5 Indie Holiday Horror Films with the Perfect Whiskey Pairings

Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022) with Shelter Single Barrel Blue Corn Bourbon
Written & Directed by Joe Begos
Starring: Riley Dandy, Sam Delich, Jeremy Gardner, Jeff Daniel Phillips

One of my favorite indie filmmakers, Joe Begos always presents a load of grungy style to go along with practical effects and characters that you often love to despise. In Christmas Bloody Christmas, Begos goes for an expletive laden, Linklater-esque walk and talk kind of holiday horror, building character relationships that you really believe and eventually really care about, making it all the more ho-ho-horrific when robot Santa begins his rampage on the ragtag group.

While the film is set in a snowy winter wonderland, most of filming was done in Placerville, California, snuggled in the Sierra Nevada mountains. For this reason, I feel that the film is perfectly paired with Shelter Single Barrel Blue Corn Bourbon, as Shelter Distilling is located in Mammoth Lakes, utilizing water from the snowcaps of the Sierra Nevada’s.

Shelter Single Barrel Blue Corn Bourbon is a clean, classic bourbon with a chalky aroma on the nose, along with peach and mint, and mellow fruit sugar and the sweetness of honey and stevia on the palate, with a pleasant but quick finish. The bourbon is the perfect palate cleanser for Begos’ dirty, violent Christmas robot massacre.

The Sacrifice Game (2023) with Savage & Cooke Cask Finished Rye Whiskey
Directed by Jenn Wexler
Written by Jenn Wexler & Sean Redlitz
Starring: Mena Massoud, Olivia Scott Welch, Georgia Acken, Chloe Levine, Madison Baines

Jenn Wexler has a great grasp of portraying groups of young ne’er-do-wells, starting with her 2018 slasher The Ranger, and continuing with her newest Shudder release, The Sacrifice Game. There’s always a bit of punk in Wexler’s creations, even when set in a girl’s school in the 70s, and with The Sacrifice Game, it isn’t just the small Manson-esque cult that exudes the rebel aesthetic, but the two young girls stuck at boarding school over Christmas break who bravely band together to survive one frightful night.

While searching for the key to unlock the ultimate power of a demonic entity, the murderous group captures the kind of allure and misguided violence that could easily be overlooked as overly referential, but in the hands of Wexler and her standout cast of killers, the film instead veers into a more riotous, while still completely dark, arena of surprise kills and a twist that, while not surprising, is definitely fun. The backdrop of the Christmas season is not a key aspect to the story, but the snowy weather and holiday doldrums makes this a must-see this time of year.

A nice pairing with this fairly mellow (for me at least) horror ride is Savage & Cooke Cask Finished Rye Whiskey. Out of Napa Valley and owned by winemaker Dave Phinney, Savage & Cooke Cask Finished Rye is aged for about two months in Grenache barrels from Phinney’s wine supply. I’d like to think this mellow but tasty Rye is the exact kind of whiskey a low-key demon would enjoy in the basement of a boarding school. With a hue the color of a burnt orange sunset, the whiskey gives a subtle nose of green apple and walnut, with a palate that bursts with citrus, bitter greens, and cereal grains, with the slightest sugar cane notes that offer a balance to the moderate heat.

Want to mix a cocktail for the viewing party? Savage & Cooke provided a delicious cocktail recipe for just the occasion!!

MARE ISLAND CHERRY SMASH

3 Muddled Cherries

1 oz Savage & Cooke Bourbon

1 oz Amaretto Liqueur

3/4 oz Lemon Juice

3/4 oz Chai Tea Syrup

DIRECTIONS: Muddle cherries in a shaker. Then combine fresh lemon juice, Chai Tea Syrup, Savage & Cooke Bourbon and Amaretto Liqueur into the shaker and fill it with ice. Shake vigorously for 8 to 12 seconds. Strain into an Old-Fashioned glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a cherry and/or lemon peel.

Random Acts of Violence (2019) & Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch C921
Directed by Jay Baruchel
Written by Jay Baruchel & Jesse Chabot
Starring: Jesse Williams, Jordana Brewster, Jay Baruchel, Simon Northwood

Elijah Craig is a well-known name in whiskey, with strong brand recognition leading to a kind of reassurance that you can trust the distiller to provide a reliably delicious spirit. Jay Baruchel is a moderately well-known name in the world of comedy, having been featured in such hits as Knocked Up and This is the End, but may have slipped under the radar for the work he’s done in the genre world, notably his direction of the 2019 horror film Random Acts of Violence.

I felt that pairing two known names together works perfectly for this review, and it helps that the tasting I did of Elijah Craig’s Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch C921 packed one helluva strong punch with its whopping 120 Proof, much like the relentless carnage displayed within the film.

Random Acts of Violence stars Jesse Williams as a slasher comic book writer whose work is both inspired by and eventually inspires a brutal serial killer who has laid dormant for years. Some could say that the film examines, maybe even criticizes, the negative impact of violence in art on real life, but that’s not what I’m focusing on for this review. Today, I’m recommending RAOV as a gorgeously ruthless Christmas movie, as particularly impactful events in the film occur at Christmastime.

With the level of extreme but imaginative violence, I suggest the burly proof Elijah Craig as a warm blanket to cover yourself with, offering a musty, cask forward aroma, with a deeply complex flavor profile that provides peppery notes on the palate, along with vanilla bean and warming, wintery spices like clove and cinnamon.

It’s a Wonderful Knife (2023) & Writer’s Tears Irish Whiskey
Directed by Tyler MacIntyre
Written by Michael Kennedy
Starring: Jane Widdop, Jess McLeod, Joel McHale, Justin Long, Katharine Isabelle

Sometimes a film comes along that ruffles the feathers of a very specific viewer. There’s a sensitivity toward Christmas movies, as though the season itself is sacred, the films presented meant to bring only joy and virtuous, virginal values. This year, screenwriter Michael Kennedy (Freaky)and director Tyler MacIntyre (Tragedy Girls) have taken this most wholesome time of year – as well as the basic concept of a most cherished Christmas movie – and turned it on its head.

It’s a Wonderful Knife is a loose, bloody adaptation of the 1946 Jimmy Stewart classic It’s a Wonderful Life, filled with twists, turns, trauma, and modern anti-traditional family film structure. To be honest, I think Frank Capra would have appreciated McIntyre’s take on his ultra-traditional tale. There’s equal amounts gore and heart, and while the story is fairly straight forward and not breaking any molds, it has some surprises that left me smiling.

Christmas takes on a morose tone a year after the small town of Angel Falls experiences a terrifying killing spree from the ghostly-masked murderer named “The Angel” that takes the lives of several teens, Winnie (Jane Widdop, Yellowjackets) has a hard time shaking the fact that her family benefited so greatly from so much loss and wishes that she had never been born. As you can guess, Winnie learns a valuable lesson after a meteor shower grants her wish, thrusting her into a world, or at least a town, that is much grimmer without her in it.

As far as a pairing, I’d like to suggest a classic to every writer out there with Writer’s Tears Irish Whiskey. But in honor of the complaints and cries from all the way at the top of the wah-wah tree (ahem F*X News) from those who feel there’s far too much gay love being expressed in the film – doesn’t Kennedy know that only straight people celebrate the season?!? – I’d like to highlight Writer’s Tears Irish Whiskey as a pacifier for the haters.

Inside / À l’intérieur (2007)
Directed by Julien Maury & Alexandre Bustillo
Written by Alexandre Bustillo
Starring: Béatrice Dalle, Alysson Paradis

For those of you who know, you know. Sometimes there’s a film that comes along that fills you with such seasonal glee, such Christmas Eve joy, that you only want to pass the DVD around to all of your friends for them to experience the good-natured fun with you.

Above all else, Inside is a beautiful meditation on the joy of motherhood and sharing that joy with those around you. It’s about spending Christmas Eve with someone special, about consoling those who have lost loved ones during a season that can be so painful without support and camaraderie.

I won’t even recommend a whiskey pairing for this one, go in completely sober, experience the film with an open heart and a charitous spirit. It’s Christmas after all, the season of giving.

**Please note that Inside is an extremely violent and disturbing film — one that I recommend to anyone, but it’s not for everyone. If it’s your first watch, let me know what you think!!!**