The Killing Tree - 2022
By The Bottom Reel Editorial Team ·
The Killing Tree (2022): The Killer Christmas Tree Slasher From the Director of Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey
Overview
The Killing Tree is a 2022 British low-budget Christmas horror film directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield and written by Craig McLearie. It was produced by Dark Abyss Productions and released direct-to-video in November 2022 by Uncork'd Entertainment. Running 72 minutes, it became a cult curiosity after Frake-Waterfield hit big with Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023).
Plot
Widow Morrigan Gillian Broderick and her husband Clayton Slayter Marcus Massey were a serial killer couple who murdered 12 families on Christmas Eve to teach them “the true meaning of the season.” Clayton is caught after killing the family of young Faith Sarah Alexandra Marks – who escapes and reports him – and is executed. Clayton takes all the blame to save Morrigan.
One year later, on Christmas Eve, Morrigan performs a satanic ritual to resurrect her husband using a plastic Christmas tree. The spell goes wrong. Clayton is reborn as a murderous, mobile Christmas tree with glowing red eyes.
Furious about his new form, he kills Morrigan and sets out for revenge against Faith. Meanwhile, Faith throws a Christmas party with friends Becky, Louisa, Cindy and others to cope with her trauma. As the tree gets closer, it kills randomly – a drunken man, a married couple – using branches, lights, and telekinetic powers.
In the finale, the tree attacks Faith’s house. Faith’s parents’ spirits appear as a giant white tree that burns the killer tree to ash. Faith wakes up surrounded by friends, seemingly having dreamed it, and decides to move out. As they leave, a nearby tree opens red glowing eyes – a sequel tease.
Practical scenes involving the tree were achieved with an actor wearing a tree costume, mixed with cheap CGI.
Cast & Crew
Clayton Slayter / The Tree (voice) – Marcus Massey
Faith – Sarah Alexandra Marks
Morrigan / Magna – Gillian Broderick
Louisa – Sarah T. Cohen
Cindy – May Kelly
Becky – Kelly Rian Sanson
Director / Editor / Producer – Rhys Frake-Waterfield
Writer – Craig McLearie
Cinematography – Vince Knight
Music – James Cox
Production Co. – Dark Abyss Productions
Distributor – Uncork’d Entertainment
Social Impact & Reception
The film is part of the 2020s “killer Christmas tree” micro-genre that went viral on TikTok and Tubi, alongside The Mean One and Blood and Honey. Frake-Waterfield built a business model: micro-budget holiday horror for streaming.
Critics: Largely negative.
Rotten Tomatoes: 17% Tomatometer from 6 critic reviews
Popcornmeter: Fewer than 50 ratings, no official score
Reviews:
IGN Movies: 6/10 – “The Killing Tree decks the halls with holiday horror absurdity that hits the expected highs and lows of a killer Christmas tree slasher.”
Blu-ray.com: D – “Tree activity almost becomes an afterthought for the feature, which is certain to gift disappointment”
North Shore Movies: 1.5/5 – “breaks new ground, so to speak, in having a decorated Christmas tree become inhabited by an executed killer”.
Film Inquiry: “had the potential to be an over-the-top Holiday horror classic, but the practical effects moments are overshadowed by bad CGI and a lack of creative kills”
Crooked Marquee: C – “Undermines the horror with a cop-out ending that turns the movie into a glum meditation on grief”
Audience: Also, poor. Viewers called it a “disaster,” “complete waste of time,” with some praising the pool kill and the practical suit. Many reviews highlight poor acting and unattractive effects.
Social impact: Minimal beyond meme value. It’s cited in articles about “so-bad-it’s-good Christmas horror” and as an early example of Frake-Waterfield’s formula that later made Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey a $5M hit. It streams free on Tubi and Prime Video, which kept it alive as a “watch while drunk” holiday pick.
Budget vs. Box Office
Production Budget: Not disclosed. Dark Abyss films are typically £50k-£200k micro-budgets. No official figure listed.
Box Office Gross: $0 theatrical. It was direct-to-video – no theatrical rollout.
Revenue Model: VOD / streaming licensing to Tubi, Fandango at Home, Prime Video, and DVD sales. Given its tiny budget and Tubi popularity, it likely broke even via licensing, but no profit numbers are public.
Ratings
IMDb: 3.3 / 10 from ∼900-1,050 votes
Rotten Tomatoes: 17% Tomatometer (6 reviews), Popcornmeter: No Score Yet / <50 ratings
Letterboxd: ∼1.8/5 average
Rating: Not Rated – graphic violence, language. Runtime: 72-73 minutes
Bottom line: The Killing Tree is exactly what the poster promises – a possessed Christmas tree killing people after a botched resurrection spell. If you want self-aware, gory holiday trash with a man in a tree suit, it delivers. If you want good filmmaking, critics agree it “should have been made by more experienced filmmakers.” Perfect double feature with Jack Frost (1997) and Treevenge (2008).