JOLLY, a Christmas-themed horror short, follows a man who is haunted by a Santa head. Due to the pandemic, many films that were supposed to be released in theaters have been postponed. However, artists have found other ways to create safely. Indie groups have used the spare time they have to create content on social media. While mainstream film, theater and TV has been on hold, it has provided these indie productions an opportunity to shine.
JOLLY, the Christmas horror short from Midnight Video, is less than four minutes long, but it tells quite a unique story. A homeowner sleeps on his couch across from a Santa head decoration. The Santa comes to life on its own as its hat and eyes move from side-to-side. The Santa then begins to speak in a voice that sounds like it has been modulated to be an extra-low pitch. At first, the Santa has traditional holiday messages for the man. The Santa sings the chorus of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" replacing the pronoun "we" with "I."
Then, Santa's messages get darker as it threatens to unwrap the man's skull. The film made great use of typical horror stills on various Christmas decorations to build suspense. The film was made by an indie group titled Midnight Video. Writer, director, and editor Todd Spence specializes in making horror films for the company along with co-writer Zak White. Even though the film's premise is a bit bizarre, the film has had positive reception, and fans have taken to the comments section to praise the holiday horror.
Source: Midnight Video
