Two condensed reviews (no spoilers, not click-bait); has LGBTQ+ characters
Both critics saw the film at the Beyond Fest film festival. Their full reviews spoil much of the film, as most film reviews do nowadays:
IT’S A WONDERFUL KNIFE
https://www.nightmarishconjurings.com/2023/10/10/its-a-wonderful-knife-review/
“A year after saving her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve, Winnie Carruthers’ life is less than wonderful — but when she wishes she’d never been born, she finds herself in a nightmare parallel universe and discovers that without her, things could be much, much worse. Now the killer is back, and she must team up with the town misfit to identify the killer and get back to her reality.”
At a trim 87 minutes, IT’S A WONDERFUL KNIFE gets to the point quickly. It stars the able cast of Jane Widdop, Jess McLeod, Joel McHale, Katharine Isabelle, William B. Davis, and Justin Long. It’s super cool to see some of these terrific and personable actors show different aspects of their talent and to have such remarkable acceptance of LGBTQ+ characters as part of the narrative...
IT’S A WONDERFUL KNIFE is a wonderfully constructed and executed holiday horror film. It doesn’t have the sleazy character of some of the classics from the 70s and 80s, but it riffs on many of the basic structures of slashers of the past and brings the format more into the present day, particularly with the use of alternate dimensions and LGBTQ+ representation. It doesn’t need to be an 80s pastiche; it is a fully realized creation of its time, complete with its particular brand of humor.
It will be released only in theaters across the country on November 10th. The film will stream on Shudder at a later date.
A Warm And Cozy Christmas Slasher: 7.5 out of 10
https://www.slashfilm.com/1417582/its-a-wonderful-knife-review/
OCT. 11, 2023
"It's A Wonderful Knife" is a warm and fuzzy Christmas slasher that re-imagines "It's A Wonderful Life" in a head-on collision with "Scream." ... Imagine a Hallmark holiday special that's hacked to bits by a psychotic killer, more along the lesson-teaching lines of "Krampus" than the repulsive(ly entertaining) violence in "Silent Night."
..."It's A Wonderful Knife" refuses to become another Christmas horror movie that's a brash take down of everything holly and jolly, allowing horror fans to cherish life instead of cheering for its end... a meta-parody of family channel hallmarks without losing their soothing sincerity. "It's A Wonderful Knife" might make its points with steel blades, but that doesn't negate the saccharine earnestness that assures this one as a new Christmas horror favorite with a heart three sizes bigger than you'd expect.