins, and the rest of the holiday horror flicks you watch. And, I predict that it will continue to do so in years to come.
Everyone once in a while I run into a trailer so fucking awesome, that I HAVE to share it! I'm a huge fan of Christmas horror movies, and this one looks to be a great addition to the infamous sub-genre. And, the fact that it features such gorgeous and talented actresses as Jessica Cameron, Ashley Mary Nunes, and Jennifer Wenger, make even more excited for it!
From the press release:
"The Readmond Company has teamed up with Director/Writer Todd
Nunes to bring you a terrorizing, blood-soaked Christmas slasher. All
Through the House stars scream queens Ashley Mary Nunes (SYFY’S Robot
Combat League), Jessica Cameron (Truth or Dare), and Jennifer Wenger
(Jimmy Kimmel Live). The film’s gory special effects were created by
Tommy Pietch of SYFY’S Face Off and Star Trek: Renegades. All
Through the House is an 80s-style slasher film featuring a deranged
Santa Slayer who rips through the town of Napa for some yuletide-terror.
Fifteen
years ago, a peaceful Christmas neighborhood was engulfed by fear when
five-year-old Jamie Garrett was mysteriously taken from her bedroom
never to be seen again. Now on Christmas break, Rachel Kimmel comes home
from college to find her neighborhood struck again by a reign of
terror. A violent killer is hiding behind a grisly Santa mask, leaving a
bloody trail of slaughtered women and castrated men to the steps of the
Garrett house. Rachel finds herself in a horrifying nightmare as she
discovers the twisted secret behind the mask.
“This
slasher has been brewing in my mind since I was a kid,” says
Director/Writer Todd Nunes. “It’s not a rehash of popular Christmas
horror movie subplots, like punishing the naughty, Santa obsessed
psychos, or death by antlers. This is a dark, scary, violent story that
delivers on a big bloody body count, beautiful girls, and lots of
terrifying action. It’s everything I love to see in a horror movie -
every murder is shown on screen and the anti-hero is a killer with a
diabolical, sadistic mystery.”
“Although I loved my
character because she is strong and complex, I’m really drawn to the
twisted and crazy characters she meets in this movie,” says actress
Ashley Mary Nunes (as Rachel Kimmell). “The Killer in All Through the
House is disturbing, gross and really unique - I’m fascinated by the
depraved impulses. I know that everyone is going to love all the gore
and violence, but there is also a twisted mystery that ties it all
together like a big Christmas bow.”
All Through the
House was shot in 21 days in the summer of 2014 in Los Angeles, San
Francisco, and Lake Arrowhead, CA. The 95 minute film is currently in
post-production. Director/Writer Todd Nunes graduated with honors from
The Los Angeles Film School and studied screenwriting at UCLA's Writers'
Program. This is the first film by Santa Monica-based The Readmond
Company. Full Cast: Ashley Mary Nunes (Robot Combat
League), Jessica Cameron (Truth or Dare), Melynda Kiring (The Fog Lady),
Jennifer Wenger (Jimmy Kimmel Live), Natalie Montera, Lito Velasco,
Jason Rayer, Johanna Rae (Natural Born Filmmakers), Cathy Garrett, Matt
Poeschl (Entourage), Danica Riner, Kelsey Carlstedt, Lyndon Laveaux,
Justice Lee, Sarah Miller, Milijana Riner, Noah Boylen, John Nunes, and
Sky Boylen.
Full Crew: Stephen Readmond (Producer),
Christopher Stanley (Producer), Todd Nunes (Director/Writer), Ryan J.
Anderson (Cinematography), Glenda Suggs (Assistant Director), Tommy
Pietch (Key Special Effects), Josh McCarron (Special Effect David Passey
(Gaffer), Adrian Rivero (Sound), Alexis Evelyn (Editor), Melissa Black
(Production Design), Crista Llewellyn (Makeup Artist), Nigelle Paden
(Makeup Artist), Patricia McPhaul (Script Supervisor), Sharon Nunes (Set
Decorator), Grip (Tamra Garrett), Jennifer Nunes (Grip), Shane Nunes
(Production Assistant)."
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