I love a happy Christmas movie as much as the next person. I’ll take a healthy serving of merry and bright any day. That doesn’t mean I’m entirely opposed to my Christmas spirit come with a side of dark and twisty. As such, Tommy Wirkola’s 2022 comedy Violent Night was right up my alley. I loved David Harbour‘s no-nonsense Santa as much as I loved seeing him disrupt what should’ve been a well-coordinated heist with his intense combat skills. Criminals better watch out once again, because Violent Night 2 is coming to town, and as the trailer reveals, Harbour is back as Santa, this time with Mrs. Claus. Let’s go!
Helmed by Wirkola and on the 2026 movie schedule for December 4, Violent Night 2 has Harbour’s Santa on the naughty list, having lost his magic and his faith in mankind. This time around, he’s facing a group of gangsters who pose a threat to a mall around the holidays.
Yes, the plot sounds a bit ridiculous, and it is. The trailer plays that up, complete with a sleigh-full of violence and some truly stomach-churning scenes. I’m not sure what grossed me out more, the guy getting a gingerbread-man-shaped chunk of skin cut from his forehead, or getting stuffed into an oven while covered in cookie ingredients that make the smell of him baking smell, as Santa puts it, “amazing.” It’s stuff like this that reminds me of the scenes from the first movie that I had to watch between my fingers. I even brought it up last year when I was talking about watching Novocaine (another movie with some super gross bloody scenes).
In addition to violence, the trailer gives us a look at a character teased in the first movie: Mrs. Claus! Kristen Bell has stepped into the shoes of Santa’s better half, and it looks like she’s ready to join the fight.
In addition to David Harbour and Kristen Bell, the cast also includes Joe Pantoliano, Daniela Melchior, Andrew Bachelor and Maxwell Friedman aka AEW’s MJF.