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
