Don’t Open Till Christmas

A man dressed as Santa and a woman meet in an alleyway for a private encounter, and are stabbed to death by a masked, grinning killer. The brutal opening establishes the killer's signature and the Christmas-horror that will follow. The alley setting underscores the sense that danger can strike anywhere in the city.

During a festive party, another Santa is attacked when a spear is thrust through his head, witnessed by his daughter Kate Brioski. The sudden, violent act jolts the partygoers and deepens Kate's personal stake in the killer's rampage. The event confirms the killer's relentless pattern beyond the initial alley murder.

That same night, a third Santa is killed by having his face shoved onto a grill used to roast chestnuts. The grisly method reinforces the film's ritualistic tone and the killer's sadistic signature. The murder expands the carnage to outdoor spaces around the festive setting.

At Scotland Yard, Chief Inspector Ian Harris and Detective Sergeant Powell discuss the murders and decide to interview Kate and her boyfriend Cliff. They exchange theories about a single killer in a Santa disguise and begin to track the suspects' movements. The scene sets the investigative tone for the rest of the film.

The next day a present reading 'Don't Open Till Christmas' is delivered to Harris, sowing fear and mystery. Powell then reports a strange call from a man claiming to be a reporter named Giles, adding another layer of intrigue. The city grows more suspicious as clues accumulate.

Powell finds Giles digging through his own office, and Giles retorts that the newspaper he claimed to work for denies knowing him. The exchange hints at a deeper conspiracy and tests Powell's trust. The tension between investigators deepens the mystery.

Cliff tricks Kate into visiting a porn studio owned by an old friend, but she storms off in anger. Cliff and the model plan outdoor photographs, but a pair of police officers spot them and force a retreat. The killer then encounters the model, letting her go, which heightens the danger and confusion.

At a peep show, a Santa is knifed, and the event is witnessed by Sherry Graham. The crime expands into new venues and intensifies the fear that the killer is always watching. Sherry's witness later places her in danger as the investigation unfolds.

Police go undercover as Santas to catch the killer, but two of these officers are butchered at a carnival. The escalating body count shows the stakes are rising and the pursuit is closing in. The carnivalesque setting heightens the sense of spectacle and danger.

The killer abducts Sherry, intending for her to be 'the supreme sacrifice' to all the evil that Christmas represents. The abduction marks the pursuit's turn toward more personal and ritualized vengeance. Sherry's fate becomes central to the killer's planned climax.

Harris is taken off the case, and Kate contacts him to learn he is visiting Parklands, a mental institution. The investigation fractures and the true identity behind the murders remains obscured. The personal connection between Harris and the killer begins to emerge.

Kate is confronted by Giles at her home; he reveals himself as Harris's brother and strikes. Powell rushes to Kate's apartment, pursues Giles into a junkyard, and is electrocuted. The pursuit cements Giles as a central threat and ties the siblings' past to the present carnage.

A flashback reveals decades earlier that Giles witnessed his father cheating on his mother, leading to a fatal argument and his mother's death. The traumatic memory provides a psychological motive for his present violence. The revelation deepens the film's tragedy and character motivation.

Harris awakens from a nightmare, opens a gift from his 'brother,' and finds a music box that explodes as it plays. The shocking finale ties together the brotherly deception and the killer's motif. The explosive ending leaves the audience with a chilling Christmas-night sting.