A family's Christmas Eve dinner becomes a nightmare as Gino must protect his loved ones from his reanimated Nonna who crashes the celebration with murderous intent and a hard opinion about the sauce recipe. As tensions (and the body count) begin to rise, and old family secrets begin to surface, Gino and his family must figure out how to send Nonna and a growing army of undead ancestors and neighbours back to the grave before the end of this Unholy Night. Writer/Director Michael Gabriele (who’s short film Get Away did a major run through the 2023 festival circuit, winning many awards) weaves an exploration into Italian tradition and family dynamics with the true horror of having to host your entire family for Christmas dinner. In his first feature film, Gabriele uses atmosphere and special effects to turn the once loving Nonna into a terrifying, vengeful spirit. Unholy Night stars Marc Bendavid (Reacher, Murdoch Mysteries) and Jacqueline Robbins (The Wicker Man, A Series of Unfortunate Events) as Gino and Nonna in this tale of ghosts, tradition, and most importantly, respecting your elders.
Opening short: Heirloom (dir. Dominic McDowell)
The Blood in the Snow Film Festival is a unique and imaginative showcase of contemporary Canadian horror, genre and underground cinema that exists to challenge social boundaries, explore artistic taboos and support and exhibit independent Canadian genre media artists. BITS takes place in Toronto, Ontario and brings together audiences, media coverage, community partnerships and the filmmaking industry to exhibit and celebrate Canadian genre film. BITS began in 2012 and was registered as a not-for-profit in 2015.