Christmas Creeps

When we discussed A Karate Christmas Miracle last year, we swore that we wouldn't touch its follow-up unless we had no other choice. Ladies and gentlemen, that day came far sooner than we expected.

A Wrestling Christmas Miracle has the distinction of being the only Christmas movie to feature the late, great Gilbert Gottfried. Going into this, that was all we knew. Only now can we say that we have been well and truly snookered. Gottfried is only in this movie because it recycles footage from a completely different movie, one that actually does feature Gilbert Gottfried. It's all very ridiculous, and we'll do our best to explain it all on this week's episode!

Questions/Comments? Email us at [email protected]Tweet us @ChristmasCreepsVisit us on the web at ChristmasCreeps.com! Join us on our Discord channel!

Intro/Outro: Happy Christmas, You Guys! (Simon Panrucker) / CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

Please enjoy this week's Stocking Stuffer to tide you over until our next full episode. This week we're taking a look at The Norm Show, Norm Macdonald's foray into the world of late-90s sitcoms.

In this episode, "Norm vs Christmas", Norm tries to show his co-workers how magical Christmas can be, with a non-denominational holiday party, a Secret Santa gift exchange, and surprise decorations at home. This inevitably ends with everyone visiting the hospital, where even more shenanigans ensue.

Also on this podcast, we briefly discuss the film we originally meant to cover, Joe eats a disgusting flavor of marshmallow peeps, and Jonathan takes any opportunity to talk about Elden Ring.

Questions/Comments? Email us at [email protected]Tweet us @ChristmasCreepsVisit us on the web at ChristmasCreeps.com! Join us on our Discord channel!

Intro/Outro: Happy Christmas, You Guys! (Simon Panrucker) / CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

This week we return to world of Jim Henson with the 1992 holiday classic The Muppet Christmas Carol! You know how this story goes: Ebenezer Scrooge is a miserly old turd who only loves his money. Three spirits show him the error of his ways, yadda yadda yadda Christmas is saved!

But the Muppets put their own unique spin on this tale, with some help from Jaws: The Revenge star Michael Caine! Is it enough to overcome what an often dark and tragic story A Christmas Carol can be? Or do the Muppets take things too far in the sillier direction? Join us as we answer these questions and more!

Questions/Comments? Email us at [email protected]Tweet us @ChristmasCreepsVisit us on the web at ChristmasCreeps.com! Join us on our Discord channel!

Intro/Outro: Happy Christmas, You Guys! (Simon Panrucker) / CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

Happy New Year to one and all, and welcome to Season 8 of Christmas Creeps!

We kick off the new year with the little-seen 1987 animated Christmas special Christmas Every Day. Based on an 1892 short story by William Dean Howells, this cartoon seeks to answer the question: What would happen if we celebrated Christmas every single day?

Not only does the situation send one family into crisis, but it also puts a huge strain on the global supply chain, and sends this very podcast into an existential spiral from which we only barely manage to recover!

Questions/Comments? Email us at [email protected]Tweet us @ChristmasCreepsVisit us on the web at ChristmasCreeps.com! Join us on our Discord channel!

Intro: Happy Christmas, You Guys! (Simon Panrucker) / CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 Outro: I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day (Wizzard)

Last week we pit the original Home Alone against its 2021 remake. Of course the remake didn't hold a candle to the original, but there is still a bit of unfinished business we need to discuss.

On this podcast, we attempt to rank all of the traps from both films. First we rank all the traps in the original Home Alone. Then we do the same for Home Sweet Home Alone. How does the iron to Marv's face stack up against the blowtorch to Harry's head? A billiards ball to the face vs a barrage of thumb tacks to the face; which is worse?

This episode attempts to answer these questions, and more!

Questions/Comments? Email us at [email protected]Tweet us @ChristmasCreepsVisit us on the web at ChristmasCreeps.com! Join us on our Discord channel!

INTRO/OUTRO: "Christmas All Alone" by Candlegravity

Merry Christmas to one and all! We don't usually pit two films against one another, but since it is Christmas we thought we'd give you fine listeners a little holiday treat.

Home Alone is one of our generation's unassailable holiday classics. We've covered a number of its sequels on the show before, but tonight we're finally digging into the 1990 original. But because one Home Alone simply isn't enough, we're also doing a deep dive into the newest entry in the series, Home Sweet Home Alone, just released on Disney+.

What makes the original a modern classic while the remake struggles to even find its footing? How many of the traps would a human being reasonably fall for? What on earth do you even use a male-to-male extension cord for, anyway? Join us as we answer these questions and a whole lot more!

Questions/Comments? Email us at [email protected]Tweet us @ChristmasCreepsVisit us on the web at ChristmasCreeps.com! Join us on our Discord channel!

Intro/Outro: Carol of the Bells (Bards Bizarre)

This week we discuss the nostalgia-fueled Nintendo frenzy of the film 8-Bit Christmas! Inspired in part by A Christmas Story, the film tells the tale of young Jake, a kid like any other in 1988 who just wanted a Nintendo Entertainment System for Christmas.

As you can imagine, this week's podcast is going to be wall-to-wall Video Game Chat. We understand if that might not be your cup of tea, but as three fans of video games ourselves, we each have firsthand experience with being a kid in the thrall of Nintendo's 8-bit charms. This could not be any more For Us if it tried. And yet, this is a film very much NOT For Us. Go figure.

Anyway, we'll dig into why this film's sense of nostalgia may be a bit askew, and why the most prominent NES game featured is, of all things, "Rampage". Buckle up, because it's about to get nerdy. Good luck, have fun!

Questions/Comments? Email us at [email protected]Tweet us @ChristmasCreepsVisit us on the web at ChristmasCreeps.com! Join us on our Discord channel!

Intro/Outro: Happy Christmas, You Guys! (Simon Panrucker) / CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Or rather, Happy T-Hanksgiving!

This week we dig deep into the Tom Hanks-filled 2004 animated feature The Polar Express, which somehow manages to turn Chris Van Allsburg's 32-page book into a feature-length adventure full of magical train-hopping hobos, swing-dancing elves, and one kid's quest to continue believing in Santa at all costs.

Our discussion takes some wild turns, from musing on the film's intended audience, to The Polar Express's influence on later animated features and video games (more than you'd think!), to postulating the existence of a Santa Claus multiverse. So hold onto your tickets and hop aboard, because this train's about to leave the station!

Questions/Comments? Email us at [email protected]Tweet us @ChristmasCreepsVisit us on the web at ChristmasCreeps.com! Join us on our Discord channel!

Intro/Outro: Happy Christmas, You Guys! (Simon Panrucker) / CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

On this week's episode, we attempt to explain the weirdo madness of the 1985 Rankin/Bass special The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus! Based on a story by "Wizard of Oz" author L. Frank Baum, this special features a council of immortal wood nymphs, an army of invisible trolls, and an elf that may or may not have inspired a character from The Legend of Zelda. Oh, and somewhere in all that there's the origin story of Santa Claus.

Also in this week's show, we take some time to sample a few new holiday libations, break down what it means to be a Christmas movie, and share our pitches for The Christmas Chronicles 3!

Questions/Comments? Email us at [email protected]Tweet us @ChristmasCreepsVisit us on the web at ChristmasCreeps.com! Join us on our Discord channel!

Intro/Outro: Happy Christmas, You Guys! (Simon Panrucker) / CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

We conclude Home For The Horrordays with James Wan's The Conjuring 2! Set against the chilly backdrop of Christmas, Conjuring 2 is based on the Enfield Poltergeist, a true haunting case from the late 1970s in which a ghost supposedly haunted a single mother and her four children living in the north of London.

And joining us this week is our old pal Dr. Nick! Last heard on our Black Christmas episode, Nick returns to help us break down all the spooks, scares and general quackery going on here. Also this week, we taste test some disgusting holiday candy, Johnny-5 slams a Four Loko and, well... You can guess where things go from there...

Questions/Comments? Email us at [email protected]Tweet us @ChristmasCreepsVisit us on the web at ChristmasCreeps.com! Join us on our Discord channel!

Intro/Outro: Happy Christmas, You Guys! (Simon Panrucker) / CC BY-NC-SA 3.0