Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 219

ABSOLUTE BATMAN: Issue #1 Review

The newest (and widest?) iteration of the Dark Knight is hitting comic stands, and Nerdist’s Kyle Anderson is diving in to break down the first issue on today’s episode of Nerdist News!

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Pokémon TCG: Abigail Breslin Strikes w/ Lapras’ Power Splash | Stellar Crown Showdown

Welcome back, Trainers! This week’s guest Abigial Breslin is looking to make a splash in the Stellar Crown Showdown with Lapras ex as she squares off against host Alison Mattingly’s Food Prep Kofu deck!

Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet – Stellar Crown is available now!

https://tcg.pokemon.com/en-us/expansi...

Decklists:

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Special Guest: Abigail Breslin
Host: Alison Mattingly

Production Services by @HyperRPG

Director: Zachary Lim Eubank
Writer: Lucas Eubank
Executive Producers: Dan Casey and Alison Mattingly
Producers: Malika Lim Eubank and Matt Acevedo
Production Designer: Brad Bailey
Editor: Kalani Newman
Camera Ops: Manny Perez and Briana Monet
1st AC: Jeanna Kim
BTS Videographers: Matt Allan Smith and Lena Lee
Production Assistant: Dwain Joseph Burke
Audio Engineer: Jose Perez (JP Recording)
Technical Director: Jo Paloma
Mr. Crews’ HMU Artist: Annette Chaisson
HMU Artist: Lucena Herrera
Art Director: Angie Lister
Table Fabricator: Jonathan Adair-Austin
Table Designer: Monica M. Magaña
Graphic Designer: Caitlin Miller
Construction Foreman/Prop Maker: Kevin Murphy
Paint/Builder: Da’Rell Stacy Hobbs
Caterer: Jon Wong
VFX Artist: Kyle Stephens
Virtual Production Supervisor: Malika Lim Eubank
3D Artist: Kain Suwannaphin
Music Provided By: Epidemic

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Quests N’ Answers | Inside Sagas of Sundry: Goblin Mode Ep. 6

Welcome to Quests N’ Answers, the companion series to Sagas of Sundry: Goblin Mode! ***Spoilers ahead for episode 6***

What happens when you combine a mansion full of monsters, copious amounts of alcohol, and weapons-grade stupidity? Well, you get the latest episode of Goblin Mode, the Heist of the Century! Join Dan Casey and fellow cast members Amy Vorpahl, Jason Nguyen, and Danielle Radford as they take you deep behind the scenes of the Terror Squad’s attempt to make Ocean’s Eleven look like Babytown Frolics.

New episodes of Sagas of Sundry: Goblin Mode air every Monday on Geek & Sundry or wherever you get your podcasts: https://lnk.to/goblinmodepod

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Sagas of Sundry: Goblin Mode is a Geek & Sundry production made in partnership with Realm.

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Heist of the Century | Sagas of Sundry: Goblin Mode | Episode 6

t’s the heist of the century as Bizzee, Tippy, and Fibs plan a daring raid on the Fiends United headquarters! Will their unconventional plan go off without a hitch? Or will the Terror Squad’s attempts to turn a kegger into a rager leave them high and dry? And just what exactly are Regular Monster Hours? Find out in the latest episode of Saga of Sundry: Goblin Mode.

Goblin Mode is also available wherever you get your podcasts: https://lnk.to/goblinmodepod

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Sagas of Sundry: Goblin Mode is a Geek & Sundry production made in partnership with Realm.

Official camera partner: FUJIFILM USA — Visit https://shopusa.fujifilm-x.com for more!

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Joker 2 Review: What Went Wrong?

Joker: Folie à Deux has finally hit theaters 5 years after the surprising success of the first film, but the long awaited sequel is facing a much more controversial reception from fans and critics. Kyle Anderson and Michael Walsh discuss their thoughts on the film and where things might have gone wrong on today’s video.

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STRANGER THINGS’ Mason Dye Joins THE BOYS Season Five as Bombsight

The Boys season five is going to be an explosive ending to a winding and wild ride of a story. Season four left things in a major lurch with the Boys collective broken, Homelander once again having way too much power, and the United States in chaos. What will go down in this final round? Can the Boys team ever forgive Butcher for his betrayal and heinous acts? 

That remains to be seen but we do know that there’s a familiar face joining the crowd. According to Deadline, The Boys season five is adding Stranger Things star Mason Dye, who played the mean and ill-fated jock Jason Carver in season four, to its cast as a supe named Bombsight. We already know he can play a jerk well, so he should fit right in with Homelander’s crew.

Netflix/Prime Video

He was mentioned briefly in the series before and is one of the oldest supes to exist. There’s also word that Dye’s Bombsight will be in The Boys prequel Vought Rising as a main character. Interesting.

Here’s everything we know about The Boys season five. 

The Boys Season Five’s Plot 

Right now, there’s no information about the show’s plot. But showrunner Eric Kripke promises that there will probably be “lots of deaths” and that he does have an ending already in mind. That makes sense considering that he’s been saying he had a five season arc in mind for a few years. Here’s what he told SlashFilm: 

I’d say we’re squarely in the middle. Every season we know that we want Homelander to get a little more disconnected from reality, and we want Butcher to get a little scarier. The show is, at the end of the day, about these two forces charging towards each other, between Butcher and Homelander. I know that them finally smashing into each other, once and for all, will be a big part of whatever end game we come up with. But beyond that, and beyond knowing where I want Hughie, it’s like I know where I want a lot of the characters to end up. That’s what I would say. I actually don’t even necessarily know the climax of the show, as much as I know that 10 pages that happens at the end, when they say six months later, and you see where everyone is. I know where everyone is. Then my job, as whenever we get to it, my job is to just make sure we can back into that.

Behind the Scenes Jasper Savage/The Boys

Of course, Eric Kripke will continue to steer The Boys ship as its showrunner. It remains to be seen who will step in as directors for the episodes. We can assume the writing staff will return for the fifth and final season. 

The Boys Season Five’s Cast 

All the usual suspects should be coming back, including the Boys collective with Karl Urban (Butcher), Laz Alonso (MM), Tomer Capone (Frenchie), Erin Moriarty (Annie/Starlight), Karen Fukuhara (Kimiko), and Jack Quaid (Hughie Campbell). Jeffrey Dean Morgan will surely reprise his role as Joe Kessler too. For the supes, Antony Starr (Homelander), Valorie Curry (Firecracker), Susan Heyward (Sister Sage), and Chace Crawford (The Deep) will certainly be there. And, sorry to be spoilery, but Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy will be a The Boys season five regular.

We will see if others like Jessie T. Usher (A-Train), Colby Minifie (Ashley Barrett), and Giancarlo Esposito (Stan Edgar) will come back as well considering their rather ambiguous endings in season four.

The Boys announced on its social media pages that Daveed Diggs would be a part of the season five cast. That’s all the show is giving us for now but we are already intrigued. 

New S5 crumbs… let’s all welcome Daveed Diggs to The Boys family, shall we? He’ll be playing a character in the show. That’s all ya get for now. pic.twitter.com/rgEf740UNN

— THE BOYS (@TheBoysTV) September 24, 2024

The Boys Season Five’s Release Date 

There is currently not a release date for The Boys season five. The show is expected to start filming in late 2024 through mid-2025, so it is likely that we won’t see new episodes until 2026.

Originally published September 24, 2024.

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DUNE: PART TWO Gets Another Limited-Edition Steelbook in November

Dune: Part Two is getting a new—and seemingly improved—4K Steelbook following a release that sold out almost instantly earlier this year. This release is also limited-edition and will probably move just as quickly. The Dune: Part Two Steelbook will release on November 20 but you can pre-order it right now via Walmart for a very respectable price of $29.96. 

Legendary Pictures

There is always so much to be said about owning physical media, especially if it is a series or movie that means a lot to you. So many streaming services are choosing to drop certain media and, if it isn’t streaming, that means you can’t watch it whenever you want. But if you own it, then no executives nor anyone else can take it away.

Here are some details about its special features: 

Chakobsa TrainingCreating the Fremen WorldFinding the Worlds of DuneBuzz Around the New “Thopter”Worm-RidingBecoming FeydA New Set of ThreadsDeeper into the Desert: The Sounds of the Dune

Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.

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STRANGER THINGS 5 Will Reportedly Recast a Character, Hopes to Avoid GAME OF THRONES Mistakes

It feels like Stranger Things has been a phenomenon for as long as we can remember. But now, our favorite party is all grown up, and the time has come for the series’ last chapter. Stranger Things 5 will be the Netflix hit’s final season, but we have no doubt that these concluding episodes will have a ton of meat on their bones.

One mistake that the Duffer Brothers want to avoid in this final round is not sticking the landing and making fans mad, like Game of Thrones. Show editor Dean Zimmerman said the following to ScreenRant: “Their whole mission is to stick the landing on this final season where, controversially, a lot of people say Game of Thrones did not; they don’t want that, and they won’t settle for anything but perfection.”

“So I can assure you that you will not be disappointed, and I can definitely assure you that you will have about the same amount, maybe a little more, content than we did [in] season 4,” Zimmerman continued. This means the show needs to give satisfying and logical conclusions for its main characters and wrap up important storylines. Less filler and more hard-hitting content that really digs into the meat of what’s going down. We shall see.

In other news, it seems we will get more about Hopper’s backstory. As reported by CBR, the series will reportedly recast his daughter Sara, whom we’ve only seen through flashbacks. She’s his daughter who died in 1978 at age 7 prior to the events of season one. We recently saw Sara in Stranger Things season four flashbacks as Hopper revealed his Agent Orange exposure caused her to develop childhood cancer.

This casting call, first seen on Knight Edge Media, asks for “[ SARA ] – Character is portrayed as 5 years old, female, white, blonde and blue/grey eyes. Sara is Hopper’s daughter seen in flashbacks. MUST MATCH TO SEASON 1 CAST MEMBER ELLE GRAHAM…CO-STAR.” The show is still shooting in Atlanta and this would be a very minor role, so it would make sense to bring someone in quickly for it.

Netflix

For now, let’s roll for initiative and head back to Hawkins one more time. Here’s everything we know about Stranger Things 5.

Stranger Things 5‘s Plot

Stranger Things 4 ended with a bang as the Upside Down erupted right into the middle of Hawkins. Although everyone came together to try to stop Vecna, the villainous monster, who is actually One, who is actually Henry Creel, succeeded in merging his evil world with the reality every day people inhabit. The party managed to injure Vecna and seemingly save Max from his clutches. However, the fallout remained apocalyptic. In the final moments of the season, the Upside Down’s ash arrives to cover everything, and a full-out war with the monstrous creatures of the dark world seems imminent.

Netflix

While we don’t know much about Stranger Things 5 yet, we assume it will have just a little to do with how Stranger Things 4 ended. The Duffer brothers haven’t provided many plot specifics but have offered several teases about Stranger Things 5. Among other bits, they shared that the action will remain centered in Hawkins and that likely we’ll see an eight-episode season. Additionally, the Duffers have noted that Will Byers will take a central role in the final season.

Finally, the series’ creators describe Stranger Things 5 as follows, “Five, the way we see it, is kind of a culmination of all the seasons, so it’s sort of got a little bit from each… Whereas before, each season was so [distinct]… [Season] 3 is our big summer blockbuster season with big monsters, and [Season] 4 was the psychological horror. Five, the way we see it, is kind of a culmination of all the seasons, so it’s sort of got a little bit from each. I think that what we’re trying to do is go back to the beginning a little bit, in sort of the tone of 1.” Or, “Season 5 is like if season 1 and 4 had a baby. And then that baby was injected with steroids.” Make of that what you will.

One character whom everyone is curious about is Max. Season four left her with broken limbs and in a coma but we do know that Sadie Sink has been filming with her co-stars. So, how will Max show up in Stranger Things 5? Sadie didn’t give away spoilers to Variety but she did hint that Max will be back in action again.

Netflix

They love having me run,” she affirmed. “That’s all I’ll say.” Of course, we don’t know exactly how that will happen. Will Max be running in the Upside Down or in some sort of Void? Or will she come out of her coma to run again at some point? Who knows.

You can take an official look at the season with a new behind-the-scenes featurette celebrating Stranger Things 5.

Behind the Scenes

Of course, the Duffer brothers, Matt and Ross Duffer, will once again take the helm of Stranger Things 5. Additionally, long-time Stranger Things director Shawn Levy will return to direct at least one episode of the season. Superstitiously, the Deadpool 3 director likes to take on episodes three and four if he can.

Ross Duffer is giving us a few peeks behind-the-scenes of Stranger Things 5. This includes a very rad photo of Steve in front of a radio station, a shred bin with a photo of our dearly departed Eddie shredding on his guitar, and some other fun bits. It makes us super excited for what’s to come.

Stranger Things 5‘s CastRoss Duffer

All our favorite characters and actors will be back for Stranger Things 5. We know for sure that Joyce Byers, Jim Hopper, Mike Wheeler, Nancy Wheeler, Jonathan Byers, Eleven, Lucas Sinclair, Dustin Henderson, Will Byers, Karen Wheeler, Stever Harrington, Robin Buckley, and Murray Bauman will be back. (And with them, their respective actors.) Sadie Sink’s Max survived season four and should return with the rest. We, of course, are still holding the torch for the surprise resurrection of Joseph Quinn’s Eddie Munson. Stranger Things takes place in a supernatural world, after all. And it just wouldn’t be a good season without one Erica Sinclair.

Netflix

When it comes to new faces, we know that Linda Hamilton has joined the cast of Stranger Things 5. But her role remains a secret for now. Additionally, Nell Fisher, Jake Connelly, and Alex Breaux have joined the cast.

Stranger Things 5‘s Release DateNetflix

Stranger Things 5 does not yet have a release date, but it will not arrive in 2024.

Originally published on January 4, 2024.

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SILO Season 2 Trailer Is Here, Apple TV+ Release Date Revealed

The mystery continues. The rebellion is coming. And Rebecca Ferguson‘s Juliette is back. Silo season two will return for another round of sci-fi mysteries on November 15 after its harrowing cliffhanger of a season one ending. Silo, of course, streams on Apple TV+. You can catch Silo season two’s first trailer below and immerse yourself in this fresh batch of dystopian thrills.

In addition to the Silo season two trailer, which has us at the edge of our seats, Apple TV+ has released a synopsis for the series’ second outing. It shares:

Silo is the story of the last ten thousand people on earth, their mile-deep home protecting them from the toxic and deadly world outside. However, no one knows when or why the silo was built and those who try to find out face fatal consequences. Ferguson stars as Juliette, an engineer who seeks answers about a loved one’s murder and tumbles onto a mystery that goes far deeper than she could have ever imagined, leading her to discover that if the lies don’t kill you, the truth will. In addition to Ferguson, Silo season two stars new addition Steve Zahn, alongside returning stars Tim Robbins, Common, Harriet Walter, Chinaza Uche, Avi Nash, Alexandria Riley, Shane McRae, Remmie Milner, Clare Perkins, Billy Postlethwaite, Rick Gomez, Caitlin Zoz, Tanya Moodie and Iain Glen.

Apple TV+

If the lies don’t kill you, the truth will. How is that for a tagline? And already, even in this trailer, someone is threatening Juliette with death. That’s a new character played by Steve Zahn. The man says to Juliette, “You try to open the door again? Then I’m going to kill you.” He seems like he’ll be important, although dangerous. And dangerous, most specifically to Juliette. But what else is new, we suppose? Juliette lives… at least for now.

Apple TV+

As mentioned, Silo Season 2 premieres November 15 on Apple TV+. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for all our favorite characters from season one and all the new folks joining the show. And, of course, we can’t wait to see what fresh answers and novel mysteries come our way. Silo season two, here we go!

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10 Chilling Horror Movies Set at Christmastime

Terrifier 3 shows Art the Clown not only killing people in unbelievably gruesome ways, but also sporting a Santa Claus costume for much of the film. The franchise has moved away from its earlier Halloween setting to Christmastime horror splatter, but that isn’t as unusual as it might seem from afar. 

Legendary Pictures/Cineverse Corp/Warner Bros.

Christmastime may be “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” according to one famous song, but it’s also been a rather frequent setting for horror films. So why set stories of murder and mayhem during a period generally thought of as happy and cheerful? Well, there’s the allure of the innate dichotomy: taking something meant to be joyous and comforting and making it anything but that. But it’s also worth noting that there is something about the iconography of Christmas, from a cascading snowfall to Christmas lights in an otherwise dark room to even Santa himself as a stranger in your home. All of these things can so easily feel ominous with just a slight tilt. 

Here’s a look at ten standout Christmas horror films that you should watch. 

Tales From the Crypt (1972)

We’re starting out with a slight cheat. Tales from the Crypt—yes, this was the first-ever adaptation of the classic horror comic book—is an anthology film with multiple stories. And only one of them is set at Christmas. But that story, “…And All Through the House,” is a strong one, focusing on a woman (Joan Collins) who murders her husband on Christmas Eve to get the insurance money from his death, only to then be terrorized by a killer dressed as Santa Claus trying to break into her house. 

As you’ll see as this list continues, Santa-clad killers have become a perennial aspect of Christmas-set horror movies, but it’s worth noting that Tales from the Crypt did it first. Thanks, Crypt Keeper!

Black Christmas (1974)

Black Christmas’ reputation has grown over the years. More horror fans began realize it’s an oft-overlooked early example of a slasher movie, containing many elements we’d come to associate with those films several years before John Carpenter’s Halloween crystallized the subgenre. But that aside, it’s also a really well crafted Christmastime horror film. The last few girls still remaining at a sorority house as their college goes into its holiday break (including Olivia Hussey, Margot Kidder and Andrea Martin) are stalked by an obscene caller-turned-killer who is hiding in their attic.

The fact that this film’s director, Bob Clark, would go on to once more tackle this same holiday in an incredibly different manner with the beloved A Christmas Story adds an additional amusing element to Black Christmas, which has since been remade twice. 

Christmas Evil (1980)

If you ask some fans to name the movie where Santa Claus is seen holding an axe on the poster, they might blurt out Silent Night, Deadly Night. However, it’s worth noting that Christmas Evil beat them to the punch by four years with a similar marketing campaign. And the actual movie’s story is broadly reminiscent of the more famous Silent Night. The film follows Harry (Brandon Maggart), who saw a disturbing incident as a child involving his parents and someone dressed as Santa. He then grows up to kill people while he dresses up as Santa.

Christmas Evil is rather slow-paced but it does have some interesting ideas throughout. It also boasts a notable superfan in filmmaker John Waters, who loves it so much he recorded an audio commentary for the film’s 2018 Blu-ray and has declared it to be the only movie worth watching at Christmas.

Gremlins (1984)

Gremlins was a big summertime hit but it is a Christmas movie through and through. The Steven Spielberg-produced, Joe Dante-directed classic depicts a Norman Rockwell-esque small town besieged by the title characters. They maliciously rampage—and also hysterically rampage in this horror-comedy—through lovely Kingston Falls on Christmas Eve. Their attack includes all sorts of property damage, maimings, and a body count. The creatures even gleefully swarm and attack a local dressed as Santa Claus at one point. 

Plus we get Phoebe Cates’ all-time classic monologue, as she reveals the amazingly grim reason her character, Kate, doesn’t celebrate Christmas. And though none of the Gremlins dress as Santa, despite a clear love of dress-up, their sweet-natured Mogwai nemesis, Gizmo, does rock a Santa hat at one point. 

Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)

As noted above, Silent Night, Deadly Night might owe a debt to Christmas Evil, especially given their (suspiciously?) similar setups. But the 1984 film is by far the more famous and—apologies to John Waters—the more entertaining of the two, cementing itself as a cult classic with its depiction of Billy (Robert Brian Wilson). He’s a young man who saw a Santa-suited assailant murder his parents as a boy. The now-adult Billy then snaps when he’s forced to wear a Santa suit himself at his toy store job. He ends up going on a killing spree through his small town on Christmas Eve, naturally. 

Silent Night, Deadly Night was quite controversial during its initial release. The film was pulled from theaters after just a week following widespread complaints about commercials depicting its homicidal Santa. But Silent Night, Deadly Night would find a big audience on home video, where many embraced its bloody and campy vibes. Though released within a few years of multiple other Killer Santa movies, this movie’s larger success would lead to multiple sequels and a remake. It eventually received the mark of true modern horror icon status via a Billy action figure from NECA. 

Krampus (2015)

There have been a few movies about Krampus, a creature from German folklore who’s essentially Santa’s evil counterpart. But the biggest and best is the 2015 comedy-horror film from director Michael Dougherty. Krampus is not as strong a holiday-themed horror film as Dougherty’s Trick ‘r Treat, but it still is pretty fun and entertaining in its own right. It helps that it boasts a very game cast, including Adam Scott and Toni Collette as the parents of a family who find their home and neighborhood terrorized by Krampus and his minions, thanks to their distinct lack of Christmas spirit. 

Better Watch Out (2017) 

This amusingly twisted horror movie finds teenage Ashley (Olivia DeJonge) babysitting 12-year-old Luke (Levi Miller) while his parents are at a Christmas party. The duo are terrorized by someone outside the house. But what’s really occurring is a more complex game that eventually involves a few other participants and various twists and turns. Though the movie uses Christmas as more of a backdrop, it’s filled to the brim with Luke’s family’s holiday decorations and music, providing a winking tone to the dark events that occur as the night progresses. 

Anna and the Apocalypse (2017) 

Quick, what’s your favorite Christmas zombie musical film?! If you’re not saying Anna and the Apocalypse, well… What the hell else are you saying?! Feeling like the wacky offspring of Shaun of the Dead and Glee, this British movie focuses on teenage Anna (Ella Hunt) and her friends as they discover a zombie outbreak has begun on the night of their school’s Christmas show. And yes, this is a full blown musical, with all the characters breaking into song throughout (when they’re not being killed and/or zombified). This all happens while Ella channels her inner Buffy to fight back. 

It’s the kind of wild mashup that isn’t for everyone. Anna and the Apocalypse follows in the tradition of Rocky Horror Picture Show and Little Shop of Horrors by proving that horror and musicals can mix. The Christmas setting adds yet another layer to the proceedings, including giving Anna the blood-soaked, candy cane-shaped weapon she uses to take out her undead enemies. 

Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022)

As we’ve established, there have now been many movies about people dressed as Santa Claus who go on killing sprees. But what about a robot dressed as Santa Claus who goes on a killing spree?! That’s the different spin provided by the tongue-in-cheek Christmas Bloody Christmas. In it, a human-sized Santa robot is available for sale except, whoops, it’s original programming by the US Defense Department and a glitch makes one robot (Abraham Benrubi) turn homicidal. 

The horror film essentially turns into a darkly fun, Christmas-themed take on The Terminator. Tori (Riley Dandy) tries to escape the Santa robot as it pursues her and kills everyone who gets in its way. Oh, and this all takes place on Christmas Eve, because while not a must, it’s an always-appreciated addition in these movies.

Terrifier 3 (2024) 

After setting the first two Terrifier films at Halloween, writer-director Damien Leone moves the setting to Christmas for the third chapter of his ultra-violent, graphic and gory horror series. (For those who aren’t familiar, the franchise follows a demented, mysteriously supernatural killer clown named Art, played by David Howard Thornton.) This time, the ever-silent Art decides he loves the Santa outfit he sees a local (Daniel Roebuck) wearing, taking it for himself. He then continues his oh-so graphic kills, naturally, but now mixes in eating (bloody) milk and cookies and giving away (bloody) presents, among other (bloody) Santa trappings in this go around. 

In an appreciated touch, there’s even a special “A Terrifier Christmas” theme song played along the way, first heard in a sequence in which Santa Art shows us what he can do with a chainsaw and a couple getting it on in a shower. Hint: It ain’t pretty. But it’s very red. 

Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.

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