Movies
Action Horror ‘Christmas at the Kringles’ from ‘Willy’s Wonderland’ Director Sets October Release
Santa is coming to slay early this year; Briarcliff Entertainment has set a Halloween release for action horror comedy Christmas at the Kringles.
The genre-bending holiday film is currently in production in Los Angeles, with a planned wide theatrical release on October 30, 2026.
Christmas at the Kringles follows “the Seversons, a family starting fresh in a quiet suburban neighborhood, whose next-door neighbors, the Kringles, celebrate Christmas year-round. What begins as charming quickly turns unsettling, as Mark and Julie grow concerned about their son’s growing attachment to the family.
“After a heated confrontation, Mark heads next door to bring his family home only to uncover the Kringles’ true intentions: to hypnotize and indoctrinate them. What follows is a life-or-death rescue mission, as Mark teams up with a rogue, badass Santa in a high-stakes, action-packed fight to save his family.”
Willy’s Wonderland and Pig Hill director Kevin Lewis helms from a script by Zack Imbrogno (Slayers, Fear, Inc.).
Ron Livingston (The Conjuring, Office Space) and Rachel Bilson (The O.C.) lead an ensemble cast featuring Rob Riggle, Arden Myrin, Beverly D’Angelo (Violent Night), and David Wain with Thomas Lennon and Donald Faison.
Director Kevin Lewis previews, “I have been looking to do another zany and bonkers genre film in the vein of ‘Willy’s Wonderland‘ and I found it in Zack Imbrogno’s unique and original screenplay. I feel so fortunate to be surrounded by such a talented cast and crew to bring this crazy train of a movie to life.”
Producer Andrew Ortenberg added, “Working with Kevin Lewis to bring his gloriously batshit and bonkers vision of Christmas to the big screen has been a total joy. That we were able to wrangle a cast that includes icons such as Ron Livingston, Rachel Bilson, Rob Riggle, Thomas Lennon, Arden Myrin, Donald Faison, and Beverly D’Angelo is a testament to Kevin and Zack’s original and unhinged vision of holiday spirit.”
The release date announcement also comes with a first look at the genre-bending holiday movie.
Arden Myrin, Rachel Bilson, Tom Lennon
Donald Faison
A contemporary reimagining of H.P. Lovecraft’s short story Herbert West: Reanimator is on the way, and Deadline has unveiled the first look at the new Herbert West and the pathologist drawn to his orbit.
Adam Simon (The Haunting in Connecticut, “Salem”) and Tim Metcalfe (The Haunting in Connecticut, Kalifornia) penned the script. The original screenplay and storyline come from Jade Sandberg Wallace.
Michael Grossman (“The Originals”, “Pretty Little Liars”) directs.
The new images introduce star Joseph Morgan (“Vampire Diaries“), who plays “brilliant surgeon and scientist Herbert West, who is obsessed with creating a serum to reanimate the dead.” Katie Cassidy (Speed Demon) stars opposite as the pathologist with a troubled past who joins his efforts.
Together, they prove that conquering death may be the ultimate sin against life itself.
The film’s official synopsis: “As a child, Herbert West watches his father Peter reanimate his dead mother Judith in a secret basement lab — only for Judith to mortally wound Peter and nearly kill Herbert before Peter shoots her. The trauma leaves its mark on Herbert, but so does one final image: his mother’s finger, twitching after death. Thirty years later, Herbert West is a brilliant, secretive surgeon still chasing his father’s obsession.
“Pathologist Kate Locke arrives in town and is drawn into his orbit — first through a spark at a hospital fundraiser, then through his secret lab, where he reveals a serum capable of reanimating severed tissue. Kate, hiding a dark past of her own, is thrilled rather than horrified, and moves into West’s mansion to work alongside him. Their early experiments on a cadaver succeed only briefly. West concludes that dead tissue is the problem — they need something fresher.”
Supporting cast includes Scott Aiello, Ira J Amyx, Randall Newsome, Emma Reinagal, James D. Bryce, Kathryn A Bentley, Jack Lancaster, Amy Holland Pennell, John Pierson, Mindy Shaw, Eric Dean White, Tristan Wilder Hallet, Adrienne Lamping, Aaron Crippen, and Drew Patterson.
Makeup artist Jeff Lewis (“Star Trek: Voyager,” “Star Trek: Enterprise”) and cousin Roger Lewis are heading the production via their newly established Woodlake Entertainment.
Lovecraft’s short story, first serialized in Home Brew magazine in 1922, is the first among his works to mention the fictional Miskatonic University. It was most famously adapted into a 1985 horror movie from Stuart Gordon, starring Jeffrey Combs as Herbert West.
Herbert West: Reanimator is set in Alton, Illinois, where production is now underway.
Herbert West: Reanimator. Photo credit: Matt Lief Anderson
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