Horror for Yule

What is it about Christmas and horror? Halloween has had it’s day this year and yet there is still a certain something in the air. Is it the cold and dark nights? Is it the pressure of getting everything just right at Christmas and the fear of the chaos?

There is nothing like a ghost story on these dark evenings running up to the festive time. The Woman in Black by Susan Hill, Charles Dickens and M.R James to name a few.

Culturally, we’ve turned on the lights, forced up the jolliness to escape the reality of the dark. Because the dark is still there, in our psyches and our subconsciousness. We’ve embraced the gift giving and the festive lights but we’re ignoring the dark. The dark is what it is all about, because without the dark we have no need to look for the light. We have no need to light the candles and build up the fires to keep the dark away. We know it’s there and slowly we are inviting the old dark back with Krampus, the Wild Hunt, Black Peter, Yule Cat and many more. It’s all about the balance and maybe it’s becoming somewhat hipster to jump on this particular bandwagon. It digs into those pagan roots again, which Christmas so blatantly derives from.

I have realized I have not watched enough or read enough Christmas horror. This must be rectified. My new challenge is to watch or read a Christmas horror story or movie for everyday in December. Bring on the darkness!