The spirit of Creepmas is alive and well over at Shudder.  While Season 2 has been delayed, horror fans were graced with an animated special in October, and now for December, our gift is the Creepshow Holiday Special!

The 45 minute long single story is based on a J.A. Konrath short story, and written and directed by showrunner Greg Nicotero.  It’s a bizarrely fun Christmas special that only Creepshow could deliver!

(Spoiler Free)

Supernatural Support
The story deals with a man struggling with lycanthropy and seeking out a support group known as “Shapeshifter’s Anonymous” (which is also the title of the episode itself).

We then meet a group of eccentric “shapeshifters” who each have their own unique stories, and each turn into something different.  What starts as a fun and quirky story, goes full yuletide and extreme as they contend with killer Santas in an all-out monster battle.

Practical Perfection
Much like the Season 1 episode “Bad Wolf Down”, “Shapeshifter’s Anonymous” utilizes brilliant practical monster makeup effects.

Between the villain’s unique design, and creating several different animals that these characters shape-shift into, we get a fun variety that’s both detailed and over the top, but still leaves the actors with room to express and emote.

No matter how inhuman they look, there’s a great deal of care put into the makeup on their faces so that we can still see their performances coming through.

Creepmas Cheer
There’s always a debate on whether or not certain movies count as Christmas movies or not (check out our whole video about it).  And on that scale, “Shapeshifter’s Anonymous” has just enough holiday imagery and themes that it counts as one, but it’s still very much its own thing that could probably be enjoyed any time of year.  It’s bizarre and ridiculous, but that’s very much the point.

Looking back at the first season, some of the best episodes were ones that didn’t take themselves too seriously and just fully committed to the gritty pulp style and tone.  This holiday special falls very much in line with that.  And if it’s any indication of what’s to come with Season 2, we’re definitely in for a treat!

The Creepshow Holiday Special debuts on Shudder on Friday December 18, 2020

For more reviews, rankings, videos, memes, and other fun horror content, follow Halloween Year-Round on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube!