Holiday-themed horror movies make for some of the most enjoyable rewatches of the year. Every year, many revisit Halloween with Michael Myers, the Fourth of July with Bruce the Shark, or celebrate Christmas with their favorite sorority sisters. Celebrating “Horror Holidays” is as old as the genre. Attaching a film to a holiday is nothing new, and it’s time for more franchises to do the same. With Founder’s Day, the latest teen slasher set during a “holiday” set for release this weekend, here are a few bloody bloody holidays to celebrate.
The Horror Holidays
A Gremlins Valentine’s Day
The cute and cuddly mogwai are easily mistaken for teddy bears anyway. Picking up in the aftermath of Gremlins 2: The New Batch, The Clamp Corporation needs to find a way past the disastrous experiments they were running. Enter a cheap marketing ploy, where thousands of mogwai are created to meet the growing demand. The franchise’s unique humor opens the door for some rather racy jokes, especially given the holiday’s romantic inclinations.
Candyman: The Saint Patrick’s Day Massacre
Bring back Tony Todd, Yahya Abdul-Mateen, and Vanessa Estelle Williams as violence erupts across Chicago. Candyman‘s ties to Cabrini-Green are intrinsic to the story, and Nia DeCosta’s 2021 reboot wrestled with that legacy. However, it could go further in understanding the inequality within the city. With St. Patrick’s Day leaving the residents of Chicago oblivious in their party stupor, Candyman can return with a vengeance. How dare Chicagoans party in the place where Daniel Robitaille met his unjust ending? He will not stand for it.
Hell House L.L.C.: A Memorial Day at the Fair
A found-footage franchise can be hard to extend beyond its initial release. However, Hell House L.L.C. continues to break new ground. Its most recent entry, Horror House L.L.C Origins: The Carmichael Manor, delivered some incredible background.
It would be easy to set up a new traveling haunted house. However, the potential for other carnival attractions opens new doors. Catching a glimpse of that clown in a hall of mirrors would make my blood run cold. Imagine a Ferris Wheel gone awry, and every time the cameraman returns to the bottom, the mannequins move closer. A Memorial Day setting also allows the stars to be teens filming the fair coming to town on their last day of school. At a bare minimum, it would make for a unique horror holiday movie.
A Nightmare at Elm Street BBQ
We know that Freddy would love nothing more than opening a barbeque pop-up. Mr. Krueger knows his way around a fire, and we bet he makes a great shredded coleslaw. Sure, Team Leatherface has more BBQ trophies, but Freddy has finally hit his stride. Imagine all the “America Dream” puns he’ll have in store for us.
Evil Dead: Labor Day
Ash (Bruce Campbell) would have a problem with the Deadites ruining his one day off work in September. Value Stop does not give a lot of PTO, and the Deadites do not respect an out-of-office message at the best of times. Let this serve as a fun return for characters from the TV series Ash vs. Evil Dead. If we want to move on from Ash, pick up the story from Evil Dead Rise, when a new group of teens visit the cabin at the lake, unknowingly stumbling upon Jessica and the Deadites of the woods.
Friday the 13th: Christmas Break
Jason Voorhees wants a nice Christmas break after a year of terrorizing teenagers. However, when a new group purchases Camp Crystal Lake, they believe a short two-week Winter Camp can prepare their counselors for a longer summer season. Spread out the killings over a few days, and imagine Jason giving chase through the snow with a bloody machete in hand. The imagery alone makes this a must-watch. \
Scream: New Year
Get your New Year’s Rules… ahem, resolutions, ready for Ghostface. Picking up in New York again, Scream: New Year can open with a new killer, new kids, and take place over a single night. Most of the best Scream moments occur during and after parties anyway. Set it up as a “shot in real-time” thriller, all while the city around the teens is engaged in a massive party. So many setups and one-off kills are possible. If the party itself is built correctly, Scream could easily borrow from the recent trend of murder mysteries.
Pitch more Horror Holiday and Franchise mashups in the comments!
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