Holiday Horror
“The most wonderful time of the year,” that perennial period between Halloween and New Year’s when the world seems to go just a little crazy. Yes, you read that right, the world goes crazy, and with everything going on this year, from civil and political upheaval, a global pandemic, and just that general stir craziness you just cannot quite shake from too much quarantining, 2020 feels like a particularly chaotic time… If that doesn’t make you feel a little bit stressed and anxious, those of us in the Northern hemispheres are experiencing the onset of winter, complete with shorter days and longer nights, some cabin fever, and impending winter storms.
To make matters worse, the entire holiday season has turned into a nightmarish shopping frenzy of cinematic proportions (and no, I am not just referring to the opening sequence of Krampus). With many stores beginning to put up their Christmas displays as early as the end of September, so that walking down the aisles at Target feels ripped right out of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) with disjointed shopping aisles stocked with Halloween items to your right and Christmas items on your left. Given this hectic holiday rush, and some people even decorating for the Christmas season as early as October, the entire holiday season has practically become a bacchanalia of rampant consumerism (although things most certainly have looked a little different this year, what with fewer people shopping in stores and instead favoring online purchases whenever possible). To offset the rising tensions of this time of year, I often find myself turning to holiday horror films for a fresh and subversive perspective on the Christmas season.
But this generic portmanteau of “holiday horror” is hardly a new concept, as it is an increasingly popular sub-genre of slasher films that first arose in the 1970s. According to Richard Nowell, in his 2011 book, Blood Money: A History of the First Teen Slasher Film Cycle, the one film that began the teen slasher film cycle was actually a Christmas film. I am of course referring to the 1974 Canadian film Black Christmas, which Nowell describes as setting into motion the entire teen slasher cycle, with an even more profound influence “than Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” Black Christmas takes place in a sorority house over the holiday break, in which a psychotic young man, named Billy, hides out in the attic, eventually stalking and murdering the sorority sisters, until the final girl, Jess, kills him. This film was the starting point that spawned a litany of Christmas related horror films, such as Silent Night, Bloody Night (1974), Christmas Evil (1980) Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984), Elves (1989), Jack Frost (1997), Santa’s Slay (2005), Black Christmas (a 2006 remake of the original), A Christmas Horror Story (2015), Better Watch Out (2016), and Black Christmas (a 2019 third remake/addition to the ‘Black Christmas’ saga), just to name a few. Below are a few of my favorite holiday themed horror films, so be sure to add them to your watchlist if you are looking for a change of pace from the overly saccharine movies often peddled this time of the year… Enjoy!
Krampus (2015, dir. Michael Dougherty)
The 2015 Christmas horror-comedy Krampus barely qualifies as a horror film with its tame violence and PG-13 rating, but it does such an excellent job of satirizing the horrific elements of the holiday season, so that one cannot help but walk away from the movie with a goofy grin upon your face, wondering ‘did I really just see that?’ Krampus begins with a spectacular shopping frenzy scene, a slow-motion melee of crazed shoppers storming a store, tearing items off shelves left and right, and fighting over merchandise, as the stuffing of decapitated teddy bears floats through the air like gently falling snow. The film centers on Tom (Adam Scott) and Sarah (Toni Collette), parents of our protagonist Max (Emjay Anthony), who recently got into a fight with his peers over the existence of Santa Claus. Max loses faith in the holiday season and makes a Christmas wish that turns his world upside down, ultimately conjuring up the ‘Krampus,’ a dark spirit who does not bestow presents like his counterpart Saint Nick, but rather punishes those who have been naughty. The scene stealers within this film come in the form of the Krampus’s henchmen: sinister looking snowmen, masked elves, murderous gingerbread cookies, and demonic toys (including a creepy teddy bear that is vaguely reminiscent of the vampire teddy from A Nightmare Before Christmas) that act as minions sent to terrorize Max and his family. Krampus is just the right mix of farce and horror, with many of the ‘punishments’ taking place off screen, heightening the tension of what has been left unseen, and makes for one crowd pleasing holiday horror romp.
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010, dir. Jalmari Helander)
If Krampus is too tame of a horror flick for your tastes, then look towards international films for a good Christmas scare. The 2010 Finnish film Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale, directed by Jalmari Helander, is a gruesome film revolving around the elimination of a sinister Santa Claus and his creepy elves who have targeted a small community of reindeer herders near the arctic plains, punishing the naughty children and wreaking havoc in their wake. At the heart of the film is excellent acting, especially between the father-son duo, Rauno and Pietari Konitio (played by Jorma Tommila and Onni Tommila). The film also features picturesque winter scenery and well executed cinematography that contrast perfectly with the darkly humorous and grislier moments of the film. Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale creates the perfect mix of shocking violence, black humor, and just the right amount of Christmas sentimentality, making for one unforgettable holiday horror flick.
Gremlins (1984, dir. Joe Dante)
On the other hand, if total gore is not your thing, or if you would prefer to sample the horror Christmas ‘flavor’ without committing to watching a serious horror film, I would suggest watching the Christmas cult classic, Gremlins. The 1984 film, directed by Joe Dante, is set during Christmastime where protagonist Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan) is given a mysterious creature called a Mogwai as a present. Billy names his cute furry friend Gizmo, and eventually breaks all three of the cardinal rules for caring for his Mogwai – don’t get it wet, don’t feed it after midnight, and don’t expose it to bright light, or sunlight… In some ways the horror creatures in Krampus (particularly the sadistic gingerbread men) feel directly inspired by the gremlins in this film, so much so, that Krampus even features a twisted kitchen scene reminiscent of the microwaving incident in Gremlins… Nowadays Gremlins may feel very campy and outdated, but that adds to the charm of the film, which is yet another fantastic example of holiday horror, sure to be enjoyed for generations to come.
Anna and the Apocalypse (2017, dir. John McPhail)
If musicals are more your Christmas speed, you might find Anna and the Apocalypse to be the perfect holiday diversion. This film is a British zombie apocalypse Christmas musical… Genres that should never go together, and yet, surprisingly, make for one highly entertaining film. The film revolves around soon-to-be-graduating teen, Anna Shepherd (Ella Hunt), who is just biding her time before she can attend university. Between navigating typical high school drama (including her best friend being in love with her), to working at a bowling alley, and missing the school’s annual Christmas show, things can’t possibly get more complicated for Anna, right?! Well, when the zombie apocalypse breaks out, things go from bad to worse, as Anna and her friends are forced to grow up quickly, make tough life or death choices, and fight their way through hordes of zombies to see if they can be reunited with their families. The film oscillates between dark comedy and utter drama, making you laugh while also tugging at your heartstrings, plus it features a superb villain, and I’m not talking about the zombies, but rather the school’s vice principal, Mr. Savage (Paul Kaye). If you’ve ever contemplated how Christmas decorations, like giant candy canes, could be fashioned into weapons to protect yourself from zombies then I highly recommend that you track down a copy of Anna and the Apocalypse.
Regardless of where you find yourself this holiday season, if things seem to be going out of control with family squabbles, or if the all-too-cheery Christmas ads on TV have your inner Grinch rearing its ugly head, and you long for an escape from the madness if just for a few short hours, then look no further than nearest holiday horror film. Have your family watch Krampus, or whatever Christmas themed horror film you can find online that allows you to escape the madness, if for just a short while. And, as you relax from the comfort of your own couch, if the ghosts of “A Christmas Carol” don’t scare you enough, I am sure that there is certainly a holiday horror film out there that will…
What are your favorite holiday horror films? How many of my suggestions have you seen before? What do you do to relax or unwind from the stress that (almost always) comes with the holidays? Share your thoughts in the comments below and don’t forget to catch our December Film Club Pick, that 1988 Christmas classic: Die Hard!
Copyright © 2020 Sarah Crane
