‘Eli Roth’s History of Horror’ Recap: ‘Holiday Horror’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 305 of ‘Eli Roth’s History of Horror’.
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There was a time, where the horror genre was limited in its scope and reach. To the point where certain topics and events weren’t showcased in the genre in the slightest and where it was only celebrated around the time of Halloween. For the world seemed to believe that there was a time and a place to be scared and that was that. But thankfully, the revolutionary era that was the 1960s and 1970s changed all that and allowed for horror to grow and expand into the pop culture juggernaut it is today. Wherein it is celebrated year-round and ironically… it took the invention of holiday themed horror films to make that happen and seeing as to how it is Halloween weekend, now seemed like the perfect time for Eli Roth’s History of Horror to explore holiday horror’s storied history.
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For ‘Holiday Horror’ took the time to explore the sub-genre’s birth and evolution into the staple that it is today and well, it’s humble origins can be traced back to two key films from the 1970s. For Bob Clark’s Black Christmas (1974) was really the first film that dared to challenge the idea that movies in this vein shouldn’t exist and that holidays should be sacred and free from the monsters that roam the shadows of the horror genre, and it was so well done and so intelligent in its commentary, that a level of public acceptance finally came about for this type of film. Enough in fact, that an up-and-coming filmmaker named John Carpenter… showed everyone just how great these kinds of movies could be, by way of his groundbreaking slasher film, Halloween (1978).

For the success of that film, motivated just about every single independent and major studio to get into the holiday horror business and just like that, theaters and home video were flush with all kinds of holiday horror flicks. Some followed in the footsteps of Bob Clark and offered their own horrific and sometimes controversial take on the holiday season, such as Silent Night, Deadly Night. While others… just picked any other holiday on the calendar and turned it into a waking nightmare. Which allowed for New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day and even Mother’s Day to be absorbed into the horror universe. In fact, these movies were so successful and so in demand that even April Fool’s Day received its own nightmarish venture, one that managed to be quite controversial because of its ending.

But what is so magical about this sub-genre’s storied history, is that it continues to thrive in the 21st Century. For John Carpenter’s vision has found new life and new legs by way of a reimagined finale trilogy that is near completion and of course, these movies have also evolved with the times and offer the same depth and commentary as their other horror brethren. For instance, Kramups is a holiday horror flick that genuinely explores not only the stresses of the holiday season, but the importance of finding some kind of beauty about the season so it doesn’t overwhelm us. And Happy Death Day, well that’s a film that gets into some supremely philosophical territory about our fears of death and how time escapes us and how those fears tend to relate to the importance of dealing with the trauma that comes about when loss and grief enters our lives.

However, while it was fascinating to learn about this sub-genre and its meteoric rise to prominence in modern pop-culture, what really fascinates us about this genre… is why we love it so. Because if the holidays are indeed this perfect nexus of joy and light, why turn to these types of films? Easy. Because the holidays aren’t as wonderful as we make them out to be. They can be a genuinely difficult time for us since there are so many tasks weighing upon us, and unexpected stresses and they can also dredge up rotten memories and well… these movies allow us to work through that and find the strength to deal with the season and… that one aunt or uncle that we simply cannot stand but always gets invited to holiday dinner because… ‘they’re family.’ But all of that aside, Eli Roth and his team deserve our thanks here. In part for showcasing a sub-genre that we tend to forget about sometimes and for also offering up some solid recommendations for us to watch… once the season and its stresses get underway. Until next time.

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