Gnome Sick: 7 Slays Til Mithras is exactly what it promises and then some. Killer gnomes terrorize Christmas, California. A Santa slasher legend resurfaces. A craft-fair cult quietly plots the Gnomepocalypse. All of it unfolds in a scrappy, chaotic holiday horror-comedy that understands one key truth: you can never really go home, especially when your hometown worships Mithras and turns people into lawn ornaments.
Set in the aggressively festive town of Christmas, CA, the film follows Pete Grunderson, a failed actor returning home just in time for the latest cycle of ritualistic slaughter. Every 18 years, the Santa Slasher claims seven victims as sacrifices to Mithras, with the Grunderson family deeply entwined in the tradition. This time around, things go sideways. Fathers become gnomes, cults get craftier, and Pete finds himself at the center of a story that is equal parts pagan mythology, family trauma, and Christmas kitsch gone feral.
Director Mike L. Taylor and his team fully commit to the bit, which is exactly what a movie like this needs. Made with obvious micro-budget love, Gnome Sick embraces its rough edges instead of sanding them down. The film leans into weird kills, oddball characters, and a pace so packed with jokes that if one doesn’t land, another is already charging in behind it. It never takes itself seriously, but crucially, it also never feels like it’s trying too hard to be ironic or meta. This is not a cynical bad-on-purpose movie. It is a group of filmmakers earnestly trying to make something new, stupid, and fun, and that enthusiasm carries the whole thing.
Visually, the movie refuses to skimp on Christmas. Unlike many low-budget holiday titles where decorations vanish after the opening scene, every frame here is slathered in lights, tinsel, glitter, and ornaments. There is a genuine commitment to the aesthetic that makes the town feel like a Hallmark village dipped in blood and craft glue. An early montage of a gnome being constructed out of glitter, paint, bones, and pure nonsense sets the tone perfectly. You may not fully understand it, but you don’t need to. The movie knows vibes matter more than logic.
The CGI gnomes are, to put it kindly, diabolically bad. They move strangely, appear to drop frames, and look like something the VeggieTales team might have made after a cursed Christmas party. And somehow, that only makes them better. Their wonky, unsettling animation adds to the charm and the laughs, becoming one of the film’s most memorable elements rather than a liability.
The cast clearly understands the assignment. Bryan Forrest is a strong anchor as Pete, bringing just enough sincerity to ground the madness. Pyar Anderson stands out with sharp comedic timing, while the rest of the ensemble leans comfortably into the camp. Everyone appears to be having an absolute blast, working within their limitations and turning them into strengths. There are genuinely funny moments throughout, including a painfully stupid internet ad read scene that lands precisely because of how dumb it is.
Tone-wise, Gnome Sick sits comfortably alongside films like Thankskilling, Jack Frost, and Gingerdead Man, with a dash of Full Moon and Troma energy. It is fun, stupid, and perfect for the holidays. It is not scary, but it is never boring, and it works best watched with friends at a holiday party or on a solo night when you don’t want to pay close attention to plot mechanics.
The biggest downside is that the film runs a bit long and could have benefited from being a bit tighter. There’s also a lingering wish for more Mithras lore, especially given how central the pagan mythology is to the premise. Still, these feel like minor complaints in a movie that is so committed to its own absurdity.
Low-budget, cheesy, and wildly off the rails, Gnome Sick: 7 Slays Til Mithras is stupidly entertaining. It is a fantastic mix of wholesome Christmas energy and gleeful horror nonsense. Somehow, every ridiculous choice works more often than it should. This may be the best zero-budget Christmas horror-comedy to come along in years, and its very existence feels like a small holiday miracle. If it looks like fun to you, you are absolutely going to love it. Happy Mithras.
Jessie Hobson