"Every time a bell rings, an angel gets to kill."
RLJE Films and Shudder (via FearHQ.com) have released the first trailer for It’s a Wonderful Knife, a new Christmas-themed horror comedy from writer Michael Kennedy (Freaky) and director Tyler MacIntyre (Tragedy Girls).
The title is an obvious play on Holiday classic It's a Wonderful Life, but the movie tosses a healthy dose of Scream, Freaky, Happy Death Day and several other comedic slasher flicks into the blender.
The teaser begins with Winnie Carruthers saving her town from a psychotic masked killer on Christmas Eve. However, due to the murderer's identity and the effect it has on the town, Winnie is not treated as a hero. When she wishes that she was never born one year later, she enters a parallel universe where nobody knows her and the killer is free to continue his reign of terror.
"It's a Wonderful Knife is a spin on the classic It's a Wonderful Life," explains MacIntyre. "It's about a young woman named Winnie Carruthers who lives in this town that's obsessed with Christmas. There's this tragedy that strikes the town, and she rises to the occasion, but her best friend is killed. We jump forward a year, and she's wracked with guilt, and she's unable to move on, and in her spiral she ends up making this wish that maybe things would be better if she didn't exist. She wakes up into a nightmare version of this town, and there's many more people dead, and it's up to her to solve this mystery before it's too late."
The movie has assembled a pretty strong cast, with Jane Widdop (Yellowjackets) in the lead role of Winnie Carruthers, and Joel McHale (Community) set to play Winnie’s father David. Justin Long (Barbarian) plays the town’s patron - and (no spoiler, it's given away in the trailer) killer - Mr Waters. Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps), Jess McLeod (One of Us Is Lying) and Cassandra Naud (Influencer) also star.
Michael Kennedy wrote the script and also serves as Producer.
“We’re excited to release It’s a Wonderful Knife and once again work with its amazing cast and filmmakers,” said RLJE Films’ Chief Acquisitions Officer, Mark Ward. “Over the last few years, we’ve been fortunate to have released horror/holiday films that have been embraced by audiences and we believe this one is no exception.” Check out the trailer below along with a poster.
"The story is set in idyllic Angel Falls. A year after saving her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve, Winnie Carruthers’ life is less than wonderful — but when she wishes she’d never been born, she finds herself in a nightmare parallel universe and discovers that without her, things could be much, much worse. Now the killer is back, and she must team up with the town misfit to identify the killer and get back to her own reality."
It's a Wonderful Life will be released in theaters across the U.S. on November 10, before becoming available for streaming on Shudder at a later date.
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