Ebenezer Review – Johnny Depp’s Scrooge Is One of His Best Performances in Years, and Ti West Brings Real Scares to A Christmas Carol

The idea of Johnny Depp as the cranky, cold-hearted miser Ebenezer Scrooge in Ebenezer, which opens in theaters November 13, fits right in his wheelhouse, especially given his well-established career playing outcasts and quirky roles. The movie also marks his major Hollywood comeback as his first big studio film since Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in 2018, and after exhausting years of high-profile legal hurdles with ex-wife Amber Heard that sidelined him as persona non grata, it was finally nice to see him back.

Depp slips into the oft-portrayed Ebenezer Scrooge role like a glove, and even under the heavy prosthetics and makeup, he doesn’t let them overpower his performance. His portrayal strikes the right balance between deep cynicism and dry humor, rather than reducing him to merely a grumpy old man. His recurring “Bah, humbug!” raspy delivery is so distinct that you can feel his deep-seated contempt for anything associated with Christmas.

Ti West’s Dark Take on A Christmas Carol: An Odd Choice That Works

And while Depp no doubt steals the show as the titular character, I still find it hard to believe Ti West is the director calling the shots, which makes me wonder if a ghost possesses his body and takes over instead. After all, his filmography is primarily dictated by slow-burn retro horrors (e.g., The House of the Devil, The Innkeepers) and exploitation slashers (X, Pearl, MaXXXine), making his transition to directing a holiday movie based on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol novella feel like an odd choice.

Initially, I thought he sold his soul to the devil to make a studio-mandated picture that would have lacked his usual filmmaking stamp. But I’m glad that West’s version brings a darker edge to the oft-filmed material. He and screenwriter Nathaniel Halpern retain the familiar storytelling beats that (most of) us would be familiar with in Charles Dickens’ timeless 1843 Christmas morality tale by now: Ebenezer Scrooge runs a counting house under a private firm, Scrooge & Marley, in Victorian London, with the story taking place seven years after his business partner’s (Ian McKellen) death.

Ebenezer Plot: Scrooge, Marley and the Three Ghosts

Scrooge hates Christmas, even when someone wishes him well, and looks down on the poor. He doesn’t do charity and rejects dining invitations, even from his nephew Fred (Sam Claflin). At work, he barely appreciates the hard work and dedication his only employee, Bob Cratchit (Rupert Grint), has shown for years and doesn’t bother to raise his wages.

Then, on Christmas Eve, while at home, Scrooge is shocked to discover that the ghost of Jacob Marley visits and warns him of the dire consequences of being selfish and greedy in the afterlife, informing him that he still has a chance to turn things around by changing his way of life. Marley also reveals that three spirits – the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come – will haunt him, forcing Scrooge to confront all of his sins.

How Scary Is Ebenezer? Ghosts, Jump Scares and the Supporting Cast

West deserves credit for not sanitizing the supernatural part of the story by making the spirits, particularly Andrea Riseborough’s white-eyed banshee-like Ghost of Christmas Past and Robert Strange’s silent Grim Reaper-like Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, look eerie. He also makes good use of the PG-13 rating to push the horror scenes, complete with ominous dread and jump scares, while Tyler Bates infuses gothic-heavy compositions into his atmospheric score.

But at the same time, West still remembers this is a cautionary tale after all, where he effectively mixes scares and redemptive drama surrounding Scrooge’s character arc. Although I enjoy Depp’s committed lead performance as Ebenezer Scrooge, the supporting cast is rather a mixed bag, save for Riseborough and Tramell Tillman, with the latter playing the disgruntled Ghost of Christmas Present. Too bad that Ian McKellen and Rupert Grint are underutilized here, and the same goes for Sam Claflin and the unfortunately thankless Daisy Ridley, who plays Fred’s wife.

Is Ebenezer Worth Watching? Our Verdict

Still, despite the shortcomings, Ebenezer marks a return to form for Johnny Depp, while the movie proves that Ti West has the necessary chops to expand his direction beyond his usual comfort zone.

Ebenezer (PG-13, 1h 56m) opens exclusively in theaters on November 13.