Nerdly » HorRHIFFic 2024: ‘Dean of the Dead Presents Holiday Horrors!’ Review

05th Mar2024

HorRHIFFic 2024: ‘Dean of the Dead Presents Holiday Horrors!’ Review

by Phil Wheat

Stars: Dean Sharp, Richard Harrington, Nia Roberts, Gwyneth Keyworth, Sule Rimi, Mike Butler, Bizz Raggett, Evan Heneghan, Jennifer Riddle, Luis Delgado, Everett Lauster, Kayla Orben, Carole-Anne Fooks, Hayden Hancock, Drew Marvick, J.J. McGrath, Joe Nurse, Heather Marshall | Directed by Ryan Andrews, Tony Mardon, James Edward Newton, Jeph Porter, Ryan Kruger, Matt Shaw, Christian Fescine, Mark Felix Stewart, Justin Wiggins, Drew Marvick, Jonathan Zaurin

Dean of the Dead Presents Holiday Horrors! is a seasonal horror-themed anthology that features stories from ten different directors, all wrapped up with an introduction from Dean of the Dead – a host akin to the likes of Tales From the Crypt‘s Cryptkeeper; and with visuals that look like they’ve jumped straight from the pages of the EC Comics of old… think Creepshow but on a much lower budget!

So what terrifying tales are in this one?

First up is LITTLE MUNCHKIN, directed by Ryan Andrews, which sees a well-to-do couple visit an orphanage to adopt a child, but will they find one who fits their persnickety lifestyle? And by persnickety, they mean a child that will complement their new sofa! Of course there are consequences for being picky and it seems their new adopted child Margaret has some “issues,” which have horrific consequences for her family and their babysitter! A brilliantly subversive diatribe on adoption (with a great line “a child is for life not just for Christmas”), Little Munchkin is a fantastic riff on 2009s Orphan, with just an effective central performance from Gwyneth Keyworth.

LIBRA, helmed by the directing duo of Tony Mardon and James Edward Newton, is an impactful LOVE story about a man, a woman and a lot of maggots. Certainly not for the squeamish, this bleak film has scenes that will literally turn your stomach – especially the guys in the audience! Essentially a short akin to the extreme horrors of Thanatomorphose, Libra goes for the shocks and succeeds tremendously. I would say ‘succeeds admirably’ but there’s nothing admirable about this short!

THE GREEN DEATH, from director Jeph Porter, is St. Patrick’s Day horror short that sees the people of Chicago turned into zombies by the green beer they drink to excess on the day that marks the death of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Ironic isn’t it? The day people celebrate the death of St. Patrick they literally drink themselves to death! Seemingly inspired by Street Trash, the 1987 alcohol-based horror penned by the legendary Roy Frumkes, The Green Death is just as fun, with the same streak of dark humour found in that film, and just as terrifying. Ultimately making for a fantastic mix of laughs and scares.

Dean of the Dead Presents Holiday Horrors! Also features a few of the fake ads akin to the full-length version of Grindhouse – FRIED BARRY, a spin-off from director Ryan Kruger’s film of the same name; and a pair of Matt Shaw helmed ads: STYNX and SAMARITANS.

Easter Bunny horror EGGS, from director Christian Fescine, sees Billy (Everett Lauster) find a strange egg in his sister’s garden – an egg that slowly drives Billy insane as the “owner” wants it back, taunting Billy with more eggs and strange phone calls. Until eventually Billy is driven so mad that he commits murder. Straight and to the point, Eggs is both a metaphor for mental health and a stark warning to those who take what doesn’t belong to them. And whilst it runs just long enough to get its point across, I couldn’t help but think this one needed a little more time and a little more story to truly be effective.

WHILE DAYLIGHT RESTS come from director Mark Felix Stewart, the founder of Sunrise Giants whose work transitions film, animation and even media. Here he crafts a poetic look at the Halloween – the fall of the leaves, the autumn tones and the cold nights. Nights that contain unspoken horrors. Hours that are rendered both in film form and in wonderfully crafted, and remarkably creepy, sketches, showcasing both Stewart’s skills and his eye (and ear) for storytelling.

Stewart’s film leads straight into FOOL ME ONCE, from director Justin Wiggins, which was originally released back in 2017 and tells the story of two kids who plan to obtain more candy on Halloween backfires on two trick-or-treaters as they venture out past curfew despite reports of a ritualistic-style murderer being on the lose. A fantastic take on the Boy Who Cried Wolf, set on Halloween, with two child protagonists who almost… almost, deserve what they get after tricking an old couple into feeling sorry for them. But this couple themselves might not be what you think! Well-shot, superbly lit, with probably the best cinematography of this entire bunch of shorts, the real highlight of this short is its monster. Seen in shadow it looks like the spawn of Satan in a biker jacket! Amazing stuff and a great decision to keep this monster in the shadows – after all, imagination is more powerful than any SFX.

Drew Marvick’s SCARED TO DEATH feels like a love letter to the generation of adults who grew up in the VHS heyday, with Marvick’s character running for his life from a zombie, straight into the home of demon worshippers. Only things are not what they seem… Marvick’s tale is a perfect rendition of the kinds of twisted tales you’d find in old EC Comics, with the same black humour and sting in its tail (or tale) that made those stories so satisfying to read. Short and sweet, Scared to Death is both funny and frightening, a hard combination to get right. Something Marvick does wonderfully.

SANTA BABY, directed by Jonathan Zaurin, the man behind the fantastic Wyvern Hill, rounds off this anthology is creepy Christmas fashion as a psychopath dressed as Santa Claus invades Nanny Slice’s home, killing her in her bed before heading downstairs into the basement to take care of “Baby Gerald.” Only Gerald ain’t no baby and there’s more than one psychopath in the house on this night! A great little Christmas horror, Santa Baby is cliched but it’s so well-produced that it overcomes those shortcomings to deliver a weird final denouement for what is a fantastic series of short films.

Like a lot of recent anthologies, Dean of the Dead Presents Holiday Horrors! is actually made up of a series of already made shorts, some dating back to 2011, all brought together under one thematic umbrella – much like Zombieworld or American Terror Tales – and repackaged for an eager horror audience as a brand-new feature. It seems like a cheap and quick way to make a new film, and it can be, but with the right amount of care and attention – which Dean of the Dead Presents Holiday Horrors! has, just look at those opening credits for example, and you get a fantastic showcase for short films you may never have had the chance to see before.