52
Metascore
14 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88RogerEbert.comRobert DanielsRogerEbert.comRobert DanielsIt’s A Wonderful Knife has plenty of attributes—charm, blood, and angst—that should fit right in at any family holiday gathering.
- 75SlashfilmMatt DonatoSlashfilmMatt DonatoIt's A Wonderful Knife might make its points with steel blades, but that doesn't negate the saccharine earnestness that assures this one as a new Christmas horror favorite with a heart three sizes bigger than you'd expect.
- 63Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperChicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperAs you’d expect, It’s a Wonderful Knife is filled with blood-spattered twists on holiday movie tropes. Unfortunately, there are few surprises and only a handful of genuine scares, and the film suffers from subpar lighting and occasionally clunky editing. It’s a “Knife” in need of some sharpening.
- 60IGNKatie RifeIGNKatie RifeSolid fundamentals make It’s a Wonderful Knife an enjoyable Christmas slasher, although not as inspired as the writer Michael Kennedy’s previous work.
- 58ColliderIsabella SoaresColliderIsabella SoaresWhile often bloody, It's a Wonderful Knife is never too spooky for non-horror fans and never too focused on a cheesy love story for those watching the film for its gory delights. There is a little bit for everyone here, making for a pleasant enough viewing experience for this holiday season.
- 50Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerAustin ChronicleRichard WhittakerClunky horror in-jokes, like a heavy-handed Scream nod in the name of Winnie's aunt (Isabelle), feel labored, and it's all plagued by the same unevenness that afflicted director Tyler MacIntyre's Tragedy Girls: The gore and the comedy are well-executed, but the timing is off.
- 50VarietyJ. Kim MurphyVarietyJ. Kim MurphyThe genre slant promised by the title seems to be less of a tonal responsibility than an excuse to abruptly break out into the occasional suspense set piece.
- 34Paste MagazinePaste MagazineFestive horror is a notorious subgenre, with last year’s runaway success Violent Night scratching this itch for many—to say nothing of classics like 1974’s Black Christmas. It’s A Wonderful Knife sports an equally clever parody title, but has little else going for it, coasting on the premise of Frank Capra’s classic and failing to stand out among its predecessors.
- 30Los Angeles TimesJen YamatoLos Angeles TimesJen YamatoTry as it does to mash slasher and Christmas picture together into some kind of a yuletide “Scream,” “It’s a Wonderful Knife” so badly miscalculates both genres that you count down the minutes, wishing for a guardian angel to save its likable young stars from the movie they’re stuck in.