Yuletide Terror: Christmas Horror on Film and Television

by Paul Corupe (Editor), Kier-la Janisse (Editor), Stephen Thrower (Contributor)

For many, Christmas is an annual celebration of goodwill and joy, but for others, it’s a time to curl up on the couch in the dead of winter for a good old fashioned fright. The festive holiday season has always included a more somber side, and scary tales of child-stealing demons to ghost stories told ‘round the fireplace go back to pre-Christian celebrations. These long-standing traditions have found modern expression in Christmas horror film and television shows, a unique and sometimes controversial subgenre that cheerfully drives a stake of holly through the heart of cherished Christmas customs.

Yuletide Terror: Christmas Horror on Film and Television offers a definitive, in-depth exploration of the history of these subversive film and television presentations that allow viewers to engage in different ways with the complicated cultural history of the Christmas season. Yuletide Terror collects over 20 essays and interviews that will deck your halls with insightful looks at all your festive fright favourites, including the BBC’s A Ghost Story for Christmas anthology series and contentious 1980s Santa slashers like Silent Night, Deadly Night. Unwrapping the true meaning of films featuring everyone from the Krampus and Scrooge to killer snowmen and evil elves, Yuletide Terror is a comprehensive look at TV and cinematic holiday horror from around the world, and includes a compendium including nearly 200 Christmas horror film reviews.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Horror, Christmas

488 pages, Paperback

First published December 13, 2017

Reviews

[Élise Lucie · Rating 4 out of 5]

(...) Devant la qualité et la quantité du contenu, les amateurs de théorie et d’histoire ont de quoi danser autour du vert sapin, surtout considérant la présentation impeccable soutenue par une centaine d’images en noir et blanc, une section centrale en couleur et une compilation de plus de deux cents résumés critiques de films thématiques. (...)

Criyique complète : http://www.horreur.quebec/litterature...

[Katia Lyng · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know the options are limited (because this is a really niche subgenre) however, I felt like the selection of movies covered in the essay section was a little weak. Overall, it's an interesting book.