Directed by Tyler MacIntyre and written by Michael Kennedy, after saving her town from a psychotic killer, Winnie Carruthers’ life is less than wonderful. When she wishes she’d never been born, she finds herself in a nightmare parallel universe where without her, things could be much, much worse. Starring: Jane Widdop, Jess McLeod, Joel McHale, Katharine Isabelle, William B. Davis, Justin Long, Aiden Howard, Erin Boyes and Sean Depner.
The first question people probably have, given the title of this film, is it a complete rip-off of It’s a Wonderful Life? Absolutely and unashamedly, yes. Beneath its blood and violence, there’s a homage to the iconic Christmas classic, it’s blending a love of the film with a love of horror, and that’s a hugely enjoyable thing. To quote one of It’s a Wonderful Knife’s drunken male characters, “F*ck yeah, Christmas” is the vibe they’re going for here, mixed with the beloved final girl style. You know exactly where this story going and it doesn’t even matter in the slightest because it’s fun, entertaining and drops a Jason level of bodies.
The second key element of It’s a Wonderful Knife is that Justin Long is a low-key horror icon, from Jeepers Creepers to a certain misadventure with a walrus to last year’s Barbarian, he knows how to play this genre. When he gets to portray the villain or bring out his dark side though, that’s where he really shines, which this film satisfyingly lets him do and adds in a pearly set of overly big teeth for good measure. He’s creepy and constantly adding a threatening tone to everything he says, it plays into so many great tropes of horror.
Whereas Jane Widdop brings a tone that’s more reminiscent of Happiest Season, which helps to keep that comedy vein going. Pumping in plenty of traditionally cheesy Christmas moments, although that’s not to say she doesn’t also fill the role of horror heroine well, she’s got a killer instinct behind those kind eyes. There’s a great supporting cast alongside her, but one that particularly stands out is Katharine Isabelle, no surprise given her rich horror background. She has a lot of personality and charm to add to the mix, it’s only a shame she isn’t given more screentime.
One of the interesting choices is that while there are plentiful bodies cropping up all over the place, the violence is not as gory as expected. That’s not a bad thing, it makes itself more accessible to a wider range of fans but it also would have been fun to see it go all in on the blood and guts. Outside of that, there’s nothing out of place, Tyler MacIntyre’s direction ticks all the boxes for It’s a Wonderful Knife. Embracing its Christmas and community setting, throwing back to a lot of other holiday themed horror like Black Christmas, but keeping a modern, young feel. It’s got good pacing to keep you locked in and focuses on being entertainment.
It’s a Wonderful Knife is a genuinely good time, it doesn’t take itself too seriously, it has fun and throws its energy into giving the audience an entertaining experience. Yes, it can be cheesy and it is very much borrowing from other films but all of that is viewed through a lens of homage, rather than feeling cheap or repetitive. You know what you’re going to get from this film going in: kills, comedy and perfectly ridiculous coincidences, which is plenty to enjoy for any horror fan.
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