While we may already be a few months past the Christmas season, that doesn’t mean there aren’t still plenty of gifts to unwrap in the recent book Yuletide Terror: Christmas Horror on Film and Television, which features essays and interviews from an authoritative collective of writers who dig deep into everything we love about festive frights and seasonal scares. There are definitely several expected titles featured in Yuletide Terror, like Black Christmas and Silent Night, Deadly Night, but there are quite a few surprising topics that are included here as well that I really enjoyed because I knew little to nothing about them, resulting in a reading experience that was highly enjoyable and informative to boot.
Yuletide Terror starts off with the proverbial one-two punch of essays on the two aforementioned Christmas-themed horror films (I’d argue that both Bob Clark’s original Black Christmas and Silent Night, Deadly Night are easily the most influential offerings in this particular subgenre), setting a nice tone for everything that follows. There’s an even mix in this collection of essays and interviews, and the range of topics include everything from cult classics like Christmas Evil and Elves to modern entries like P2 and Tom Shankland’s The Children, which should satiate fans with varied palettes.
Yuletide Terror also digs into a bunch of the seasonal entries in various anthologies, and I really enjoyed Kier-La Janisse’s look back on the BBC series A Ghost Story for Christmas, simply because I feel like the tradition of sharing spooky tales in December is something most folks don’t really do here in the United States, even though it's a custom referenced in both song (“It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”) and easily the most well-known Christmas tale ever, A Christmas Carol, which is about three ghosts who haunt an embittered and stingy old man. And speaking of Scrooge and his misdeeds, there’s an impressive essay in Yuletide Terror centered on all the various adaptations of the immortal classic from Charles Dickens (to borrow a phrase from Scrooged), and because I’m such a big fan of the original story (I re-read it every December like a nerd), I enjoyed this chapter immensely.
Yuletide Terror also does a deep dive into a variety of topics such as experimental Christmas horror entries, European folklore and Santa, a Hammer Film I hadn’t even heard of (Cash on Demand), and the concept of the “Foolkiller” and its relation to genre films (and specifically here, the film Christmas Evil). Quite simply, the topics covered are vast and wide, and readers will definitely get the proverbial bang for their buck while reading Yuletide Terror.
Also, it’s worth mentioning that Yuletide Terror: Christmas Horror on Film and Television has one of the most impressive compendiums I’ve ever seen in any genre publication, covering every single possible horror-related holiday film, TV special, specific episodes from various shows (even Scooby Doo! gets a mention here), online series, and short films as well. You could literally spend an entire year just trying to watch everything included here, and I applaud how much information is provided in the book.
Suffice to say, Yuletide Terror won’t be making Santa’s naughty list and is definitely worth checking out for those of you who enjoy decking your halls with the macabre. For those interested in adding this collection to your bookshelves, you can order your copy of Yuletide Terror HERE.
Heather A. Wixson was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, until she followed her dreams and moved to Los Angeles in 2009. A 14-year veteran in the world of horror entertainment journalism, Wixson fell in love with genre films at a very early age, and has spent more than a decade as a writer and supporter of preserving the history of horror and science fiction cinema. Throughout her career, Wixson has contributed to several notable websites, including Fangoria, Dread Central, Terror Tube, and FEARnet, and she currently serves as the Managing Editor for Daily Dead, which has been her home since 2013. She's also written for both Fangoria Magazine & ReMind Magazine, and her latest book project, Monsters, Makeup & Effects: Volume One will be released on October 20, 2021.
Daily Dead's Official Podcast! Daily Dead's Official Podcast!
