This episode is special not only as we celebrate Christmas, a time of year rife with Ghosts and the jingle of Krampus’ bells, but also because this marks the end of Season One of Spill Your Guts.
We hope you have enjoyed getting to know some of the most talented artists working in horror and look forward to seeing you all again in Season Two. We’ll be back a little later in January bringing your more conversations with the titans of terror. Until then, we thank you for listening.
Now, let’s talk about one of the most beloved sub-genres in film, Christmas Horror.
Though it may seem a little dumbfounding that a holiday about love and giving and goodwill towards men could be rife with so much potential for terror, it’s all those traditions and rituals that make it perfect for exactly that.
A strange man who slides down your chimney and makes moral judgements about children. Haunting bells and eerie choirs. One of the most famous ghost stories of all time also happens to be one of, if not the most famous, Christmas stories of all time. If you’re a horror fan, you know what we’re talking about! But here’s a hint, “there’s more of gravy than grave about you”.
For this final episode of Season One of Kevin Lane’s Spill Your Guts, Kevin Lane is joined by author Matthew Dupee. Matthew is an aficionado of all things Christmas Horror, and recently published an extensive and wonderful book on the subject titled “A Scary Little Christmas: A History of Yuletide Horror Films”.
Matthew and Kevin discuss why Christmas Horror has such resonance with audiences, the beginnings of Christmas Horror on film, and discuss their top 5 Holiday Horror movies in their Naughty and Nice list. And provide a couple of honorable mentions and a few recommendations for your Holiday Horror lists.
From all of us at Spill Your Guts, we wish you a very merry Christmas, filled with cheers and frights.
Now, let’s get some milk and cookies and curl up by the Christmas tree as we explore Christmas horror with Matthew Dupee!