Unholy Night - Southern Gulf Islands Premiere Screening (Winter's Wake Festival)

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Friday, December 18th, 2026
6:30 PM to 9:30 PM

Christmas is a time for celebrating with food, family and, unfortunately, those difficult family dynamics – especially with traditions that die hard.

Gino’s (Marc Bendavid, GOOD WITCH, REACHER) family preps their annual Christmas Eve dinner, and there’s a lot of hustle and bustle in this Italian household. His mother cooks like a demon, and it’s clear that from how you cut the cantaloupe to the shirt Gino wears, change isn’t welcome. He handles an impromptu visit from his ex-girlfriend, Rene (Shailene Garnett, DIGGSTOWN, MURDOCH MYSTERIES), poorly, and his overachieving siblings win their parents’ favour easily. You see, Gino works in a paint store and lives in his parents’ basement. His family is judgmental, and his confidence isn’t great either. It’s hard enough to navigate the landmines of disapproval and family ribbing, but when a surprise visit from their dead nonna breaks up the festivities, things go straight to hell! They soon learn that the “ritornati” are plaguing the neighbourhood, and Gino’s family is stuck right in the middle.

We all love a holiday horror, and UNHOLY NIGHT offers plenty of director Michael Gabriele’s signature laughs, a fun ensemble cast that includes veteran actor Ron Lea of the Canadian classic CLEARCUT as Gino’s dramatic father Giuseppe, Italian traditions, and hardships that all families can relate to. So, raise a glass as we cheer, “Buon Natale!”, fight the undead, and handle mystery and absolute chaos, all before Christmas dinner is served! – Carolyn Mauricette, Fantasia Film Festival