Film Review: UNHOLY NIGHT: This Entertaining Horror Movie Set on Christmas Eve Offers Wild Scenarios [Fantasia 2026]

Unholy Night Review

Unholy Night (2026) Film Review from the 30th Annual Fantasia Film Festival, a movie written and directed by Michael Gabriele and starring Marc Bendavid, Shailene Garnett, Alissa Mahar, Morgan Saunders, Ellen David, Toni Ellwand, John Ghiz, Ron Lea, David Light, Celia Owen, Joe Pingue, Graham Putnam, Olivier Renaud, Jacqueline Robbins, Cristina Rosato, Al Sapienza, Frank Spadone and Danielle M. Vinard.

Filmmaker Michael Gabriele’s Unholy Night gives off a 1980’s horror movie vibe with its cheesy special effects and wild, cleverly conceived scary movie scenarios. Taking place on Christmas Eve, it’s a tale of survival for several key members of an Italian family who have gathered at a home for dinner. Marc Bendavid plays Gino, the lead character, an every day guy who is explaining his mundane day at work selling paint to family members before the family heads to the kitchen where they find Nonna (Jacqueline Robbins) back from the dead and boiling water by the stove for a very specific purpose.

This movie introduces an old friend of Gino’s, Rene (Shailene Garnett), who comes back into the movie as one would have suspected after she shows up at Gino’s front door right at the start of the movie. It’s easy to admire the horror film’s basic premise which is kind of ingenious in the way it sets the family together fighting family zombies on the day right before Christmas.

Several performances standout such as Jacqueline Robbins’ Nonna who could give the grandmother from the new Evil Dead movie a run for her money with her creepy style to spare on-screen. Joe Pingue’s Grandpa Nazario is also appropriately created for the genre and the movie has a great time by pitting Gino and company against formidable demonic forces on what is supposed to be the most peaceful night of the year.

Garnett and Bendavid’s performances work individually, but never feel like they gel enough to believe their on-screen chemistry. Maybe there’s just too many creepy things going on for the movie to establish anything believable in terms of the character development. Those effects used to bring the zombies to life aren’t going to win any Oscars, but they’re appropriate for the genre and have an old school style that rises this movie above similarly crafted movies.

Of course, one of the young women in the rather large family the film features turns out to be pregnant so that helps keep the movie thrusting forward with tension. Also, a key older child in the movie gets possessed at one point which will keep viewers on the edge of their seats if they find themselves drawn to this type of horror movie. There’s definitely an audience for this type of horror film, judging from the passable box-office returns for the latest Evil Dead movie and this one isn’t as mean-spirited as that one so it has quite a few respectable qualities for a genre picture.

Unholy Night has fun with its premise as a key demonic character is tossed down the stairs at one point. Credit Gabriele for the clever use of horror movie cliches in a way that makes the film feel fresher than it has any right to feel. The viewer will be too busy intentionally smiling in spots to notice that many elements of this movie have been done already in previous horror movies. The likable cast of characters keeps the action moving steadily and there are a number of freaky images that will gel with horror fans, such as the grisly appearances of the dead family members who are now zombies.

Consider this movie The Italians of horror pictures. It does make the characters occasionally feel stereotypical, but there are a lot of pluses in the way the film navigates the house and makes each of its main characters very distinct. It’s also to filmmaker Gabriele’s credit that some of this actually works really well, yet it’s also his fault that some of it feels like it’s an attempt to get back at some of his own real-life relatives. That hasn’t been verified, but it feels like the case thanks to the way the movie unfolds with strategically placed mundane conversations that fit into the material like a glove and set off the mayhem that follows.

There will be detractors of Unholy Night who will say that the movie is too wild and too uneven. Those qualities didn’t affect my enjoyment of it. Though there are easy to spot flaws, much of Unholy Night is wildly creative and the movie has sequel possibilities should it be a minor success. Of course, taking shots at dead family members and their abilities to crash Christmas Eve dinner may feel like it’s in bad taste, but that’s probably the point of it all. It’s a close call, but it’s a slight pass for this well-conceived little horror picture.

Rating: 7/10

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