The phone calls begin, first with frantic heaving and horny taunts, but slick-tongued Barb finding it humorous barks back, prompting a death threat from Billy — a promise he later keeps. For his first kill, he lurks quietly in sweet Claire’s closet as she packs a suitcase for holiday. We watch her through the plastic of a dry cleaning bag until Billy pounces, suffocating her and propping her corpse in a rocking chair where her dead gaze can peer through the attic window.

A frantic search begins among the sisters and community members in the snow, yet, for some reason, never in the attic. As tension builds, the remaining sisters grow increasingly paranoid and suspicious of the men around them—particularly Jess’s (Olivia Hussey) boyfriend Peter. After Jess reveals her plans to terminate her pregnancy, Peter reacts by performing a sweaty piano overture, only to destroy the instrument in a fit of fury.

The film takes its time after Claire’s death to focus on important character development, making the upcoming kills all the more impactful. Billy’s Christmastime carnage continues, with his phone calls growing increasingly unhinged. He impales Mac with a pulley hook, hanging her up like an ornament, and later, he repeatedly stabs Barb while holding a glass figurine, the sounds of her screams drowned out by the voices of visiting carolers.

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