December 17, 2025

Santa vs Zombies | Cliff McClelland

37 minutes

Mike Rhyner and Grubes welcome Cliff McClelland, the creator/producer/head mad scientist behind A Creature Was Stirring—a PG Christmas zombie-apocalypse movie for kids, filmed mostly in Garland (because of course it was). Cliff explains how COVID, teaching theater at Richardson High, and accidentally growing a “surprisingly legit Santa beard” led to one big question: What does Santa do when the world shuts down and kids can’t even visit the mall?

Answer: he gets on a ham radio, spreads hope, dodges zombies, and teams up with a polar bear named CeCe (no, you can’t call it Coca-Cola, lawyers exist). Along the way: slapstick “medication” side effects, three types of zombies (including a pacifist one named Ed), an AI sidekick that’s equal parts helpful and deeply uncomfortable, plus the real behind-the-scenes grind of getting a micro-budget indie film packaged and placed on streaming services.

It’s equal parts holiday spirit, absurdity, and “how the sausage is made”—with just enough talk about pants, bodily functions, and robots to keep it on brand.

CHAPTERS

00:00:00 – Lightning Strike + The Mothership Powers Up

00:01:26 – Meet Cliff McClelland: The Man Behind a New Christmas Film

00:02:11 – Introducing A Creature Was Stirring (Yes, It’s a PG Zombie Christmas Movie)

00:03:02 – Filmed in Garland (Mostly): Local Connections and Locations

00:03:39 – Two South Siders Enter the Chat (And History Is Made)

00:04:09 – “Christmas Zombie Apocalypse… For Kids”: Explaining the Tone

00:04:55 – COVID + Teaching Theater: Where the Idea Actually Came From

00:05:58 – Santa’s Ham Radio Hope Mission

00:07:00 – The Zombies Arrive: The “Calm-Down Drug” That Goes Horribly Right

00:07:36 – Side Effects: Heart Attacks, Diarrhea, and the Healing Power of Potty Jokes

00:08:27 – Santa vs. Zombies, PG Edition: Surviving With Hope (and Minimal Violence)

00:09:01 – Ham Radio Reality Check: Accidentally Switching to Morse Code

00:10:32 – Micro-Budget Filmmaking: Mom’s $7,000, Friends, and Making It Work

00:11:06 – CeCe the Polar Bear: The Costume From China Gamble

00:12:20 – Learning to Dance Like a Polar Bear (Disney Cruise Choreographer Assist)

00:13:18 – Singing in the Movie: Cliff’s Musical Theater and Band Background

00:15:04 – Plot Breakdown: Santa’s Routine + The World After the Outbreak

00:15:47 – Three Zombie Types + Ed the Pacifist Zombie

00:16:16 – The “Zombie Drool” Recipe and Why Art Is Suffering

00:17:48 – Filming Chaos: Traffic, Resetting Takes, and Zombie Tears on Command

00:19:01 – Airport Story: The Drunk Fan Who Wanted Help Committing a Federal Crime

00:20:16 – AI Girl Joins the Movie: Why Santa Needed Someone to Talk To

00:22:18 – Turning a Real Person into AI Girl (and Keeping It Streamer-Legal)

00:23:17 – The PG “AI Kiss” Moment (and Nope-ing Out of the Weirdness)

00:24:06 – Cliff’s Other Work: Horror Film, Published Novel, What’s Next

00:25:08 – Sequel Talk: Easter, Zombie Ed Thinks He’s Jesus, and AI Girl Returns

00:26:07 – Mid-Show Read: CBD House of Healing

00:29:50 – Getting on Streamers: Aggregators, Captions, Posters, and FilmHub

00:31:49 – The Bittersweet Part: Mom Saw the Rough Cut, Not the Big Release

00:32:29 – Where to Watch: Prime, Tubi, Roku + The Full Streaming List

00:33:32 – Tooth Mouse Puppet Sequence + Making It Work for Kids and Adults

00:34:36 – Rhyner Fears AI, Shoopy Doesn’t Even Like QR Codes

00:36:07 – Release Timing + Final Plug for A Creature Was Stirring

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By Mike Rhyner

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