5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Girl Authority
Horror With a Side of Cheese: THE KILLING TREE
Hello, horror lovers! I am back to dish up a fondue pot full of cheesy goodness with a new edition of Horror With a Side of Cheese! If you are new to the column, I'm hunting for the cheesiest horror movies to grace the genre. Every month, on the first and third Fridays, I talk about my latest find. I rate each film on a scale of one to five cheese slices. Several factors go into the rating, including story, acting, dialogue, effects and re-watchability. In this edition, I dive into the 2022 film, The Killing Tree . Stick around to find out how many cheese slices this film gets. About The Killing Tree
A widow is desperate to resurrect her criminal husband, who was executed for his crimes. On Christmas Eve, she attempts a spell to grant her wish. He is brought back to life but encounters a tiny issue; his soul goes into a Christmas tree. Now, with lights twinkling and ornaments shining, the killer tree goes after the person he blames for his execution.
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The Killing Tree stars Marcus Massey, Sarah Alexandra Marks, Kelly Rian Sanson, Judy Tcherniak and Sarah T. Cohen. The story is by Craig McLearie, and the director is Rhys Frake-Waterfield. Runtime is one hour and 13 minutes.
This film has a 17 percent Tomatometer score and no Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Fun fact: This movie was previously known as Demonic Christmas Tree . My Thoughts
The bad guy is a decorated Christmas tree! Lights, garland, baubles, the works. Before considering anything else, this has to be one of the cheesiest horror movies I've had the pleasure of viewing. Take a moment to imagine it, a literal tree shuffling around, killing people. Only one word comes to mind: epic.
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While there are many potential talking points with The Killing Tree, I want to start with the effects. In particular, I want to address the tree itself. Multiple mediums are utilized throughout the film to create the titular villain. In some scenes, the tree is entirely CGI; others feature a regular store-bought Christmas tree. My favorite, however, is the scenes where the tree is a person in a suit. One such moment sent me into a fit of giggles. Our villain falls over, and you can see the legs of the person inside the costume. Surprisingly, the CGI is decent.
The next topic I want to talk about is the story itself. On the surface, it is basic and straightforward. A criminal is executed, and his wife uses magic on his ashes to reincarnate him. The only difference is, instead of his soul ending up in a doll, cookie or snowman, it goes into a Christmas tree. The ending is unique, but I won't go into details and risk spoilers. I will say that I felt it was a cop-out.
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Moving on from the story, the dialogue is what I expected, possibly worse. For example, there is a moment when the tree talks about being born in the woods; however, an earlier scene shows the pine needles are fake. Perhaps that changed when the killer's soul entered the plastic.
The acting is so cheesy it belongs on a charcuterie board. Full stop. Between the overacting and ridiculous lines, it is wild. Even the screaming is underwhelming and on the cheesy side.
Finally, re-watchability: 10/10. I will watch The Killing Tree again. I am not a fan of many holiday horror movies, especially the cheesier ones. This one, however, is ooey gooey cheesy goodness.
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Overall, The Killing Tree gets 4.5 cheese slices. I almost gave it a full five, but I did not love the end, which knocked it down a half point. Otherwise, it is an excellent cheesy horror. There is a scene in the woods you do not want to miss!
There you have it, horror fans, another cheesy horror in the books. Take a look at the trailer for this film below, and let me know what you think in the comments. Also, tell me which movie I need to add to my list.
Until next time, stay spooky, stay cheesy, and most importantly, watch more horror movies.
