When you think of the holiday season, images of sugar plums, Santa Claus, and Jack Frost may dance in your head, but what about the Yule Cat, Meat-Hook, or Window-Peeper? These are just a few of the overlooked creatures from festive folklore that have been buried in the snow over the centuries in favor of their more cheerful Christmastime counterparts, but thankfully writer George Northy, artist Rachele Aragno, and colorist Michelle Madsen are shining a long-overdue spotlight on these holiday horrors in the new three-issue comic book series Yuletide.
Set in the deceptively merry town of Christmas, Pennsylvania, Yuletide follows three teenage friends as they race to save their town—and the entire world—from a cavalcade of mischievous holiday creatures led by the ruthless witch Perchta (and based on her gory history, trust me when I say that you don't want to end up on her naughty list).
With Yuletide already being acquired for a film adaptation by Gale Anne Hurd's Valhalla Entertainment ahead of its debut this October from Oni Press, Daily Dead caught up with writer George Northy and artist Rachele Aragno to discuss exploring the scary side of Christmastime, celebrating forgotten holiday horrors and the powers of true friendship, and working with Oni Press to bring readers the early gift of festive terror this fall!
You can read our full Q&A with George and Rachele below, and we also have the previous press release with additional details as well as the cover art and preview pages from the first issue of Yuletide!
To learn more about Yuletide and other exciting releases, be sure to visit:
Thank you for taking the time to answer questions for us, George and Rachele, and congratulations on Yuletide! How did you come up with the idea for this holiday horror comic book series?
George Northy: It all started when I was making a Christmas Day Quiz for my visiting in-laws and wanted to do a round about the Forgotten Monsters of the Yuletide. I knew about Krampus, of course, but in my research I learned about so many more twisted holiday horrors. Like the Yule Cat, a giant cat that stalks any children not wearing their new Christmas clothes, or the rhyming horse-skull ghost Mari Lwyd or the 13 gnome-like Yule Lads with names like Meat-Hook, Door-Sniffer and Window-Peeper that describe the particular brand of mischief they each wreak on humans throughout the Yuletide. But the character that brought them all together for me was the witch Perchta, who has twisted scary parts to her legend (she is said to cut open the bellies of naughty children and replace the insides with garbage) but also descends from a more benevolent pagan goddess. The question of how she became her more terrifying self was something that really activated the story for me.
Was there anything that either of you discovered during your research of ancient holiday traditions that surprised you and influenced how you told this story?
George Northy: For me, it was definitely how these legends evolved over time, how pre-Christianity many were pagan legends and then were modified to fit into current traditions as Yule evolved into Christmas. Then the other big thing that helped craft this story was the fact that in some legends, Perchta was the leader of “The Wild Hunt," a kind of ghostly procession of various demons and ghosts that haunted the winter skies. That idea allowed me to kind of merge all these disparate legends from different regions and cultures into one storyline.
Rachele Aragno: I was deeply struck by the fact that, despite these folklore stories being so many years old, they have remained intact and resonate with us as powerfully as they did back then. I knew many of the creatures George mentioned because I'm a huge fan: in Italy, there are so many stories and characters that have been handed down over the centuries. I'll mention one of the most frightening: La femina Accabadora, a woman who brought death with a huge stick to the sick or anyone who requested it. She's not a mythological creature, but she's truly disturbing.
Rachele, I absolutely love how your artwork brings these holiday legends to life in Yuletide. How much fun did you have bringing your own unique visual style to ancient creatures of holiday lore?
Rachele Aragno: It was so much fun! Creating worlds in comics always takes time, attention, and research, but in this case it required much more care. We had to evoke old creatures, demons, and monsters, staying relevant to each character's history while also trying to inject a bit of novelty. How wonderful it was to read all those things that define each character and then draw them beautifully, with chains, horns, or daggers.
As someone who loves horror stories and holiday tales, I’m always excited to see those genres come together. How important was it for you to find that balance between capturing the magic of the holidays while also unwrapping the sinister side of the season?
George Northy: That’s really the core theme and idea behind the book. How the darkness of the winter holidays has been buried and sanitized, just like these monsters. It felt like the perfect metaphor and conflict to put at the heart of the story. The magic and darkness really just go hand in hand, so it didn’t feel like a challenge at all, it felt natural.
Rachele Aragno: All winter holidays have a sinister side, because we attribute it to them. Christmas, with its snowstorms, darkness, and the man coming down the chimney, has inspired macabre and scary stories since time immemorial. Then there's the emotional side of the holidays, the fact that we can often feel lonely or sad or hate everything. Just because there are colored lights, decorated trees, and presents doesn't mean we don't need to equate the mood with scary stories.
Were there any movies, books, TV series, or graphic novels that inspired you while working on this series?
George Northy: In terms of film and TV, we’re drawing a lot of inspiration from Amblin-style adventures like The Goonies and E.T. (and Stranger Things, which obviously shares these reference points), but also Hocus Pocus, Nightmare Before Christmas, and Buffy. In terms of comics, I was a big fan of how Kieron Gillen twisted and remixed the Arthurian legends in Once & Future, so that was an inspiration as well!
Rachele Aragno: Lots: Labyrinth, Hocus Pocus, Tarantino things, Gremlins, Sabrina… all the adventure and horror films from the ’80s and ’90s. They always had that touch of terror that made me go crazy with joy! Also a lot of Stephen King, who often uses young children to convey spooky stories.
What has it been like to work with the team at Oni Press as you prepare to release Yuletide into the world?
George Northy: Oni Press has been incredible. Hunter and his team are the ones who saw the potential in this idea and helped me find Rachele to partner with as an artist. Every step of the way has been an amazing learning experience, this being my first (but definitely not my last) comic.
Rachele Aragno: I love working with them. They're all so professional and kind, they always manage to reassure you and put you at ease. When they asked me to work on this comic, I was overjoyed; I really couldn't have asked for more. George and the Oni team are truly a gift!
Yuletide has already been acquired for a film adaptation by Gale Anne Hurd’s Valhalla Entertainment, and I understand that you’ll be writing the script, George. How exciting is it to have Yuletide already being developed for the big screen even before it hits shelves?
George Northy: It’s extremely exciting. Right now we are fully focused on making the comic the absolute best it can be, but I work primarily as a TV and screenwriter, so the idea of an adaptation has always been in the back of my head. We aren’t even sure if the feature would be live action or animated yet, but I see exciting pros and cons to both. I’d love to lean into practical effects and puppetry and create something that feels like those dark ’80s Jim Henson epics Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal… but we will see how it all shakes out.
Ultimately, what do you hope readers take away from Yuletide?
George Northy: Hopefully a new perspective on the holiday season and newfound appreciation of these less-known creepy Christmas creatures. I’d love for them to become more integrated into the general Christmas canon the way Santa, Rudolph, and all their ilk have been! Who wouldn’t want a menacing-yet-cuddly Yule Cat ornament for their tree, after all?
Rachele Aragno: I hope they understand the great potential of Yuletide, the power of magic and creatures, and even the resilience of friendship when it's true and deep. The love that unites the kids and makes them fight for their survival is incredible, and so both sides of the coin are represented admirably.
With the first issue of Yuletide coming down the chimney this October, do you have any other upcoming projects that you can tease for our readers?
George Northy: I’m working on another comic with the team at Oni Press - this one a whodunnit with a supernatural twist - and have several TV and film projects in development that I hope I’m able to announce soon. I also have a story in the upcoming Shiver SuspenStories #2 with Oni Press and EC Comics that is a lot of fun. With my story in the first Shiver SuspenStories ("Curse of The Magi"… check it out!), Yuletide, and now this new story, I’m becoming quite the “spooky Christmas guy” and I’m not mad at it!
Rachele Aragno: I'm working on my own book as a sole author for Bao Publishing, an Italian publishing house. I also have several new projects starting up, but I prefer not to talk about them yet; I'm very superstitious. I also hope to work on this amazing series again; it's a special place in my heart.
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From the Previous Press Release: In advance of Comic-Con International 2025 in San Diego, CA, groundbreaking comic book publisher Oni Press and award-winning production company Valhalla Entertainment today announced that Valhalla has preemptively acquired Oni's upcoming series YULETIDE – created by writer George Northy (EC's Shiver SuspenStories) and artist Rachele Aragno (Mike Mignola's Leonide the Vampire) – for development as a feature film in advance of the comic book series' debut in October 2025.
Northy – a writer/producer best known for his work on Charmed for The CW and his recent comics debut as part of Oni's best-selling EC Comics relaunch – will produce and script the adaptation. Gale Anne Hurd and Phillip Kobylanski will produce for Valhalla, alongside David Steward II, Hunter Gorinson, and Jeremy Colfer for Oni Press.
A fast-paced family adventure in the tradition of The Goonies, Goosebumps, and Hocus Pocus with a horrifying holiday twist, YULETIDE is the story of ancient creatures let loose upon an idyllic Northeastern town at the height of the gift-giving season – and the only three teenagers capable of holding them at bay with an ancient secret tied to the origins of the holiday itself:
Welcome to the small town of Christmas, Pennsylvania – the merriest place on Earth . . . or so they'd like everyone to think. When December rolls around, these folks pull out all the stops for America's biggest, brightest holiday display . . . but not everyone in Christmas, PA, is so enthusiastic. Teenagers Jake, Abe, and Wyn are more interested in the dark side of the holiday that their parents like to pretend doesn't exist . . . The ancient legends of mythic monsters and pagan pandemonium that are deeply tied to the festival's long-forgotten origins. So when their hobby leads them to an abandoned wing of the local Christmas museum to investigate, they'll discover an ancient relic that, when activated, will bring a furious procession of yuletide horrors long since banished from our plane – and with it, a darkness that has been waiting centuries for its chance to overtake the world.
“I’ve long been fascinated by the dark, strange, obscure Yuletide monsters from various cultures, from Germany to Iceland to Wales. The way these demons have been buried and forgotten felt like the perfect metaphor for how we often bury our own darkness and personal demons throughout the holidays,” said writer George Northy. “If Buffy taught us “High School can be Hell,” then Yuletide will show that the best way of dealing with our own holiday demons isn’t by pretending they aren’t there, it’s by facing them together.”
“There is so much fantastic lore of the midwinter that runs the risk of being forgotten to time,” said Gale Anne Hurd of Valhalla Entertainment. “With Yuletide, George and Rachele have given us the perfect opportunity to bring those larger-than-life characters back to life so they can continue to haunt us for generations to come.”
"Every once in a while, a team of creators emerges with a pitch so inspired, so compelling, and so dead-center on the bullseye that it immediately provokes one question: 'Why hasn't anyone thought of this before?' So it was with George and Rachele's vision for YULETIDE – a story that comes joyously filled with heart, humor, and adventure like so many gifts tightly packed into a Christmas stocking. This is a holiday story you'll know by heart in just a few years' time, and we couldn't ask for better partners in bringing to the page and screen," said Oni Press President & Publisher Hunter Gorinson.
With the first issue set to debut in comic shops in October, the YULETIDE comic series from Northy and Aragno will span three, extra-long, 40-page monthly chapters – counting down to an artfully timed finale on shelves just in time for the holidays in December.
YULETIDE joins a long list of high-profile film and television projects currently in development from Oni Press – the iconic indie comics imprint that has inspired many influential adaptations, including director Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (based on creator Bryan Lee O'Malley's Eisner Award-winning graphic novel series), director Sam Hargrave's Extraction franchise for Netflix, and director David Leitch's Atomic Blonde – that also includes Sam Hargrave's upcoming feature film Kill Them All (based on the graphic novel by cartoonist Kyle Starks) for Paramount Pictures.
Oni Press will reveal more about YULETIDE during its upcoming appearance at Comic Con International in San Diego, beginning on Wednesday, July 23rd. Visit them at Booth #1829.
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For more updates on Oni Press, visit them on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.
YULETIDE #1 (of 3)
WRITTEN BY GEORGE NORTHY
ART BY RACHELE ARAGNO
COVER A BY ITO
COVER B BY RACHELE ARAGNO
COVER C BY JO MI-GYEONG
FULL ART VARIANT (1:10) BY ITO
ON SALE OCTOBER, 2025 | $4.99| 40 PAGES | FC
IOC: 8/30/2025
FOC: 9/22/2025
COVER A BY ITO
COVER B BY RACHELE ARAGNO
COVER C BY JO MI-GYEONG
FULL ART VARIANT (1:10) BY ITO
Preview Pages from Yuletide #1:
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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