The holidays, to me, have always had this exclusive relationship with cheer. No matter what was happening in my world financially, personally, or otherwise; it didn’t seem to matter; it was Christmas time. This was the one time of year where humanity came together despite our differences. It was as if Christmas had some sort of power that allowed the world to become a better place. Though the older I become, the more I come to the realization that isn’t the case. I was blind in my own beliefs so that I never stopped to think about what other cultures, religions, or countries celebrate at this time of year. I have since renounced these ways.
Even my Christmas viewings around this time were wholesome family movies. Elf was a staple growing up. Even nearing my thirties it is still a movie I make sure I watch every Christmas. I don’t know, something about Will Ferrell in tights thinking he’s an elf just has a good ring to it. Plus, the movie is wholesome and heartfelt. I digress, however. Other movies like A Christmas Story, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Jingle All the Way were a constant presence in my home during the season. A few years back I stepped back from my views on Christmas and began to look into what other cultures and religions do around this time of year. Oddly enough, somewhere along the way I discovered Black Christmas.
The O.G. slasher profoundly shook my foundation for how Christmas should be perceived. I learned that it actually works marvelously well with elements of horror. Over the years, I have slowly been introducing myself to more and more movies like Black Christmas. A part of that journey led me to the doorstep of A Creepshow Holiday Special, which is the latest installment in the growing empire of Shudder’s reimagining of the classic Stephen King movie. Unlike the first season, which is currently streaming on Shudder, or the animated special they did in October, this story is actually a self contained story. It abandons its anthological foundations in favor of a stronger story. Honestly, it is the best decision that could have been made for this story.
The story, Shapeshifters Anonymous, chronicles a young man (Adam Pally) coming to terms with the realization that he has become a bloodthirsty werewolf. In order to cope with the realization, he turns to a support group of people like himself, only to discover that his kind has a ravenous enemy in jolly old St. Nicolas himself, Santa Clause. I’m not one for typical stories about werewolves. I personally feel like they’ve been done so much before. This holiday special however finds a way to reinvent the “were” trope, where we’re not just seeing wolves but other animals. I found this approach to the mythology to be extremely refreshing. When we finally get to see the transformations, the practical effects are astonishing. Perhaps one of the strongest factors of the special is its ability to contain both comedy and horror extraordinarily well.
Overall, A Creepshow Holiday Special is a well paced surprise that is an excellent stocking stuffer paired with the traditional holiday film rotation. Adam Pally creates a refreshing, and hilarious, spin on the werewolf trope. His chemistry with Anna Camp is satisfying enough. The special is only 45 minutes long but it makes every second count effectively for its good. To say that the finale of this special is satisfying would be an understatement. The practical effects are beautiful and wondrous. Slide A Creepshow Holiday Special down your chimney for this year and many years to come.
RORSCHACH RATING
Mental Health Moment: While the special opens up on a comical note, it has a fairly serious undertone to it. Adam Pally has come to grips that his new reality as a werewolf is something that he can’t cope with alone. He needs help. He stumbles upon a support group of others that are just like him. For some of us, this time of year is extremely hard. It can drive us to self-infliction, alcohol, drugs, or other harmful vices. Sometimes we just need people who can help us make sense of our situation. Maybe it’s not the holidays, maybe it’s something else entirely. Support groups are an incredible resource to use when it comes down to kicking a vice or making sense of something like being a werewolf. They enable us to be the best versions of ourselves that we can be.
If you or someone you know is reading this right now and you are struggling with suicide, depression, addiction, or self-harm - please reach out. Comment, message or tweet to us. Go to victimsandvillains.net/hope for more resources. Call the suicide lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Text "HELP" to 741-741. There is hope & you DO have so much value and worth!
Victims and Villains is written Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey (and produced by) and more. Music by Mallory Johnson and others. A Creepshow Holiday Special is now streaming exclusively on Shudder.
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