The Monster's Christmas (1981 TV Movie) User Reviews

The Monsters!

[BandSAboutMovies · 6/10 · 21 December 2023]

What are the holidays like in New Zealand? Maybe this movie will tell us all we need to know.

A little girl reads The Monster's Christmas to her teddy bear before she hears Santa. Except that it's not him. It's one of the monsters from her book and he needs her help to get the voices of his friends back so that they can all sing Christmas carols again, as an evil witch was jealous of their singing and has stolen their voices.

Every monster in this is awesome looking, as is the witch, who has turned her hair into a hat and also wears a t-shirt that says WITCHES RULE. Yes, they do. So does the weird synth by Dave Fraser, who played on the soundtrack of The Quiet Earth and Battletruck.

Director Yvonne Mackay has mainly worked in New Zealand TV. Writer Burton Silver also made the book Why Paint Cats and was the creator of New Zealand's longest-running published cartoon series Bogor.

My words won't tell you how amazingly wild and frightening this movie for children is. I mean, there are monsters everywhere on the level of Yokoi Monsters but they're also singing and dancing. At the end, they all get together to sing "Silent Night" and the idea that somewhere out there there's a savior monster that died for them - or did Jesus die for all of us - is something I'd love to see a movie all about. I can only imagine that this movie warped every child from New Zealand - the country that gave us Flight of the Conchords, Dead Alive and The Bushwhackers - whenever the season came around again. "Look kids, it's the man dressed as a bat walking backward! It won't be long until Santa is here!"

Charming and likeable nonsense

[Red-Barracuda · 6/10 · 1 February 2022]

Here's a children's movie from New Zealand about a little girl who is approached by monsters from her storybook who ask her for help regaining their voices which have been stolen by a witch. This one is sort of like The Wizard of Oz if it had been made by the costume department from Dr Who circa 1974 and the music department of Kickboxer 3 (i.e. A bloke with a Casio keyboard). It intentionally utilised New Zealand's picturesque landscape to accentuate its fantasy world, so you could ask the question would Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy have happened without this film? Well, yes it probably would have but I don't think that's really the point. Its complete nonsense of course but, as you should have gathered from the above, its charming and likeable nonsense. It should really be on telly every year.

A wondrous moment in my cinematic experiences

[bujinbudoka · 10/10 · 1 March 2009]

For myself, as a child three movies stand out as ones which I loved to watch over and over again. They are The Red Balloon, Popeye, and of course this one. Set against the backdrop of Christmas it follows the adventures of one small girl as she befriends a group of friendly, though mute, monsters who enlist her aid in obtaining their voices back from and evil witch.

Do the monsters look scary? No. But that's part of the magic of this movie! Seeing it as it was meant to be seen....as though through the eyes of a child.

Only lasting about an hour or so in length this movie is a wonderful trip through some of the more exotic locales in New Zealand and even after seeing it years later it still hasn't lost its magic touch.

I anxiously await seeing it available on Netflix!

An Early Glimpse of Middle Earth & Narnia with a touch of Oz

[caspian1978 · 8/10 · 2 March 2021]

Die Hard is considered to be A Christmas movie for the same reason that The Monster's Christmas is. Both movies take place during the Christmas holiday. Other than a Christmas tree in the living room and two Christmas song being sung, this movie is more of a feverous dream that a Christmas story. When I first saw this on cable in the early 80's. I thought this movie was equal to ET and the Empire Strikes Back. Little that I knew at my early age, everything on television to a child is equal. Now as an adult, this 47 minute movie is more of a PSA for New Zealand than anything else. Not that this movie is at all bad. In fact, there are several moments in the movie that make it worth watching again almost 40 years later. Although it lacks in story, this gem from the 80's makes up with character. Michael Wilson's portrayal of the Nasty was scary for children back in the day and still holds up for today's audience. The three monsters in the story represent a specific quality of the natural landscape that is New Zealand. The Mountain Monster showcases many of the mountains on the island including Mount Ngauruhoe which would later be used for Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings. Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland is a great backdrop of the setting as the Mud Monsters represent just that. Along with the Insect Monster to showcase the wildlife, the Witch is simply the Wizard of Oz connection along with the Girl who represents Dorothy. I kept seeing the Mud Monsters double for the Beavers from the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe with no other connection rather that they are some sort of a couple and they enjoy Lucy's company is equal as these two with the Girl. The Monster's Christmas incorporates many of New Zealand's beautiful scenic spots which is smart for any PSA video. Sadly, none of the cast went on to any careers in Hollywood. This was a local, made for television production that ended up getting a worldwide audience as it appeared on early HBO and Showtime cable stations in the Untied States when there was a lack of content to showcase. Looking back, this movie stuck in my mind as something I saw as a child and never fully understood. If Art is suppose to resonate with its audience, the Monster's Christmas was a giant success as viewers remember the effect it had.