Will Ferrell's Elf has succeeded in becoming a holiday tradition for many people over the last few years, but a new trailer makes us wonder if the movie isn't more suited for Halloween. With the right scenes and the right music, a ridiculous comedy can come across as a psychological thriller. Here's what Elf would look like as a horror movie.
Along with classics like It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story, Elf has become of the more recent "go to" movies for movie fans at Christmas. It tells the story of a human child who ends up being taken to the North Pole and raised as an Elf in Santa's workshop. Upon learning the truth, Buddy travels back to his home to rejoin his real family. It's a fairly standard fish out of water story as the elf tries to learn what it means to be a normal person again. However, there's an argument to be made that Buddy has been psychologically scared by the entire experience. Maybe he's actually lost his mind.
The horror version of Elf created by Cinefix posits that Buddy is completely unhinged and the fact that he believes himself to be an elf is just proof that he's a danger to himself or others. It just goes to show how important tone is to a movie. If the exact same plot was written as a dramatic film rather than a comedy this is pretty much how it would come across. There probably is a Christmas themed horror movie out there someplace that has a plot like this.
Needless to say, the actual trailer for Elf is much sillier. The music is much brighter and happier and the only thing that's only mildly scary is an over violent raccoon.
As I'm not nearly as big a fan of Elf as many are I think I'd like to see the horror version of the story that's being presented here. While the original is silly fun, there feels like there's something deeper here. It can still be a Christmas movie with a happy ending, but dealing with a son with serious mental issues, who could potentially harm you is a much more involved emotional journey.
Are you ready to make the horror version of Elf a Christmas tradition? Let us know in the comments below.
