“All Through the House” isn’t quite as it seems. On the surface, it appears to be nothing more than a run-of-the-mill Christmas slasher. A deranged serial killer donning a Krampus/Santa hybrid costume is wreaking havoc through a small town, dropping civilians like flies with his trusty hedge clippers. Almost all of his victims engage in sexual activity, providing the film with gratuitous nudity and corny puns that even made me, the lover of bad puns, cringe. A group of twentysomethings are his prime target, the main female being the most levelheaded of them, naturally. The trio must think fast in order to survive the night, yadda yadda yadda. Been there, done that.
What sets “All Through the House” apart is its location. The women are stationed in the home of Mrs. Garrett (Melynda Kiring), whose obsession with Christmas borders on uncomfortable. The entire house is drowned in decorations, from the living room to even the bathroom. Most peculiar are the mannequins decked out in Christmas hats and sweaters. One creepily resembles a man, replete with printed on facial expressions. Another is a bizarre teddy bear monstrosity that gives Teddy Ruxpin a run for his money. She talks to these mannequins as if they were sentient, with one questioning if that is the twist.
I won’t spoil the twist, but will at least reveal that the mannequins are, in fact, not sentient. The twist itself isn’t wholly original, but it’s perverse and demented enough to spice up the ho-hum slasher proceedings. Up until the twist, “All Through the House” was that run-of-the-mill Christmas slasher I had described. A slickly produced one bolstered by excellent practical effects, but too plodding and formulaic for its own good. The kills are redundant and lack suspense, the seemingly inexplicable hedge clippers running their course quickly. Each victim speaks in stilted sexual innuendos, while the protagonist, Rachel Kimmel (Ashley Mary Nunes), stumbles about with trust issues that have sullied her relationship with Cody (Jason Rayer, giving a very wooden performance). Every sequence comes equipped with cheap jump scares (the cat being the culprit, as always) and even cheaper “it was only a dream” copouts. Even the score by Irving Victoria is too basic, ratcheting up the chords upon the slasher’s arrival and distorting classic Christmas tunes. It’s constructed well, as is the film as a whole, but it’s too familiar to fully register.
The twist saves the movie. It gives the screenplay a much-needed jolt in the arm, livening up the proceedings. It even gives credence to some of the redundancy, such as the demise of the male victims which acts as clever foreshadowing. It ties in all of the conflicting storylines well, with Rachel’s trust issues being given more weight and Mrs. Garrett’s eccentricity playing a key part in the slasher’s motive. The tropes are still present, but are now implemented with more verve. There is now intrigue.
Todd Nunes knew what he set out to make. This is a love letter to eighties slashers almost to a fault. He wears his heart on his sleeve, his inspirations nearly suffocating his vision. He adheres too much to the formula at first, what with the cheesy dialogue and obvious jump scares. While he’s having fun with the campy material, he seems too giddy to get to the twist. The build is undercooked, with Rachel’s familial and relationship woes falling flat until her connection to Mrs. Garrett is made clearer. Her friends serve only as slasher fodder, as do the random couples that pop up intermittently. Normally, I’d be opposed to jumping into a twist so quickly, but here it would’ve served the film better. The story would’ve been tighter and the eeriness of Mrs. Garrett & her house of festive horrors would’ve been on full display.
Nevertheless, “All Through the House” is orchestrated well enough that, even during the slower moments, it’s digestible. I appreciated the craft put into the formula, with the slashings satisfying gorehounds. The practical effects are top notch and the film oozes atmosphere. Just as I was growing wearisome, Nunes coyly introduced the twist, pulling me back in.
At its worst, “All Through the House” is an adequate slasher that is familiar but comfortable. At its best, it’s a perverse and slick thriller bursting with energy! The end result is somewhere in the middle, satisfying nonetheless.
Final Rating: B-