Unholy Night – Review | Fantasia (4/5)

UNHOLY NIGHT is a Holiday Horror-Comedy that could be a new Holiday Horror classic. Though, honestly, you can easily enjoy it at any time of the year. It’s almost like a full-on zombie movie combined with Pixar’s Coco set during Christmas. I had so much more fun with this one than I expected. Read our full Unholy Night movie review here!

UNHOLY NIGHT is a Horror-Comedy done right with both heart and horror. It’s set during Christmas, so having lots of heart and family craziness is perfect for this holiday horror-comedy. You may not be familiar with much (if any) of the cast, but that just makes it come together even better.

I always get a little annoyed when I’m watching Holiday movies during the summer (or just after the season has ended). However, this one was so good that it didn’t even matter. I watched it during a heatwave and still had so much fun with it.

Continue reading our Unholy Night movie review below. The movie is getting its world premiere at Fantasia 2026.

Don’t you dare change Christmas traditions… someone will haunt you!

In Unholy Night, you’re about to experience what happens when you try to change Holiday traditions. Or rather, Gino (Marc Bendavid) is about to. His traditional family Christmas Eve is about to turn into a bloody battle for survival.

“Why?” or “How?”, you ask.

Well, it all begins with his long-dead grandma dropping by. She’s a little confused, which makes sense, as she’s been dead for quite some time, which is also obvious by her appearance. You see, she isn’t a ghost as much as she’s an actual living dead.

Yes, as in a zombie.

Well, of sorts.

Also, she isn’t necessarily evil. Not as long as you stay true to traditions and try to placate her. If you want to start an argument, however. Well, just don’t.

Just try to survive Christmas Eve

While watching Unholy Night, I found myself thinking: “Oh what fun it is… to survive Christmas Eve, when Grandma returns from the dead”. Unholy Night is very much a zombie story combined with Coco (yes, the Disney Pixar movie), so just focus on being good towards your dearly departed.

Especially if they show up for Christmas.

Also, you should know that if they were bossy when alive, it’s nothing compared to their behavior as deceased. You will be able to see their anger in a very inventive way. A detail I really enjoyed due to its very horror-fueled visuals.

It should also be noted that Gino’s grandmother isn’t the only dead relative to return this Christmas. As Gino reunites with his ex-girlfriend, Rene (Shailene Garnett), they discover that his dead Italian relatives are popping up all around the neighbourhood.

Unholy Night enjoyed its world premiere at Fantasia 2026

Michael Gabriele is the writer and director of Unholy Night, and I look forward to seeing what comes next from him. I expected this to be an average indie horror-comedy, but it surprised me by being much better than any average genre-mix.

The movie is getting its world premiere at Fantasia 2026, but we already know that it will also be hitting Canadian theaters this holiday season. It’s currently seeking distribution in other territories, but hopefully, this will change quickly once it’s screened at Fantasia.

The screentime is just around 95 minutes, which tends to be a sweet spot for most horror-comedies. This one included. If you like a little dark comedy with your zombies (and who doesn’t?!), then Unholy Night is pretty much an ideal choice. Watch it as soon as you get the chance – hopefully during the holiday season.

Unholy Night world premiered at Fantasia 2026.

Details

Director: Michael Gabriele
Writer: Michael Gabriele
Cast: Marc Bendavid, Shailene Garnett, Jacqueline Robbins, Toni Ellwand, Ron Lea, Christina Rosato, Olivier Renaud, Celia Owen, Ellen David, Frank Spadone, Al Sapienza