With films like The Mind’s Eye, Bliss, and VFW in his rearview mirror, writer/director Joe Begos sets his sights on Christmas with his latest neon-soaked splatter fest, Christmas Bloody Christmas.

Fans of Begos and co’s production company, Channel 83, largely know what to expect at this point, and they certainly won’t be disappointed. For newcomers, though, buckle-up. Christmas Bloody Christmas delivers a gory gift just in time for the holidays.

The setup is simple, almost to a fault. A state-of-the-art, robotic Santa Claus begins a killing spree in a small town toy store. It’s ridiculous, but somewhat grounding that ridiculousness are breakout performances from actors Sam Delich and Riley Dandy. Genre regulars like Jeff Daniel Phillips, Jeremy Gardner, Matt Mercer and more all deliver meaningful contributions, but it’s the chemistry between Delich and Dandy that makes any of it actually matter. They’re remarkable together. Hell, I could listen to a weekly podcast of them arguing about music and shitting on Blumhouse movies. Begos also deserves major credit for turning in, what I consider to be, his strongest writing to date–in terms of dialog, at least.

“Faces get smashed, bodies get ripped, and all kinds of shit gets blown up.”

Of course when shit hits the fan, the trademark Channel 83 violence kicks-in. Faces get smashed, bodies get ripped, and all kinds of shit gets blown up. There’s even an actual robot! Practical effects litter the screen in what might be the team’s most impressive and ambitious production to date. And it’s all perfectly dialed-in by an absolute ripper of a score from Steve Moore.

Christmas Bloody Christmas doesn’t necessarily concern itself with the “why” behind its sinister Santa bot. It’s more interested in putting on a show for its audience—a goal which it undoubtedly achieves. It’s another hit for Begos and his crew, and you should absolutely check it out as soon as it hits Shudder.

Christmas Bloody Christmas hits limited theaters and Shudder on December 9th.