It goes between “And All through the House” and Elves

62. Santa Claws – Nicholas Adams

This 1991 slasher YA novel is good enough that I wish it were one of the many terribly made Christmas horror movies I put in a YouTube playlist along with 80s commercials (the golden times for toy commercials – so many very stiff action figure bodies being bounced around, so much imagination required) to wrap presents or make presents to. One other thing I appreciate about it more so now when trying to re-look it up is that it’s a werewolf book and not about a cat. It seems that cats have latched on to the “Santa Claws” concept and run away with it. It could have been werewolves.

This is the story of Cory, his weird dreams and inability to finish one article for the school paper, unexplained blood-splashy deaths of both animal and aggressive teen girl boyfriend stealer, Cory’s ex-girlfriend and her investigative prowess, and a Canadian exchange student all coming together in their little town to have a bad time. It works though. It hums along at an angsty clip and was very easy to visualize to the point where I can picture the brightly colored sweaters now.

Is that a werewolf in this clearly very real forest? Nope. It’s Thorfy standing on his hind legs, which makes it look even more real.

 

P.S. Happy Black Pigmas from Pere! She’s still on the phone.