Home for the Holidays (1972 film)
A made-for-TV Christmas slasher from 1972.
Home for the Holidays is a 1972 American made-for-TV Christmas slasher film directed by John Llewellyn Moxey, produced by Aaron Spelling, and starring Sally Field, Eleanor Parker, Julie Harris, Jessica Walter, and Walter Brennan. It premiered on ABC on November 28, 1972, as part of the ABC Movie of the Week series. The film is notable as an early example of a Christmas-themed horror movie, predating many later entries in the subgenre.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Horror · drama · suspense
- Writer
- Joseph Stefano
- Director
- John Llewellyn Moxey
- Starring
- Sally Field / Jessica Walter / Eleanor Parker / Julie Harris / Jill Haworth / Walter Brennan
- Music
- George Tipton
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Executive Producer
- Aaron Spelling · Leonard Goldberg
- Producer
- Paul Junger Witt
- Location
- 20th Century Fox Ranch, Malibu Creek State Park - 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California / 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California
- Cinematography
- Leonard J. South
- Editor
- Allan Jacobs
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The plot centers on Benjamin Morgan, a wealthy invalid who believes his second wife Elizabeth is poisoning him. He summons his four daughters—Alex, Freddie, Jo, and Chris—to the family farmhouse for Christmas and urges them to kill their stepmother. Soon after, a killer in a yellow rain slicker begins murdering the sisters one by one. The film features a twist ending in which Alex, one of the daughters, is revealed as the killer, having framed Elizabeth due to childhood resentment.
Reader's Guide
Home for the Holidays is significant as one of the first Christmas horror films, predating the more famous Black Christmas (1974). Its critical reception has been mixed: some critics, like Howard Thompson of The New York Times, panned it as a flat Yuletide thriller, while later writers such as Matthew DuPée praised its well-crafted story. The film has gained a cult following among horror fans, particularly for its strong cast and the screenplay by Joseph Stefano. It was released on VHS in 1985 and on DVD in 2013 and 2014.
Did You Know?
- Kim Novak was originally cast as Alexandra Morgan but dropped out and was replaced by Sally Field, not Eleanor Parker. Eleanor Parker played the stepmother, Elizabeth.
- Principal photography took place at the 20th Century-Fox ranch in Malibu Creek State Park.
- Critic David Deal noted that all four Morgan daughters have masculine first names, suggesting the father wanted sons.
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