'Violent Night' review: Gory Christmas film torn between naughty and nice

It's a good thing you're wearing red, Santa, cos that blood is never gonna wash off. – Photos: UIP Malaysia

Sometimes the holiday season can just be a little too sweet. It’s why stories like How the Grinch Stole Christmas endure, or movies like Bad Santa find success – not everyone wants to gulp down saccharine sentiments at Christmastime.

Enter Violent Night, in which David Harbour plays a murderous Santa Claus. Borrowing heavily from Die Hard and Home Alone (both of which are name-checked), and utilising every Christmassy saying and pun, throw in some extra bloody kills, and voila: a holiday actioner for the gore-hounds.