Don't Open Till Christmas (1984)

Director:

Edmund Purdom

Writers:

Alan Birkinshaw (additional scenes written by)
Derek Ford (written by)

Release Date:

December 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

The Gift of Terror That Just Won't Wait

Plot:

Somebody with very little Christmas spirit is killing anyone in a Santa suit one London holiday season, and Scotland Yard has to stop him before he makes his exploits an annual tradition.

Plot Keywords:

Inspector | Running | Scotland Yard | Cut | Christmas

Cast

Edmund Purdom	...	Inspector Ian Harris
Alan Lake	...	Giles
Belinda Mayne	...	Kate Briosky
Mark Jones	...	Detective Sergeant Powell
Gerry Sundquist	...	Cliff Boyd
Kelly Baker	...	'Experience' Girl
Kevin Lloyd	...	Gerry
Wendy Danvers	...	Housekeeper
Nicholas Donnelly	...	Doctor Bridle (scenes deleted)
Pat Astley	...	Sharon
Laurence Harrington	...	Kate's Father
Ken Halliwell	...	Restaurant Commissionaire
Ray Marioni	...	Maitre d'hotel
Wilfred Corlett	...	'Experience' Santa Claus
Ricky Kennedy	...	Theatre Santa Claus
Sid Wragg	...	Dungeon Santa Claus
Max Roman	...	Store Santa Claus
George Pierce	...	Market Santa Claus
Ashley Dransfield	...	Drunken Santa Claus
Derek Ford	...	Circus Santa Claus
Adrian Black	...	Circus Santa
John Aston	...	Santa Claus in Car
Maria Eldridge	...	Girl in Car
Des Dolan	...	Detective Constable
Derek Hunt	...	Police Constable
Paula Meadows	...	Dungeon Secretary
Caroline Munro	...	Herself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dick Randall	...	Party Guest (uncredited)

Directed by
Edmund Purdom

Writing credits
Alan Birkinshaw		(additional scenes written by) (as Al McGoohan)
Derek Ford		(written by)

Produced by
Stephen Minasian	....	producer (as Steve Minasian)
Dick Randall	....	producer

Original Music by
Des Dolan

Cinematography by
Alan Pudney		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Ray Selfe

Makeup Department
Giuseppe Ferranti	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Christopher Courtney	....	production supervisor (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Alan Birkinshaw	....	director: additional scenes (as Al McGoohan)

Special Effects by
Peter Litton	....	special effects supervisor

Camera and Electrical Department
John Fonseca	....	stills photographer
John Ward	....	Steadicam operator (uncredited)
John Ward	....	camera operator (uncredited)
John Ward	....	director of photography: additional photography (uncredited)

Other crew
Stephen Minasian	....	presenter (as Steve Minasian)
Dick Randall	....	presenter

Production Companies

• Spectacular Trading International

Distributors

• 21st Century Film Corporation (USA)
• Film 2000 (2003) (UK) (DVD)
• Mill Creek Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Mondo Macabro (2011) (USA) (DVD)
• Synergy Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD) (DVD-R)
• Televista (2007) (worldwide) (DVD)
• Vestron Video International (1985) (Australia) (VHS)
• Vestron Video (1985) (UK) (VHS)
• Vestron Video (1985) (USA) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Coast to Coast (as Coast to Coast Ltd)

Other Companies

• British Rail Travellers Fare  the producers wish to thank for their assistance in this motion picture (as British Rail Traveller's Fare)
• Kensington Gore  the producers wish to thank for their assistance in this motion picture
• London Dungeon  the producers wish to thank for their assistance in this motion picture (as The London Dungeon)
• Piccadilly Theatre, The  the producers wish to thank for their assistance in this motion picture
• Scotland Yard  the producers wish to thank for their assistance in this motion picture

Also Known As:

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:R | Norway:18 (video premiere) | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:(Banned) | Germany:BPjM Restricted | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Café Royal - 68 Regent Street, Piccadilly, London, England, UK

Company:

Spectacular Trading International

Trivia:

The film took almost two years to complete after original director Edmund Purdom quit the job and Derek Ford took over but was fired after two days. The distributors then hired Ray Selfe to complete the direction and Alan Birkinshaw to rewrite parts of the script, including the original ending and the London Dungeon sequence, and much of the footage was completely re-filmed.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When the inspector visits Kate's apartment to discuss the attack on Sharon, Kate asks what happened, but her mouth does not move.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Making of a Horror Film (1984)

Soundtrack:

I'm the Warrior of Love

More seedy slasher fun from the folks who brought you Pieces!

Now this is what I'm talking about! I love an unabashedly terrible slasher film that revels in its own sleaziness and stupidity. From the crappy synth score to the iffy performances, I was eating Don't Open 'Til Christmas up by the shovelful. I'm not even going to begin explaining the plot -- why should the plot even matter when drunk shopping mall Santa Clauses are getting their faces burned off, eyes slashed out, and penises castrated (YES!) all around you?!

I'd never recommend this to anyone who isn't into true bottom-of-the-barrel stuff like myself, but sludge lovers will want their grimy stockings stuffed with this filthy British exploit. Let me put it this way: if you liked Pieces, you'll also dig this film (which kind of makes sense, since some of the people from Pieces worked on this). Sure, Don't Open 'Til Christmas lacks the acting chops of the Georges (that's Christopher and Lynda Day to you), but it's slightly more enjoyable in the sense that it isn't quite as misogynistic as Pieces (i.e., most of the victims in this one are male). Skeezemeister Edmund Purdom (I find him inexplicably unsettling in a creepy uncle sort of way), who was one of the headliners in Pieces, claims this gem as his one and only directing credit.