The Legend of the Christmas Witch

The Legend of the Christmas Witch (/ The Befana Comes at Night) is a 2018 Italian-language Christmas fantasy comedy film based on the Italian legend of the Befana. It is an Italian-Spanish co-production directed by Michele Soavi. Plot During the day Miss Paola works as a schoolteacher in an Italian town, but every night at midnight she transforms into the over 500-year-old Befana, a witch who delivers presents to well-behaved children and unusual surprises to bad ones each year at midnight when it turns January 6. One year a dog chews on the Rolodex she uses to keep track of the children and she fails to deliver a gift in time to a boy named Giovanni Rovasio, who then blames her for all of his subsequent misfortunes, including his parents' divorce. 25 years later, Giovanni has transformed himself into Mr. Johnny, a villain who kidnaps Paola in order to take over delivery of the toys. Riccardo, a student from her class, witnesses the kidnapping. He and five fellow students investigate Paola's storage cellar for clues and discover her secret identity. The children are found by Mr. Johnny's men and put into a trash compactor but Riccardo drops his father's Swiss Army knife in the gears and stops the machine, allowing the children to escape. Knowing that fire is the only way to harm the Befana, Mr. Johnny ties Paola to a Christmas tree and sets it on fire, using Christmas presents as kindling. Just then the clock strikes midnight and she transforms into the Befana, giving her the power to break free from her bonds and fly away on her broom. Mr. Johnny chases after her on a jet-propelled hoverboard and causes her to crash before trapping her in a bubble in his toy factory.