The holiday season is officially here, which means this week’s episode leans festive… but still sharp, still feral, and still very much What The Hell Should I Watch–coded. Chloe’s sitting this one out, but she’ll be back next week for the final episode of 2025 — and before we get there, there’s horror Santa carnage, a surprisingly emotional Neil Diamond tribute story, some of my backlog that has now made it to streaming, and a few hard truths about when genre swings do not connect.
🎄 NEW IN THEATRES
Silent Night, Deadly Night
Yes, that one — remade. This new take leans harder into vigilante mythology than pure slasher stupidity, giving its Santa-suited killer a warped moral compass and just enough purpose to separate it from the original’s grindhouse roots. It’s B-horror through and through, filmed in Winnipeg, splattered with blood, and oddly more thoughtful than expected. Not everything lands, but it’s far from the throwaway mess it could’ve been — and yes, the Nazi Christmas party sequence is as gleefully inflammatory as advertised.
Song Sung Blue
A mystery screening that turned into one of the episode’s biggest surprises. Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson star as a real-life Neil Diamond tribute duo whose partnership brings both joy and heartbreak. Directed by Craig Brewer, this isn’t a glossy jukebox movie — it’s a sincere, bittersweet character study anchored by two genuinely strong performances. Even if you’re not a Neil Diamond person going in, this one earns its emotional weight.
📺 NOW STREAMING
Roofman (Paramount+)
Channing Tatum plays a charismatic real-life criminal who hides out inside a toy store after escaping prison — and somehow turns that setup into a warm, human crime drama. Directed by Derek Cianfrance, this feels like a proper movie movie: charming, sad, funny, and quietly devastating. Kirsten Dunst is excellent, Peter Dinklage is deeply unpleasant (compliment), and the whole thing sneaks up on you in the best way.
The Home (Paramount+)
James DeMonaco (The Purge) tries something smaller and stranger… and it mostly collapses under its own weight. Pete Davidson brings almost nothing to a role that desperately needs emotional grounding, and while there are flashes of violence and intrigue, the film never earns them. A waste of a solid premise and a cast that deserved better.
The Thursday Murder Club (Netflix)
A glossy, charming, very Netflix murder mystery featuring Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie. It plays like Knives Out on decaf — pleasant, well-cast, and clearly designed to launch a franchise. Not particularly daring, but entertaining enough to justify a cozy holiday watch.
Evil Does Not Exist (Criterion Channel)
Quiet, precise, and quietly devastating. Ryusuke Hamaguchi follows a rural Japanese community threatened by corporate “glamping,” crafting a film that’s funny, tense, and deeply unsettling in its restraint. One of the most thoughtful releases of the year — and a reminder of why the Criterion Channel is worth your money.
📡 SERIES WATCH
It: Welcome to Derry (Crave)
The It prequel series starts strong, stumbles hard in episode three, then recovers just enough to keep things interesting. There’s real promise here — especially in how it expands Stephen King’s world beyond Pennywise — but it’ll need a proper season-wide breakdown once Chloe’s caught up.
Murdaugh: Death in the Family (Disney+)
A dramatized take on one of the most disturbing true-crime sagas in recent memory. Jason Clarke excels at playing deeply unlikable men, and Patricia Arquette once again finds herself trapped in a morally rotten marriage. Still in progress, but grimly compelling so far.
📀 ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY
The Handmaid’s Tale — Complete Series (DVD)
Back to the Future: 40th Anniversary Trilogy (4K UHD)
🦇 FINAL WORD
With the series officially wrapped, it’s time to say it plainly: What We Do in the Shadows is one of the best TV comedies of the modern era. Smart, absurd, endlessly rewatchable — and Laszlo Cravensworth remains undefeated.
Next week: the final episode of 2025. Chloe returns, Avatar: Fire and Ash gets its reckoning, and we count down our Top 10 Films of the Year.
See you then.
Steve Stebbing 