Do you like black comedies? Because wow, do I.
From movies like Knives Out to Fargo to everything else in-between, black comedies have been one of my favorite subgenres of comedy to dive into on a day where I just need a twisted laugh. Some of us have those moments, and honestly, another subgenre of dark comedy that I like is dark Christmas comedy.
From an unconventional Santa Claus like Bad Santa to Office Christmas Party to so much more, there’s just something about the purest time of year somehow being twisted and turned into a bloody mess. Maybe that’s why I like the Christmas horror movie, Krampus, so much. Either way, another addition to that genre is coming this year, and that my friends, is Violent Night, starring David Harbour.
But, who else is going to be in this black comedy thriller? And, who is going to be directing? For all the things you want to know, we have some quick answers you'll want to see.
Violent Night Is Set To Release On December 2
Mark this down on your 2022 movie release schedule, because Violent Night is scheduled to come out on December 2nd, 2022, near the start of the Christmas season, according to Deadline.
Thankfully, there isn’t anything else major coming out that weekend that will be in direct competition with the black comedy, so I have a feeling that Violent Night actually might have a good showing in theaters, considering this is the same month when Avatar: The Way of Water, Damien Chazelle’s Babylon film, and Empire of Light release, so it’s going to be a packed month full of movies.
David Harbour Will Lead The Cast
As reported in the intro, and confirmed again in the Deadline article, David Harbour is set to star in this film as the man, the myth, the legend himself, Santa Claus – except in a twisted way, but we’ll get into that in a little bit.
Harbour himself has been having a heck of a time lately, with several huge releases under his belt. In 2022, he celebrated the release of Season 4 of Stranger Things, a show that has already broken tons of records and was nominated for several Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2021, he was a part of the Black Widow cast, playing the Red Guardian, Alexei, adoptive father to Natasha Romanoff, a role he is set to reprise in Thunderbolts in 2024.
It’s certainly going to be an eventful couple of years for Harbour as Stranger Things Season 5 gets underway and he starts working on his next Marvel appearance, but Violent Night is the kick-off to that – and honestly, I can’t wait to see his version of Santa Claus. It’s about to be badass.
Edi Patterson, Cam Gigandet, And Several Others Also Star
Besides Harbour starring in this comedically thrilling Christmas film, there are several other stars who have signed on to the dark holiday comedy. According to Deadline, both Edi Patterson and Cam Gigandet are signed on for the upcoming movie. And, that article also mentioned several other cast members, who include John Leguizamo, Beverly D’Angelo, Alex Hassell, and Alexis Louder.
This cast is full of stars that have been busy on both television and movies lately. Patterson is currently starring in the HBO series, The Righteous Gemstones. Gigandet was most recently in Without Remorse, Last Shoot Out, and 9 Bullets. Leguizamo is set to appear in the film, The Menu, in 2022, and was also a part of the Encanto voice cast.
D’Angelo was recently in Wakefield in 2017, and The Unicorn in 2018. Alex Hassell appeared in the Apple TV+ original movie, The Tragedy of Macbeth, and Alexis Louder was in The Tomorrow War and Copshop. This will be a cast of characters that is stacked with talent.
The Film Will Tell A Story About Santa Claus Beating Down Mercenaries
In the Deadline article about the casting of the movie, we also get a bit of a look into what Violent Night is going to be about. Obviously a play on the classic Christmas song, “Silent Night,” the film is about a group of mercenaries who are intent on breaking into the home of a rich family and then hold everyone in there hostage.
But, what they don’t know is that Santa Claus is there at the same time they break in. And, he isn’t your jolly kind of man. Nah, he will tear you to pieces.
That’s right. Violent Night is literally about Santa Claus tearing into mercenaries and taking them out as they invade a family's home. I mean, talk about the perfect role for Harbour, and something that I can’t wait to see happen on screen.
Tommy Wirkola Directed The Feature
As previously reported by Deadline, Tommy Wirkola directed Violent Night, someone who has had experience in turning classic tales into new, modern, scary stories. A familiar example I can think of for many movie fans would be Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters.
Wirkola is also experienced in making fun films with plenty of fight scenes, such as Dead Snow, or The Trip, so I have a feeling that this film is in good hands.
Pat Casey And Josh Miller Wrote Violent Night
Lastly, we'll be talking about the screenplay, as that has been written by Pat Casey and Josh Miller. The two have previously worked together on several films as writers, including Shotgun Wedding, Transylmania, and most recently, both of Sonic the Hedgehog films, bringing the beloved video game character to life.
It’s super exciting to see that they're working on this different take on another version of Santa Claus. We’ve seen so much of the famed man, from Tim Allen’s version in The Santa Clause franchise (which is getting a TV series continuation this year), to Kurt Russell in The Christmas Chronicles movies, but this one has me the most excited.
Who knows, we just might end up liking this version of Santa more than any other. It’s hard not to like David Harbour, but only time will tell.
Violent Night comes out at the very beginning of December, just in time for the holiday season, so it’s time for us to mark the days until its release. I can’t wait. Can you?
