Connect with us

Editorials

Christmas Playlist: 8 Holiday Songs for the Horror Fan!

Published

on

Gremlins

Horror fans love the holidays too, if the ever-growing catalog of holiday horror movies is any indication. But the endless loop of the same holiday songs playing in the department stores has long grown stale, and it lacks that macabre twist anyhow.

Specifically for horror fans, here are 8 songs to add to your holiday playlist!


Misfits – “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”

The original song was created for the 1966 cartoon based on Dr. Seuss’ book How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Seuss wrote the lyrics himself. I suppose a family Christmas cartoon doesn’t exactly scream horror, but the lyrics are one endless stream of insults. Catchy and mean! It’s even catchier as a cover by horror punk band Misfits, released on their EP Horror Xmas.


Christopher Lee – “Jingle Hell”

At nearly 92 years old, horror icon Christopher Lee became the oldest living performer to enter the Billboard music charts, and with a heavy metal take on a Christmas classic no less. His second Christmas album A Heavy Metal Christmas Too, features another round of rousing metal covers of well-known holiday songs, but “Jingle Hell” is a great place to start.  Lee began his music career singing on The Wicker Man soundtrack, but who knew he’d eventually melt Santa’s face off with heavy guitar riffs?


Tales from the Crypt – “Have Yourself a Scary Little Christmas”

Remember when the Cryptkeeper released a holiday album, titled Have Yourself a Scary Little Christmas? Released in 1994 and now long out of print, it was full of spoofs and puns of popular holiday songs sung by John Kassir as the Cryptkeeper. This means that the entire album is appropriate for your holiday horror playlist, but this song in particular features a dramatic reenactment over the song of horror comic story “And All Through the House” that accompanied the comic reprint in the CD’s booklet.


Anna and the Apocalypse – “It’s That Time of Year”

The entire soundtrack for this Christmas set zombie musical is worth a listen, but “It’s That Time of Year” sung by actress Marli Siu is a holiday standout. It’s a tongue-in-cheek Christmas song in the vein of “Santa Baby,” and it’s dripping with sexual innuendo. Once you see it performed in the film, the comical number will forever be etched in your brain.


Krampus – “Karol of the Bells”

Composer Douglas Pipes gave a haunting twist to popular Christmas song “Carol of the Bells” for the holiday horror-comedy’s end credits. But director Michael Dougherty wanted to include a children’s choir so he added lyrics that served as a cautionary tale and called upon his nephew’s show choir at California’s Brea Olinda High School to record it. Thus, “Karol of the Bells” superior horror twist to a familiar Christmas tune was born.


A Christmas Horror Story – “It’s Christmas Eve”

Alex Khaskin’s opening theme to holiday horror anthology A Christmas Horror Story begins as seemingly normal Christmas music, with saccharine vocals and light-hearted instrumentals. Even the lyrics are traditional. But then the music gets heavier and more ominous, and the chanting kicks in. The lyrics also take a decidedly dark turn, making references to the changelings, demons, and dark spirits in the film.


The Nightmare Before Christmas – “Making Christmas”

Tim Burton’s stop-motion animation feature that sees the gothic, monstrous residents of Halloween Town attempt to take over Christmas is a holiday classic. It helps that the music by Danny Elfman is extremely catchy. “Making Christmas” perfectly encapsulates the spooky holiday tone, in which the town gets to work creating creepy holiday toys and décor. As an alternative to the movie’s version of this song, Rise Against covered the song for Disney’s cover album Nightmare Revisited.


The Gremlins – “The Gremlin Rag”

One of six songs composed by Jerry Goldsmith for the soundtrack, “The Gremlin Rag” is the main theme song to this seminal holiday horror movie written by Chris Columbus and directed by Joe Dante. The theme will embed itself in your head on its own, but this clip from the movie that shows the pint-sized terrors caroling to their own theme song is the best.

Horror journalist, RT Top Critic, and Critics Choice Association member. Co-Host of the Bloody Disgusting Podcast. Has appeared on PBS series' Monstrum, served on the SXSW Midnighter shorts jury, and moderated horror panels for WonderCon and SeriesFest.

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

Published

on

leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

LEPRECHAUN

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

LEPRECHAUN RETURNS sequel

Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

Continue Reading