Remember in October when I posted about seasonal horror movies? Well, I left out the king daddy of scary Christmas movies. "A Christmas Carol." That's right folks, Charles Dickens's classic holiday tale is also a classic horror/ghost story. Let's examine.
Okay, so you've got your main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, somewhat of a villain himself. Classic horror move, the most appealing character is the most disturbing one. The serial killer, the head of the cult, the cannibal, whomever is playing on our fears in whatever movie we happen to be watching. And who's scarier than a slave driver boss?
So we've established that the guy is pretty evil, or at least a giant jerk. Now this is where it gets good. We are then treated to a glimpse of his own private Hell. Each of the spirits Scrooge is visited by drive him further into torment. His old partner, Jacob Marley, being the warning to Scrooge (a cliche' of early horror). And then the descent begins.
In Christmas past Ebenezer is shown the good old days, a glimpse of the way things used to be and sees the happiness he could have if he had made the right decisions. My guess is that's too familiar to a lot of us.
Christmas present is perhaps the scariest part of all. Scrooge is forced to take a look at his life as it actually is. Not clouded by his own opinions or misconceptions but reality for its own sake. Many of us try to escape reality on a regular basis, and those who think they live in and understand reality are largely kidding themselves. When reality hits, it can be scary as hell.
And then, of course the ghost of Christmas future shows him what will assuredly happen if Eb (that's right, called him Eb) continues his ways. And, get this, most filmed versions of this tale use the Grim Reaper himself to represent this character. Awesome. Also quite appropriate as death is exactly what we're dealing with here, it is the bleakest part of the tale. Any gothic horror/ghost story worth its salt is dark and depressing in the third act and "A Christmas Carol" is no different. Oh, and they kill the kid-which is still a no-no even today. Dickens was ahead of his time here.
Adding to the horror aspect of this work is the possibility that this is all actually happening. Sure, Scrooge awakens from tormented sleep throughout the tale, but if we're talking about the supernatural here...well that's how it works. It is my understanding that when God reveals himself through visions they often happen during dreams. Most alien encounter stories (if one believes in that sort of thing) happen at night, many people claim to have been contacted in their sleep. So it's not completely out of the question. The other possibility is that ol' Eb is actually going insane, which is a delicious alternative for the horror fan to think about.
As we all know, the story turns out all right with Scrooge gaining back his love of people and Christmas, being given a second chance on life and love. You know, like the one camper who survives...
Anyway, the happy ending to this sort of movie was commonplace up until the mid-late 1960's, and certainly was expected back in Dickens's day. Most people, however fixate on this as being the point of the story, to keep Christmas and the love and charity it brings in your heart year round. WRONG. It is a warning about getting lost in your own wants and desires and what can happen to those who do. It also features the most evil villain in all the world, the human mind.
So yes, enjoy "A Christmas Carol" this year. It's okay to get the warm fuzzies at the end, that's certainly a part of the experience, the relief after the tension. Just remember that there is another side to this story, if you choose to see it.
Just in case you're wondering, my favorite version is the 1951 version starring Alistair Sim. His commitment to the role is total, and the Christmas morning giddiness he displays is unequaled in all filmdom. The movie suffers a bit from the techniques of the time, and the fact that the original masters have had some wear to them, but Sim's portrayal of Scrooge is one of the true great performances and makes up for any other shortcomings the film may have. Makes George C. Scott look like an amateur, not to say that Scott's portrayal is bad, but it doesn't touch this one. No one else can either. Well, maybe Scrooge McDuck from 'Mickey's Christmas Carol", but that's it.
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