IT’S A Wonderful Knife is a camp Christmas slasher that reimagines a cinematic festive favourite with all the flourish of a blunt blade slicing through roast chestnuts.
In short, it definitely could use some sharpening.
In fairness, Winnie Carruthers (Jane Widdop) is no George Bailey, and this turkey of a Yuletide horror-comedy isn’t a patch on Frank Capra’s 1964 classic, It’s A Wonderful Life.
New to Shudder, It’s A Wonderful Knife is far from wonderful despite moments of mildly entertaining seasonal revelry. But look, I have seen worse, and its heart is clearly in the right place.
In a desperate James Stewart twist of fate, she wishes she’d never been born and finds herself in a nightmare universe. In this parallel Scooby Doo existence, Winnie discovers that, without her, life could be much worse for those she loves, giving her new purpose.
The killer is still at large in this Wes Craven-esque world and she must team up with town misfit Bernie (Jess McLeod) to put an end to the murder spree and get back to her own reality.
Sadly, the gags fall flat on their face, the characters are all teeth and glee but bring about as much pizzazz to the party as a parish priest at a swinger’s night.
It’s all very chipper but it lacks surprises, and turns out to be overly generic with few scares or anything exciting to leave under the tree. The cheesy love story at the centre of the film gives proceedings a certain festive warmth, but if you are looking for a Gremlins or Krampus edge, you have most certainly come to the wrong place.
This turkey is cold!
(2/5)
