Holiday Horrors: They’ll SLEIGH You!

By Eric Weber

“Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, a creature was stirring. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, but it was hard to say that St. Nick would be there. A Christmas of another color brings a killer on the loose.”
Tagline for 1974’s classic chiller, Black Christmas

Everyone loves the movie Halloween. Everyone. The film consistently makes the Top Ten list of the best horror movies of all time and is constantly being re-released on DVD, each time with more and more “extras” so that now, practically everyone knows all of the bits and pieces that went into the production of this iconic horror film. I’ve always thought that it was sort of obvious to make a horror film set during Halloween. I mean, things are supposed to be scary. People are dressed up and running around and you have no idea who is who. Plus, you have all kinds of spooky imagery to play around with like witches, black cats, and all those creepy pumpkin faces. It’s like, “Well DUH, of course I’m scared.”

I think it’s much more unsettling to be scared when you LEAST expect it. Say, around the holidays (although some could argue that the holidays are already quite horrifying, what with dealing with family members and having all your greedy friends expecting you to buy them stuff). The holidays are usually associated with “merriment” and warmth, family get-togethers, work parties, colorful lights, cold weather, and in a lot of households, the Christmas holiday.

Obviously, due to the massive success of an itty bitty independent film like Halloween, movie producers and filmmakers were saying, “Hey, let’s do another horror flick set during a popular holiday. Well, let’s see. We can’t use Halloween since they have dibs on that one for the next forty sequels. Hmm. Easter? That could be interesting. Arbor Day? Hmm. . . maybe. Ah-ha! Christmas!”

The Christmas holiday is absolutely overflowing with tacky symbols and images perfect for perverting and exploiting, most notably and obviously being the big guy in red himself, Santa Claus. Just the idea of a huge fat guy with his face hidden behind a mass of white hair, climbing down your chimney into your house is enough to give me a panic attack. Plus he flies around in a sleigh driven by a series of monstrous reindeer and he wears all red. Then there’s that whole business about rewarding those who are “nice” and punishing those who are “naughty.” Who is he to be so judgmental? And what about Santa’s notorious relationship with children; I mean, how many photos have you seen of screaming, hysterical kids sitting on Santa’s lap? Obviously, this is an element that can easily be turned into something terrifying.

It’s this sort of thinking that no doubt had fear-filmmakers loading up their cameras in search of the next successful holiday horror. Perhaps the most well known of the Christmas-themed horror films is the infamous Silent Night, Deadly Night from 1984. When the film was released, concerned parents (as well as film critics like Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert) went absolutely ballistic and were outraged at the idea of a film about an axe-wielding Santa Claus. The poster artwork is a delicious piece of ultra-tacky marketing exploitation.

The film was picketed and the film’s distributor, TriStar, panicked and let the film go, where it was ultimately picked up by an independent distributor and eventually became an enormous hit on home video.

I really don’t understand what all the fuss was about. It’s not like the killer was actually Santa Claus. He was merely a disturbed adult who, after witnessing the murder of his parents by a robber dressed as St. Nick, decides to don the Santa outfit and dish out his own version of deciding who’s “naughty” and who’s “nice.” But the film struck a nerve with people. They were disgusted that their beloved holiday was used as a vehicle for what was basically another routine stalk ‘n’ slash horror flick. I do admit feeling a sort of perverse glee when I watch the film and see the image of a man dressed as Santa carrying a bloodstained axe. There’s something so deeply disturbing about the image, so absolutely outrageous that I can’t help but admire the filmmakers for having the gall to corrupt such a familiar cultural icon.

Believe it or not, Silent Night, Deadly Night was not exactly the first Christmas-themed horror flick to hit theaters. Here is a list of some other titles that are highly recommended:

• Black Christmas (1974): The grandmother of all slasher movies. A perfect example of quality over quantity. This film leaves so much to the viewer’s imagination (without having everything spelled out, unlike the completely phoned-in remake from 2006) and contains some truly chilling sequences, not to mention an incredible cast of character actors like Margot Kidder, Andrea Martin, and John Saxon.
• Christmas Evil (1980): Silent Night, Deadly Night definitely took a page from this unique and bizarre film about a man so completely obsessed with Christmas and Santa Claus that he keeps tabs on all the neighborhood kids and determines who’s been naughty and who’s been nice, keeps his home covered in Christmas memorabilia and decorations, and ultimately becomes Santa. Like Silent Night, Deadly Night, we find our jolly antihero dispatching an unusual version of twisted yuletide justice. The film also includes one of the strangest endings ever. A must!
• Don’t Open ‘Til Christmas (1984): In an odd twist on the Killer Santa genre, this flick is a tale of someone killing people in Santa Claus suits! Features some fairly gruesome murders and at least one castration, plus a fun cameo by cult-movie scream queen, Caroline Munro.
• Silent Night, Bloody Night (1974): This obscure little horror sleeper features a fantastic cast of cult faves (Mary Woronov, John Carradine, and Andy Warhol superstars Ondine and Candy Darling) and, interestingly, features many similarities to Black Christmas.
• Santa’s Slay (2005): A surprisingly off-the-wall horror comedy that features WCW wrestler Goldberg as a particularly nasty Santa Claus. The film boasts an amazing opening sequence: an all-star massacre where we get to see some rather festive finishing touches applied to guest stars James Caan, Fran Drescher, Rebecca Gayheart, and Chris Kattan.
• Gremlins (1984): A lot of folks forget that this creature feature is set during the snowy holidays and includes many memorable Christmas terror moments. Plus, who can forget Phoebe Cates’s amazingly downbeat Christmas memory speech? “The worst thing that ever happened to me was on Christmas.” This speech should be a prerequisite for all up-and-coming actors and actresses. Use this scene for your audition and I’m sure you can score that role in the upcoming Silent Night, Deadly Night remake slated for 2008!