Holidanger - Violent Night (2022)

Welcome to another episode of Death Don’t Do Fiction, the AIPT Movies podcast! The podcast about the enduring legacy of our favorite movies! It’s December, so that means it’s time for our “Holidanger” series, where we cover holiday movies that put lives on the line! In this week’s episode, Alex, Tim, and returning guest K-Tron discuss the movie that’s effectively Die Hard but John McClane is Santa Claus, 2022’s Violent Night! Low-stakes parkour! Confrontational gift opening! a teenager named Bertrude! Die Hard 2 references! A snowmobile chase! Checkov's nutcrackers! Santa magic! Santa's thoughts on children swearing! Bickering with reindeer! Making fun of Mark Wahlberg! Impeccable action from the production team that brought you John Wick, The Fall Guy, and Nobody! Colorful villains and henchmen! Themes of greed, classism, and believing in others! A mini, R-rated Home Alone movie! Slasher movie-level kill scenes! Weaponized Christmas decorations and a deadly candy cane! David Harbour as a disturbingly hot Santa Claus, Beverly D'Angelo as a foulmouthed grandma, and John Leguizamo as the Christmas-hating villain! All that and more in this bloody action movie with sweet, holiday vibes that may be a new Holidanger classic for the whole family! Santa Claus is coming to town! In addition, K-Tron talks about the wonders of Christmas noirs like 1961’s Blast of Silence and 1947’s Lady in the Lake, while Alex shares his spoiler-free thoughts on Die My Love, Bugonia, 1984’s This Is Spinal Tap, and Lucio Fulci’s bizarre trip into action sci-fi, Warriors of the Year 2072 (aka, The New Gladiators)! You can find Death Don’t Do Fiction on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. As always, if you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave us a positive rating, subscribe to the show, and tell your friends! The Death Don’t Do Fiction podcast brings you the latest in movie news, reviews, and more! Hosted by supposed “industry vets,” Alex Harris and Tim Gardiner, the show gives you a peek behind the scenes from two filmmakers with oddly nonexistent filmographies. You can find Alex on Twitter, Bluesky, or Letterboxd @actionharris. You can follow K-Tron on Letterboxd @puddingtaco. Tim can’t be found on social media because he doesn’t exist. If you have any questions or suggestions for the Death Don’t Do Fiction crew, they can be reached at [email protected], or you can find them on Twitter or Instagram @aiptmoviespod. Theme song is “We Got it Goin On” by Cobra Man.