In the weeks leading up to Christmas, we are caught in a mood of anticipation. We anticipate visits from family, a festive meal, and presents to be opened. We also look forward to the celebration of the incarnation of a god in human flesh, whose death brings about one of the greatest ghost stories ever told. Rephrased, the story of Christmas is already a kind of horror narrative.

Join us for a chilling exploration of the darker side of Christmas. In this episode of Horror Joy, we'll delve into the unsettling underbelly of holiday cheer.

We'll discuss:

• Algernon Blackwood's "The Kit-Bag": A disturbing tale of anticipation and dread.
• Black Christmas: This iconic slasher film reimagines the holiday season as a time of terror.
• The Horror of Consumerism: How the holiday season can become a source of stress and anxiety.
• Loneliness at the Holidays: How the holiday season increases the chances for loneliness, and how the slasher magnifies this loneliness.

So, grab your eggnog and prepare for a frighteningly festive journey. Remember, even Santa Claus has a dark side.

Second wave feminism

Julia Kristeva Abject

Split directed by M. Night Shyamalan

Michael Cisco

Body, Telephone, Voice: Black Christmas (1974) and Monstrous Cinema by Morten Feldtfos Thompsen

Foucault and surveillance

Psycho directed by Hitchcock

Rosemary’s Baby (1968) Directed by Roman Polanski

The Holdovers directed by Alexander Payne

The Call of the Eco-Weird in Fiction, Film, and Games edited by Brian Hisao Onishi and Nathan M. Bell