Christmas at the Kringles Review: A Holiday Horror-Comedy With a Great Cast and Not Enough Cheer

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Christmas at the Kringles (2026) Review: Holiday Horror

Content note: This film is rated R for strong bloody violence, language, and some sexual material.

Every neighborhood has one house that goes too far at Christmas. It’s the one with the lights up in October, the inflatable Santa on the lawn, and a family that’s just a little too happy to see you. Christmas at the Kringles takes that familiar suburban annoyance and asks a simple question: what if they’re hiding something sinister?

Directed by Kevin Lewis, who made the cult horror-comedy Willy’s Wonderland, and written by Zack Imbrogno of Slayers, the film opens in US theaters on October 30, 2026, just in time for Halloween weekend, through Briarcliff Entertainment. It runs 99 minutes. Here’s our review.

The Story: The Neighbors Who Never Stop Celebrating

Mark Severson, played by Ron Livingston, is a stock trader who’s more focused on work than on his family. His wife, Julie, played by Rachel Bilson, believes the family needs a fresh start. She convinces him to move from the city to the suburbs, hoping it will give their son, Bobby (Jack Jewkes), a more magical life and help the couple repair their marriage. They’re already in couples therapy, and Mark has a habit of lying.

Then they meet the neighbors. Nick (Thomas Lennon) and Carol Kringle (Arden Myrin) are an upbeat, overly friendly couple who celebrate Christmas every day of the year. It’s a huge red flag, and Mark, who isn’t a fan of the holidays in the first place, sees it right away. But Julie and Bobby are drawn in. Nick even shows up in a Santa suit when Mark’s gifts don’t arrive on time, which makes Mark look worse by comparison.

The warnings come from two unlikely sources. A drunk mall Santa played by Rob Riggle, who belongs to a secret society of mall Santas, and Daryl, an unemployed man-child who lives in his mother’s garage, played by Donald Faison. Both suspect the Kringles of something much worse than bad taste. According to them, the previous residents of the Seversons’ house disappeared. When Julie and Bobby begin spending more time with the Kringles, and the film jumps ahead to Valentine’s Day, Mark teams up with the two neighbors to rescue his family.

The Kringles, it turns out, belong to a cult of “joy.” They want to recruit the Seversons by hypnotizing and indoctrinating them, and they aren’t afraid to kill anyone who stands in the way. David Wain appears as the cult’s leader, Noel Tannenbaum, in a recruitment video, and Beverly D’Angelo plays the Kringle matriarch.

The Cast Is the Best Gift

The strongest thing about the film is the group of comedians in it. Lennon, who co-created Reno 911!, is clearly having a great time as Nick. He plays the character as a gleeful madman, and he tosses out asides and jokes with perfect timing. Myrin matches him step for step, mixing cheerful, motherly warmth with a hint of menace. When the two share the screen, the film is at its funniest.

Livingston plays Mark as a grumpy, distracted workaholic who just wants to be left alone, and Bilson brings an anxious desperation to Julie. Riggle gets some of the film’s best moments as the drunk mall Santa, and Faison adds amusing energy as Daryl. The ensemble gives the movie an Burbs-style feel, with a group of oddball neighbors trying to take down a suspicious family next door. Even when the dialogue is clunky, the cast delivers it with enough quirky energy to keep things watchable.

A Promising Start That Doesn’t Last

The film opens with a bang. A woman is chased through a haunted house maze lit with red and green neon and holiday decorations, and she ends up impaled on a Christmas tree with her head on top like an ornament. It’s a gory, darkly funny scene, and it promises a movie full of creative holiday-themed horror.

Unfortunately, that promise isn’t kept. The film’s tone is uncertain. It starts as a comedy, drifts into horror, and eventually turns into an action movie, and none of those elements fully works. The horror isn’t scary, the gore is limited, and many of the kills happen off-screen, even though the premise offers plenty of fun holiday weapons. The visuals, such as the neon colors, smoky atmosphere, elf masks, and a so-called Christmas Gimp, make an effort to create a creepy mood, but they feel more like decoration than real dread.

Too Many Ideas, Not Enough Focus

The script has ideas, but it doesn’t develop them. The theme of forced happiness is interesting. The Kringles constantly push joy on Mark and his family, and the film suggests that happiness can’t be real if it’s forced. There’s also a hint of satire about cults and scammers. But these ideas feel vague, and they’re buried under confusing exposition about yet another secret society of Christmas lovers.

The final act is the weakest part. As the story turns into a noisy, chaotic fight, the film leans on chainsaws, blood, and silly punchlines to carry it home. It becomes more of a mess than a satisfying payoff. It’s also odd that a film released on Halloween weekend is mostly set on Valentine’s Day, which adds to the sense that it can’t decide what it wants to be.

Who Might Still Enjoy It

If you love the cast, there’s still some fun here. Fans of Lennon, Riggle, and Faison will enjoy seeing them in the same film, and anyone who likes goofy, gory holiday comedies may find a few good laughs. It’s also short enough that it won’t take up your whole evening.

But if you’re looking for a scary Christmas horror film, or a clever comedy with a strong story, you’ll probably be disappointed. It isn’t in the same league as classics like Black Christmas. It’s also not a good choice for younger viewers because of the R rating.

The Verdict

Christmas at the Kringles has a funny premise and a talented comedy cast, but it fails to build something original around them. It’s neither scary enough nor funny enough, and its final act is a noisy mess. It’s best for fans of the cast who don’t mind a messy ride.

Rating: 2/5

Watch the Trailer

Quick Facts

Title: Christmas at the Kringles
Director: Kevin Lewis
Writer: Zack Imbrogno
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Runtime: 99 minutes
Rated: R (strong bloody violence, language, some sexual material)
Starring: Ron Livingston, Rachel Bilson, Thomas Lennon, Arden Myrin, Rob Riggle, Donald Faison, Beverly D’Angelo, David Wain, Jack Jewkes
Distributor: Briarcliff Entertainment
Release date: October 30, 2026 (US theaters)