Vinegar Syndrome

Don't Open Till Christmas

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This listing is for the standard edition Blu-ray. The limited edition slipcover (designed by Robert Sammelin) was limited to 5,000 units and is sold out. The two versions are identical, aside from the slipcover.

It's just days before Christmas in London, but not everyone is full of good cheer - as a maniac with a pathological hatred of Santa Claus stalks the streets, butchering any man that’s unlucky enough to be wandering around dressed as Old Saint Nick. Not restricting themself to any one method of murder, this twisted killer dishes out stabbings, gunshots, a castration, and even burns the face of one poor Santa on his own roasting chestnuts! As the bodies of slaughtered Father Christmases pile up, Chief Inspector Harris finds himself under increasing pressure to crack the case before the holiday is canceled for good!

The product of an extremely troubled production, DON’T OPEN TILL CHRISTMAS was the second stalk-and-slash collaboration between legendary exploitation producer Dick Randall (French Sex Murders) and former matinée idol Edmund Purdom (The Fifth Cord), after 1982’s deliciously bonkers Pieces. Originally conceived as Purdom’s directorial debut, the resulting footage was considered such a mess that much of it was rewritten and reshot by director Alan Birkinshaw (Killer’s Moon) under a pseudonym. The end result is a fascinating, and endlessly entertaining, patchwork of slasher film and super-sleazy thriller, punctuated by shocking moments of gore which appear almost out of nowhere, as well as an entirely gratuitous musical number from horror icon Caroline Munro (Maniac, Slaughter High) herself! Finally restored from original 35mm negative elements by Vinegar Syndrome and jam packed with new bonus features along with a selection of archival treats, including long lost scenes discovered in a rough cut, this is one present you won’t want to leave under the tree!

directed by: Edmund Purdom, Alan Birkinshaw
starring: Edmund Purdom, Caroline Munro, Alan Lake, Belinda Mayne, Mark Jones, Gerry Sundquist, Kelly Baker, Pat Astley
1984 / 87 min / 1.66:1 / English Mono

Additional info:

Region Free Blu-ray
Newly scanned & restored in 2K from its 35mm internegative
"Don't Direct Till Christmas" (20 min) - a brand new interview with additional scenes director/writer Alan Birkinshaw
"Slashing Miss Munro" (34 min) - a brand new interview with actress Caroline Munro
"Purdom Babylonia" (16 min) - a brand new interview with Lilan Purdom, daughter of director Edmund Purdom
"Birkinshaw Uncut" (56 min) - a career-spanning archival interview with Alan Birkinshaw
"The Making of a Horror Film" (52 min) - an archival making-of documentary featuring contemporary cast/crew interviews and behind-the-scenes footage
"A Dangerous Place for Santa" - a brand new featurette revisiting the original shooting locations of Don't Open Till Christmas
Brand new commentary track with film historian/author Amanda Reyes and special features producer Ewan Cant
Deleted & extended scenes from a never-before-seen rough cut
Behind-the-scenes still gallery
Original theatrical trailer
Reversible cover artwork
English SDH subtitles

Overall rating: 4.4688644 / 5 from 273 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

Don't Open Till Christmas is a restored Blu-ray featuring a unique blend of slasher film and thriller elements, with shocking gore and a gratuitous musical number. Customers appreciate the fantastic transfer, beautiful artwork, and special features, making it a great addition to any horror collection.

Summary topics

Transfer Quality (9%): Customers loved how the transfer looks, with multiple reviews mentioning that it looks amazing and fantastic.
Unique Kills (7%): Customers loved the unique and interesting kills in this Christmas slasher movie, which keeps audiences entertained throughout.
Overall Film Quality (14%): Customers expressed satisfaction with the film, describing it as great, fantastic, and a worthy addition to their collection.
Movie Experience (18%): A significant number of customers raved about the movie, describing it as great and the best.
Product Release (12%): It was highlighted by customers that the release of this product is great and fantastic, making it a popular choice.

Review topics: [quality, looks, cover, set, design, packaging, upgrade, price, sound, buy, slasher, movie, film, slipcover, release, transfer, kills, night, artwork, features, flick, christmas, horror, extras, scenes, slip, atmosphere, art, twist, watch].

Review highlights

"This was a fun and festive holiday slasher and an excellent release by VS. I love the folding slipcover and the artwork." — Jack
"Great quality transfer and package by VS of a very enjoyable Santa-themed slasher with good gore and kills." — Andrea M.
"Great transfer, love the artwork, and a good horror film" — Roy R.

Reviews

VS-411

"English twisted horror, Caroline Munro makes it worth the admission fee. Awesome slipcover with lots of extras !!"

— richard c. (5/5)

A Twisted Christmas!

"Not sure this makes a lot of sense until it does. Somebody is over Santa showing up. Decent kills, a touch too convoluted, but the extras and interviews are great, as well as the commentary track. Eggnog sucks (not related at all, just saying)."

— William N. (4/5)

Fun slasher

"Great fun British slasher. From the golden era of slashers. Little thrown together as there were a few directors, but hey, it's a slasher, it's not high art!"

— Michael L. (4/5)

Sleazy British slasher

"Like most slasher films, it is basically a drearily monotonous series of graphic killings. Fans of the genre may see this as a good thing, except that even the killings themselves are mostly unimaginative (the very last one is probably the best). It also tries to add a bit of mystery to the mix, but gives us no real clues."

— Erik G. (2/5)

Perfect

"I loved this movie. But technically the film didn't deliver, the story was great though. I turned the contrast on my TV to 0 and watched it in black and white which made the film 100% better"

— Tenzin T. (5/5)

A Strange & Troubled Slasher

"A Strange & Troubled Slasher that feels like two films smashed together by two different directors. Because that's what it is. Bonus points for featuring Caroline Munro & Belinda Mayne though."

— Kirk W. (5/5)

A Sleazy Christmas Slasher Treat with plenty of extras

"As a huge slasher fan, I had a great time with Don’t Open Till Christmas. Instead of another killer dressed as Santa, this wonderfully sleazy British production turns the formula around and has a masked maniac hunting anyone unfortunate enough to wear the costume. The plot is undeniably messy and some of the acting is rather uneven, but the grimy early-1980s London atmosphere, nasty murders and strange characters give the film plenty of cult appeal. It feels rough, unpredictable and completely different from the more polished American holiday slashers. Vinegar Syndrome’s 2K restoration looks remarkably good considering the film’s troubled production history, with strong detail, natural grain and especially vivid Christmas reds. The extensive extras also provide fascinating background information about how this chaotic production was completed. A flawed but highly entertaining seasonal slasher that should appeal to fans of the genre’s stranger and sleazier side."

— Mirko H. (4/5)

An underrated yuletide horror classic

"Don't Open Til Christmas is an underrated yuletide horror classic. Highly recommend!"

— Brett W. (5/5)

i liked this movie which

"i liked this movie which is why i brought it. . . the extras were good. . ."

— justin l. (5/5)

Don’t Open till Christmas

"Good flick."

— Raja A. (5/5)