This was so unsettling and disturbing, the only thing that comes close in my book is "Two faces of evil" episode of Hammer's house of horrors. The twist just left me sitting in silence for a while. For me, this is the best episode of the series by far.
15 Reviews
A very clever and unique episode.
Sleepin_Dragon1 January 2017
Pemberton and Shearsmith are always willing to try something different, and they never fail to give us something surreal and dark, Inside No.9 is always entertaining, generally very good, sometimes outstanding, It's a series that always tries to be different, and in The Devil of Christmas it doesn't come more different then this. Filmed in a truly remarkable way, it looks as if it were actually produced in the 1970's the filming, camera work, even the acting is reminiscent of Tales of the Unexpected, or one of MR James's 'A Ghost Story for Christmas.' Even the music is uncannily apt. They actually used equipment from the time.
Very well acted, everyone performs as if they were in one of the previously mentioned series. I enjoyed the visuals so much that I almost didn't care about the story, interesting, and the commentary aspect seems fresh and unusual.
Naturally there's a twist, and a very dark ending as would be expected.
Very well acted, everyone performs as if they were in one of the previously mentioned series. I enjoyed the visuals so much that I almost didn't care about the story, interesting, and the commentary aspect seems fresh and unusual.
Naturally there's a twist, and a very dark ending as would be expected.
The Devil of Christmas
Prismark1028 December 2016
The macabre Christmas Special from Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith take us back to the Christmas Ghost stories of 1970s television drama. Veteran television director Graeme Harper was specially brought in as the production used the type of cameras from that era.
A British family has come to an Austrian chalet for a Christmas skiing holiday. Julian (Steve Pemberton) his mother Celia (Rula Lenska) son Toby and pregnant second wife Kathy (Jessica Raine.) They are met by Klaus (Reece Shearsmith) the old caretaker who tells them of the tale of the Krampus whose creepy picture is on the chalet wall and how he takes naughty children away.
We see footage being rewound and we hear commentary from the director Dennis (Derek Jacobi) who tells us how this episode had to be shot in one day, some of the bad acting, the actress playing Celia had bad eyesight who kept missing her marks and how one actor had to leave by 6:00 pm as he had to do a voice-over. Dennis himself said he only did the job because he lost out on doing an episode of Worzel Gummidge.
The story goes on as how Krampus might be coming for Toby or is it Kathy's unborn child? is Klaus all he seems to be? Why has Kathy thrown some of Julian's pills away?
The Inside No 9 team create a nice pastiche of those quickly shot video dramas of the 1970s. Just watch out for that extra scene being shot, it took Kathy by surprise and the commentary was not for a DVD extra.
A British family has come to an Austrian chalet for a Christmas skiing holiday. Julian (Steve Pemberton) his mother Celia (Rula Lenska) son Toby and pregnant second wife Kathy (Jessica Raine.) They are met by Klaus (Reece Shearsmith) the old caretaker who tells them of the tale of the Krampus whose creepy picture is on the chalet wall and how he takes naughty children away.
We see footage being rewound and we hear commentary from the director Dennis (Derek Jacobi) who tells us how this episode had to be shot in one day, some of the bad acting, the actress playing Celia had bad eyesight who kept missing her marks and how one actor had to leave by 6:00 pm as he had to do a voice-over. Dennis himself said he only did the job because he lost out on doing an episode of Worzel Gummidge.
The story goes on as how Krampus might be coming for Toby or is it Kathy's unborn child? is Klaus all he seems to be? Why has Kathy thrown some of Julian's pills away?
The Inside No 9 team create a nice pastiche of those quickly shot video dramas of the 1970s. Just watch out for that extra scene being shot, it took Kathy by surprise and the commentary was not for a DVD extra.
Blown away
OscarZetaAcosta24 December 2017
Genuinely outstanding
jonnyog28 January 2019
I have always been a fan of Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pembertons work in the League of Gentlemen and Psychoville, but Inside Number 9 is my favourite, and this episode is in my opinion the greatest they have made, an episode where I was continually guessing what the inevitable twist would be and despite this I was still left bewildered. Not just the best episode of this series but one of the best bits of modern television made!!
Tales of the TRULY unexpected-
agnabeya12 December 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The production of a 1970s style short is flawless. The characters- their acting. Pretty soon you hear the voice narrating the scene, and the film being rewound a little- and realise you are watching a film, which is being watched by it's creator. Everything becomes clear in the final scene. Which was not only unexpected-but really disturbing. I though only Papa Lazaroux could leave me this unsettled. A fantastic bit of work.
Disturbing festive cheer
danielbellamy-5805920 May 2021
A Christmas episode of Inside No 9 could either be a jolly romp like Zanzibar or a harrowing horror spectacle like the Harrowing. Seems Pemberton and Shearsmith settled on a bit of both, with a fun, campy love letter to seventies horror movies quickly turning into something utterly dark and depraved. My dear personal favourite episode of the whole show simply for how many levels of enjoyment there are to be had from it.
The League of Christmas Gentlemen.
morrison-dylan-fan1 January 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Since finding out about the BBC series in the early 2000's,The League of Gentlemen: Yule Never Leave has become one of my few regular X- Mas viewings. Talking to a family friend about his viewing plans,I found out that two of the League of Gentlemen had made a new holiday special,which led to me unwrapping the 9th present.
View on the special:
Dusting down film stock/cameras used in the era of 70's cheap British TV Horror productions,director Graeme Harper unwraps an authentic ghost of Christmas past,filled with awkward camera moves,blurred lighting and paper thin "special effects."
Along with giving hilariously dry performances,the script by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith is cleverly pitched between a pastiche of the era,and a genuine seasonal chiller. Bringing the present into the setting with the voice-over from the director,the writers display great care in making the dialogue hold of double meaning,as the deliciously kitsch appearance is torn by the claws of Krampus to reveal an X-Mas Horror in a league of gentlemen of its own.
View on the special:
Dusting down film stock/cameras used in the era of 70's cheap British TV Horror productions,director Graeme Harper unwraps an authentic ghost of Christmas past,filled with awkward camera moves,blurred lighting and paper thin "special effects."
Along with giving hilariously dry performances,the script by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith is cleverly pitched between a pastiche of the era,and a genuine seasonal chiller. Bringing the present into the setting with the voice-over from the director,the writers display great care in making the dialogue hold of double meaning,as the deliciously kitsch appearance is torn by the claws of Krampus to reveal an X-Mas Horror in a league of gentlemen of its own.
This ain't Charlie Brown's Christmas
safenoe17 December 2020
I never saw the twist ending coming that's for sure. When I saw this, it reminded me of the underrated Rob Brydon's Directors Commentary. Anyway, I loved the cheesy 70s production values and the "behind the scenes" of this season 3 opener. I wouldn't necessarily put in the league of famous Christmas movies such as Die Hard and Home Alone, as Inside No 9 is in its own class.
Rather silly
Leofwine_draca29 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I wasn't really a fan of this one although I love the same source material that the guys here were referencing. Give me a cheesy '70s flick and I'd be in heaven. But this just feels self-conscious and the fourth wall breaking is quite annoying. This 30 minute horror certainly looks the part and the attention to detail is fun, but I found it got on my nerves a bit after a while and the twist ending is rather silly.
One of my two or three top episodes of the first four seasons
eppingdrwho30 January 2020
This is a standout episode is an already great series. The script is witty, watertight and delivers a great ending. The cast are perfect and each deliver performances to move this to another level. The tacky kitsch 70s colouring of the camera work is visually stunning and the whole ethos makes it feel as though it was produced and filmed in the 1970s. It has the feel of an episode of Doctor Who or Children of the Stones to it. Perfection!
Snuff and Nonsense
southdavid26 July 2021
Originally arriving as a Christmas special back in 2016, "The Devil of Christmas" is another wonderful dive into horror, but with the trademark wit and invention that we'd come to appreciate from Shearsmith and Pemberton.
The director of a 1970's horror movie (Derek Jacobi) recounts the events of the shoot in the style of a DVD commentary. The movie shows Julian (Steve Pemberton) arrive at a Swiss Chalet for a holiday with his mother Celia (Rula Lenska), son Toby (George Bedford) and his second wife Kathy (Jessica Raine). Kathy is struggling to fill the gap left in Toby's life by the absence of his mother, and Celia's disapproval is not well hidden. Their holiday starts to take on a more sinister turn, when Klaus (Reece Shearsmith) explains the story of the Krampus, a creature that kidnaps naughty children around Christmas.
It's a very meta twist that comes in this episode, as the nature of what we're seeing becomes clear. The 70's aspect of the show is wonderfully authentic, with (according to the trivia section) genuine cameras and film stock used to create those particular colour hues. The performances are really good, even the ones that work on a couple of levels, with George Bedford giving a good turn as a bad child actor, for example. I watched all the episodes of both "Beasts" and "Hammer House of Horror" last year, and enjoyed the fact that the in-show movie was reminiscent of those.
It perhaps suffers a bit on a second viewing if you remember what happens in the final scenes, as it renders much of what you've seen before a little redundant, but it's increasingly horrific the more that you think about it and consider the normality and organisation of it.
A great episode, and one of the more memorable.
The director of a 1970's horror movie (Derek Jacobi) recounts the events of the shoot in the style of a DVD commentary. The movie shows Julian (Steve Pemberton) arrive at a Swiss Chalet for a holiday with his mother Celia (Rula Lenska), son Toby (George Bedford) and his second wife Kathy (Jessica Raine). Kathy is struggling to fill the gap left in Toby's life by the absence of his mother, and Celia's disapproval is not well hidden. Their holiday starts to take on a more sinister turn, when Klaus (Reece Shearsmith) explains the story of the Krampus, a creature that kidnaps naughty children around Christmas.
It's a very meta twist that comes in this episode, as the nature of what we're seeing becomes clear. The 70's aspect of the show is wonderfully authentic, with (according to the trivia section) genuine cameras and film stock used to create those particular colour hues. The performances are really good, even the ones that work on a couple of levels, with George Bedford giving a good turn as a bad child actor, for example. I watched all the episodes of both "Beasts" and "Hammer House of Horror" last year, and enjoyed the fact that the in-show movie was reminiscent of those.
It perhaps suffers a bit on a second viewing if you remember what happens in the final scenes, as it renders much of what you've seen before a little redundant, but it's increasingly horrific the more that you think about it and consider the normality and organisation of it.
A great episode, and one of the more memorable.
Fantastic piece of cinema
kearneyjoe-3070924 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This was one of the first episodes of Inside No. 9 that I watched, and having watched many more, I am very familiar with how they hold the twists until a crucial moment (normally the end). I'm glad this was one of the first ones I watched, as the twist is truly spine-tingling.
For the first 26 minutes, you are sucked into this cheesy 70s soft horror - deliberately burlesque acting, very mild horror, and very low-budget scenery, as the director, Denis, points out as it goes along. It's only when you venture into the last 2 minutes that everything becomes apparent. At least in my case, you're so fixated on finding out who Krampus is and when (warning: spoilers) the planned murder and affair are revealed, you feel a mild catharsis, and the next scene '18B' doesn't immediately raise any eyebrows.
Then, at the same time as the female protagonist, you find out it's a snuff film, and you, as the viewer, feel misled and tricked, just as she was. I must say, horror doesn't usually leave me gobsmacked; I enjoy the thrill of being put on edge, waiting for the climax. However, seeing the would-be murderer unleash that machete, I could feel my heart in my mouth! The juxtaposition of the two states she was in was perfect, and as the machete is brandished over her, helpless and chained to the bed, you feel physically wronged by this depraved snuff film and for having ever enjoyed the first 26 minutes of what you initially thought was a cheesy Christmas family horror.
It is only then you find out Denis (whose younger self is featured in the film) is being interrogated by the police, and he very warmly reminisces on seeing that poor young woman being killed in the cruellest way possible. Bravo, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith! You have left me with severe merinthophobia!
(Just kidding)
For the first 26 minutes, you are sucked into this cheesy 70s soft horror - deliberately burlesque acting, very mild horror, and very low-budget scenery, as the director, Denis, points out as it goes along. It's only when you venture into the last 2 minutes that everything becomes apparent. At least in my case, you're so fixated on finding out who Krampus is and when (warning: spoilers) the planned murder and affair are revealed, you feel a mild catharsis, and the next scene '18B' doesn't immediately raise any eyebrows.
Then, at the same time as the female protagonist, you find out it's a snuff film, and you, as the viewer, feel misled and tricked, just as she was. I must say, horror doesn't usually leave me gobsmacked; I enjoy the thrill of being put on edge, waiting for the climax. However, seeing the would-be murderer unleash that machete, I could feel my heart in my mouth! The juxtaposition of the two states she was in was perfect, and as the machete is brandished over her, helpless and chained to the bed, you feel physically wronged by this depraved snuff film and for having ever enjoyed the first 26 minutes of what you initially thought was a cheesy Christmas family horror.
It is only then you find out Denis (whose younger self is featured in the film) is being interrogated by the police, and he very warmly reminisces on seeing that poor young woman being killed in the cruellest way possible. Bravo, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith! You have left me with severe merinthophobia!
(Just kidding)
Christmas time, Hammer time
srrrrdjw20 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This is a really well done homage to 70s / 80s television. In Bernie Clifton's Dressing Room they tackled theater, in Misdirection magic, and here it's a number of influences, but all of them vintage home entertainment, such as Hammer House of Horror. Everything down to the aspect ratio and color contrast is designed to replicate the feel of VHS comfort (maybe betamax).
There is a premise for the story and a premise for the episode as the whole. You're introduced to a director as he's interviewed while watching a made-for-television Christmas special (it's Krampus themed, more specifically) that he made. There are notes of sadness and regret, which makes you think something awful is going to happen in the process of the film's production.
And the production is truly awful. Wonderfully awful. It doesn't call for much reflection, but they did a masterful job creating this terrible, fictional holiday special. And the director muses about the most technical and irrelevant details he encountered during production. If you really want to avoid spoilers, skip the rest of this review for now.
The premise of the episode is that a snuff film director is being interviewed by authorities while watching an uncut snuff film he made and seems to have no regrets over. It's a fantastic idea and truly shocking. The reasons for this are, in my opinion, that it's outrageous, the whole thing is so elaborate, and by only using the voice of the director it requires you to just watch the story and try to stay with it.
Certainly, this will not go down as the best Christmas-themed Inside No 9 but it is fantastic and a gruesome idea executed with style.
There is a premise for the story and a premise for the episode as the whole. You're introduced to a director as he's interviewed while watching a made-for-television Christmas special (it's Krampus themed, more specifically) that he made. There are notes of sadness and regret, which makes you think something awful is going to happen in the process of the film's production.
And the production is truly awful. Wonderfully awful. It doesn't call for much reflection, but they did a masterful job creating this terrible, fictional holiday special. And the director muses about the most technical and irrelevant details he encountered during production. If you really want to avoid spoilers, skip the rest of this review for now.
The premise of the episode is that a snuff film director is being interviewed by authorities while watching an uncut snuff film he made and seems to have no regrets over. It's a fantastic idea and truly shocking. The reasons for this are, in my opinion, that it's outrageous, the whole thing is so elaborate, and by only using the voice of the director it requires you to just watch the story and try to stay with it.
Certainly, this will not go down as the best Christmas-themed Inside No 9 but it is fantastic and a gruesome idea executed with style.
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