Sophia Michaels
Santa Claus may famously double-check his lengthy nice list, but no matter how many times he glances over it, he won’t find his own name. In the trailer for upcoming action-packed holiday flick Violent Night, David Harbour’s take on the beloved Christmas character is more combative than cheerful.
Directed by Tommy Wirkola, Violent Night stars Harbour as a fourth-year Santa Claus tasked with rescuing a group of hostages captured at their family compound on Christmas Eve by a team of mercenaries.
“Who is he?” one of the kidnappers asks. “Cause it’s not your typical mall Santa.” He’s right about that – most mall Santa costumes don’t come with makeshift nunchucks and razor-sharp throwing stars lined with electric wire. And the usual Santa archetype definitely doesn’t spend Christmas Eve stabbing villains in the face or knocking them unconscious with his own head, all while communicating with a young girl via a one-of-a-kind direct hotline.
“Santa Claus is coming to town,” Harbour says, as more of a warning than the cheerful hook of a holiday song. “Time for some season’s beatings.”
Violent Night also stars John Leguizamo, Cam Gigandet, Alex Hassell, Alexis Louder, Edi Patterson, and Beverly D’Angelo. The film marks the Stranger Things star’s first theatrically released film since appearing in Marvel’s Black Widow last year.
Violent Night hits theaters Dec. 2.
