Hey, killers! Great job surviving to Thursday, the weekend is creeping around the corner. Keep up the good work, you are killing it out there.

It’s a Wonderful Knife (2023)- Review

Warning, this review may contain spoilers!

It’s a Wonderful Knife is a Canadian Christmas slasher directed by Tyler MacIntyre (V/H/S 99). The story opens by introducing Angel Falls, a perfect Christmas town, and Henry Waters (Justin Long), the sleazy Mayor-elect. Soon after we meet our lead, Winnie Carruthers (Jane Widdop) who attends a high school party and is quickly faced with an Angel-dressed killer. Some slashing ensures, but Winnie ultimately kills the Angel before discovering it is none other than, Henry Waters. The story fast-forwards a year to showcase a town that has moved on from that tragic night, but for Winnie, it is much the opposite. In dramatic teenage fashion, she ‘innocently’ wishes her undoing while under a strange aura in the sky. This wish is unknowingly granted and Winnie finds herself in a reality where now (Mayor) Henry Waters controls Angel Falls by using his killer Angel identity to kill anyone in his way. Winnie then realizes she not only has to survive the Angel once again but also find a way back to her reality.

Now it’s time for my analysis. At first glance, It’s a Wonderful Knife appeared as an addition to the recent comedic time-bending slasher trend, and to no surprise… that is exactly what it is. The time-traveling story is extremely similar to Happy Death Day (2017), Freaky (2020), and Totally Killer (2023) except with a Christmas twist. Yet, the visuals have soft and cool tones giving it a sleek modern look that deflates the Christmas spirit. Winnie and her friend Bernie (Jess McLeod) were decent characters, but I especially loved Justin Long playing the sleazy Henry Waters. Additionally, the Angel had an impressive costume that made him look like a badass killer. Other notables are that the kills and gore were mediocre and limited, and there was an overly queer vibe throughout. So much so, that I could even imagine some of the LGBTQ+ community accusing it of Rainbow Washing.

Overall, I did enjoy watching this film, but its rich wokeness and lack of horror elements make it forgettable. Had there been more carnage or Christmas involvement, then I would revisit it, but without those two, I’m out on a rewatch. I hope you find more to enjoy in it than I did.

Scream 7- Update

Scream 7, the next film in the newest trilogy was scheduled to release in 2025. However, recent drama has come forward that will not only delay the project but halt production. On November 21, Scream’s production studio, Spyglass, fired lead actress Melissa Barrera for reportedly supporting Palestine and criticizing Israel in the wake of the recent Hamas attacks. Barrera played the final girl, Sam Carpenter, in Scream (2022) and Scream VI (2023). On the same day, fellow lead Jenna Ortega reportedly left the project because of pay disputes with Spyglass. She also starred in the two recent Scream films but her newest Netflix project Wednesday (2023) has taken her career to new heights. This is a very similar situation to Scream’s legendary Neve Campbell who also left over pay disputes in 2021.

Takeaway: Spyglass refuses to negotiate its prices with even its biggest stars. The recent events leave a Scream 7 project with no leads which means they will likely have to cancel the current trilogy, rewrite, recast, and move forward. Will they come to their senses and spend to bring back Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott, or will they start from scratch once more? Regardless of what Spyglass decides, we sadly won’t see Scream 7 anytime soon.

Weekend Watch

Thank you for being a part of TTN! I hope you enjoyed this week’s edition and hope you have one hell of a weekend planned. I’ll see you next Thursday, and in the meantime, you should check out…

Don Coscarelli’s Phantasm (1979)