The Christmas season has come and gone. Now that the snow has settled, most would agree that this year has been tumultuous, to say the least, and it was no doubt reflected in its horror offerings:Men,The Seed, Smile,andBarbarianreleased alongside remakes ofTexas Chainsaw Massacre,andHellraiser, the latter two films being known for their depraved content and deeply-unsettling imagery. It wasn’t all doom and gloom, however, Jolly old Saint Nick also got chopped up into a handful of horror titles, from self-aware Santa-slaughters likeChristmas Bloody ChristmasandViolent Night,to more solemn outings likeShudder’sThe Apology.
It’s always a fun novelty to see Santa Claus go nuts and unwrap horrors for the new year, but at the end of the day, it’s exactly that: a novelty, one that is admittedly starting to get a little tired. The holiday season presents a ton of potential horror opportunities, not just in turning a festive tradition into something foul, but to explore some neglected or hidden aspects of the season. With this in mind, we have to ask: what holiday horrors could we see in 2023?
Less Santa, More Folk Tales
The idea of a killer Santa has been done to death. There’s a plethora of strange folklore characters and traditions from around the world that would not only introduce a potential audience to new cultures but provide their own source of characters to corrupt for our sick sense of humor. It’s been proven to work, given the success of 2015’sKrampus.
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Take, for instance, several characters from Icelandic folklore. PerGizmodo, it’s hard to argue that Icelanders don’t have it rough around Christmastime. Naughty children have to contend with Grýla, a troll monster that lives in the mountains. Whereas Krampus only captured kids, Grýla just outright eats them. She’ll even cook them up for her partner, who may or may not have also been eaten by her. Her depictions vary depending on who you ask, but one included a particularly nasty description of her appearance. She “had three hundred heads, six eyes in each. . . her teeth were like bunt lava. . . and, she had, moreover, hoofs like a horse.”
Grýla also has children, affectionately dubbed “the Yule Lads.” There are thirteen of them, with each one visiting a person’s home for the thirteen days leading up to Christmas. Their names even hint at what they like doing. Just be warned, they’re not likeSnow White’s dwarfs. Who could forget such classic characters like Pot Scraper, Door Slammer, Window Peeper, and Meat Hook? The horror scenarios almost write themselves.
This is just one example of how going beyond the typical Christmas tropes could not only introduce people to other cultures but also tell a fresher story overall compared to another “Santa goes nuts” tale.
Holidays Are Horrifying By Themselves
Another neglected aspect of holiday horrors is the fact that, for some people, the holiday itself is a source of horror. Think about it: the heightened stress, the dread of visiting extended family, the cheap and easy access to alcohol, unspoken competitions, travel delays, unwanted gifts, financial burdens, and the freezing cold on top of everything else makes for an ample time for things to go horribly, horribly wrong. Whyhave The Grinchattack people when they’re just as likely, if not more so, to do it themselves?
Related:Black Christmas: What the 2006 Remake Got Right, and Where it Went Wrong
Going back toKrampus, part of what instigated the cloven-hoof creature to attack the protagonist’s family was exactly that. The protagonist outright stating that he hates Christmas and that he especially hated the rest of his family, prompted the European monster to re-instill the Christmas spirit the best way he knows how: by forcing them to survive against all kinds of holiday-themed monstrosities. It’s not the most conventional way to show that family and love matter the most during the holiday season, but it’s hard to argue that the message wasn’t delivered in a meaningful way. What better way to show that you love someone than saving them from sentient, murderous gingerbread men?
Conversely, setting a horror film during the holiday season can give it some additional context or add to its themes, even if the core of the film isn’t necessarily Christmas-related.The Apologycomes into play again, as a tense family reunion with a recovering alcoholic is staged on a snowy night in the middle of December. It sets the stage for a night fraught with terror and anxiety, possibly stirring up some unpleasant memories for some as the thrills come and go. IfDie Hardis a Christmas movie, any film that utilizes the setting of the holidays should count as well.
There’s a wealth of opportunities available for horror films set during the holiday season. Ultimately, it comes down to whether or not people want to actually take advantage of them. You can only do a"killer Santa" filmso many times before the idea starts to lose some of its magic.
