‘Back for Christmas’: the closest thing Alfred Hitchcock ever made to a Christmas movie
Posted On
(Credits: Far Out / Alamy)
Cinema’s legendary ‘Master of Suspense’ was never the sentimental type, so the prospect of Alfred Hitchcock abandoning a career built on tightly wound thrillers and riveting psychological stories in favour of celebrating the festive season always seemed slim.
The director was never one for frivolities, flights of fancy, bursts of whimsy, or wearing his heart on the sleeve, so it’s entirely fitting that one of his only movies to feature any festive iconography was Psycho, which was shot largely during the winter of 1959, and the only reason any Christmas decorations made it into the film was due to logistical necessity.
Psycho wasn’t supposed to unfold during any specific point on the calendar, but when the second unit captured footage displaying the decorations on the streets of Phoenix, Arizona, Hitchcock was left with no other choice than to accept his seminal slasher was technically a Christmastime romp full of death and despair.
Needless to say, helming a Yuletide picture was never on the agenda, but Hitchcock didn’t completely disavow the most wonderful time of year. Several episodes of the anthology TV series Alfred Hitchcock Presents were Christmas-themed instalments, but he only directed one of them himself.
The 23rd episode of the first season saw Hitchcock step behind the camera for the closest he ever came to a holiday story with Back for Christmas. This being the ‘Master of Suspense’, though, there was naturally murder and duplicity afoot.
Adapting John Collier’s short story of the same name, John Williams and Isobel Elsom play the lead roles of Herbert and Hermione Carpenter, who plan to leave England for a trip to America. Unbeknownst to his spouse, Herbert is going to make it his permanent residence, whereas Hermione is determined to be home in time for the holidays.
Unfortunately, she doesn’t get much of a say in the matter when he murders her and disposes of her body in the basement of their house. Thinking he’s gotten away with it, Herbert subsequently receives a letter addressed to his wife while he’s in the United States, discovering that she’s gotten him a wine cellar for Christmas.
Naturally, such an undertaking requires a construction crew to enter and tear apart the basement of the Carpenter abode, placing Herbert in an unfortunate predicament entirely of his own making. It sounds suitably sinister and macabre for a Hitchcock-directed effort, but Back for Christmas is more of a black comedy than a straightforward thriller.
To be fair, that should have been expected before it even began, considering the introduction he gave it, during which he appeared with a collection of shrunken heads, as one does. “As you have no doubt already guessed,” he mischievously intoned. “Tonight’s story has nothing whatsoever to do with shrunken heads. It is called Back for Christmas.”
Although he didn’t exactly have a future in stand-up comedy, Hitchcock’s lighter side was on full display before his unusual Christmas story hit the airwaves.
[embedded content]
Related Topics
