The Further
Removing the Magic from ‘The Santa Clause’ Trailer Turns it into a Horror Film
In 1994 Walt Disney Pictures released the family holiday film, The Santa Clause, in which funnyman Tim Allen accidentily kills the real Santa Claus on Christmas Eva, only to find himself magically recruited to take his place.
I recently revisited the film on Netflix and, even though it’s a light-hearted family film, it’s actually pretty dark. Because Allen kills Santa on Christmas Eve, the film takes place over a year. Over that year, his son sounds like a lunatic (telling everyone around him his father is Santa Claus), while his ex-wife and new husband think his father is putting the idea in his head. On the surface it’s fun, but deep down it’s borderline psychotic.
Someone else noticed this and realized that with one simple stroke of a keypad they could turn this holiday classic into a psychological horror film. All this person needed to do was remove the elements of magic from The Santa Clause.
“Tim Allen’s mental breakdown brings him to believe he is the real Santa Clause,” explains the YouTube creator. “His madness persuades his son Charlie which causes turmoil amongst the family.”
There are some brilliant edits here, especially the one in which he makes the ex-wife call out the fact that Tim Allen’s purposely changing his physical appearance to look like Santa Claus, along with the shot of him staring into the family’s window during dinner.
There’s a lot of remixed trailers out there, but this is one of the best…
The Further
Killer Shorts Horror Writing Competition Open NOW With New Category for Feature Screenplays!
The annual genre competition dedicated to finding and launching the next generation of horror writing talent, this year’s Killer Shorts is now officially open for entries!
Founded in 2019, Killer Shorts has established itself as a premier industry launchpad. The competition connects screenwriters and prose authors directly with the executives, managers, and producers who actively greenlight and option dark genre cinema.
But this year’s competition isn’t only about killer horror shorts…
For this brand new season, Killer Shorts is expanding its categories to include feature-length screenplays alongside its traditional short script, one-page script, and short story divisions.
The Top 10 finalists across all categories are evaluated by an elite industry jury composed of over a dozen horror legends, literary managers, and producers. The panel includes:
- Barbara Crampton (Horror Icon, Actress & Producer — Jakob’s Wife, Suitable Flesh)
- John Zaozirny (Literary Manager & Producer, Bellevue Productions)
- Tananarive Due (Author, Producer & Horror Historian)
- Lucas Ford (Producer, Ford Films — The Backrooms)
- John Squires (Editor-in-Chief, Bloody Disgusting)
- Sophie Carroll (Creative Director, ALTER & DUST at Gunpowder & Sky)
- Gigi Saul Guerrero (Director & Co-Founder, Luchagore Productions)
- Aaron B. Koontz (Producer & CEO, Paper Street Pictures)
Yes, yours truly is joining the Killer Shorts judging panel for the first time ever!
Killer Shorts has a proven track record of transitioning undiscovered writers into working professionals. Alumni success stories include Season 2 finalist Vanessa Võ, who signed with Bellevue Productions, and Season 3 finalist Kelly Nugent, who secured representation at Wonder Street.
Additionally, screenplays submitted for coverage that receive a “Recommend” rating qualify for inclusion on The Scream List. This real-time tracking board is monitored by top-tier genre companies, including Screambox, Raven Banner Entertainment, Zero Gravity Management, and Grey Matter Productions.
Submissions will be accepted across all major platforms, including the official Killer Shorts website, Scrybe, Stage 32, FilmFreeway, and Network ISA.
For full guidelines, prize breakdowns, and submission details, visit the official website!
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