What happens when the symbols of our holidays themselves turn against us? What if we find ourselves running not from Frankenstein or Dracula or some other manifestation of desire and technology run amok, but we’re running from murderous Saint Nick himself? What happens when the things we celebrate in song are recontextualized as explicit symbols of fear?
Here’s the thing. A dude in a suit slashing people while dressed as Santa is a subversion of expectations, sure. Presumably, the victims wouldn’t expect someone dressed as Santa to be carrying a knife. But in that context, in horror films, the suit is simply camouflage. We’re looking for something more. We’re looking for the fear that comes when our own most special childhood icons… go very, very dark.
