Unholy Night is a Canadian horror film, written and directed by Michael Gabriele and released in 2026.Andrew Mack, "UNHOLY NIGHT: Teaser And Images Come Wrapped in a Bloody Bow For Fantasia-Bound Horror Comedy". Screen Anarchy, July 1, 2026. The film stars Marc Bendavid as Gino, an underachieving young man whose Italian Canadian family's Christmas dinner is disrupted when the reanimated corpse of his late grandmother (Jacqueline Robbins) arrives to embark on a killing spree, forcing Gino to step up and protect his family.Naman Ramachandran, "Holiday Horror ‘Unholy Night’ Lands at Blue Finch Films". Variety, February 4, 2026.
The cast also includes Shailene Garnett as Gino's ex-girlfriend Rene, as well as Al Sapienza, Ron Lea, Cristina Rosato, Ellen David, Toni Ellwand and Joe Pingue in supporting roles.Matt Konopka, "An Undead Grandma Disrupts Christmas in New ‘Unholy Night’ Teaser and Stills Ahead of Fantasia Premiere". Dread Central, July 1, 2026.
The film, Gabriele's full-length directorial debut, premiered at the 30th Fantasia International Film Festival in July 2026,Jamie Casemore, "Fantasia Film Festival reveals first wave of 2026 titles". Playback, May 6, 2026. where it won the Gold Audience Award for Canadian films.Jamie Casemore, "Unholy Night, Tight Lettuce win over Fantasia audiences". Playback, August 5, 2026. It was subsequently screened at the 2026 Atlantic International Film Festival, where it received an honorable mention for the Gordon Parsons Award for Best Atlantic Canadian Feature.Jamie Casemore, "Mauro Mueller’s 111 Echoes from Halifax takes AIFF top prize". Playback, September 22, 2026.
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