Haul-iday Highlights 2025

 This used to be an annual tradition but it looks like I haven't done one since 2022. At any rate, here's a look at some of the goodies left under my holiday tree by various supernatural beings.

 

 We'll start off with these awesome gift tags that Mrs Dex found. Perfect for me!

 

 Sadly, this art print from Spooky Cat Press isn't a full comic magazine!

 

 Speaking of Krampus, here's a weird plush from the Pinhead Monsters line.

 

 Throwing this in here because it's on theme. This was a gift to myself after we saw the author, Jeff Belanger, do his "The Fright Before Christmas" show. It's just him and some slides talking about the origin of Christmas as a holiday in addition to all the weird dark folklore from different countries. Can't recommend this enough if you want to dive into the darker side of winter traditions.

 

 A great set of figures from Disney's Haunted Mansion. All the most popular characters are here and I found it interesting that they picked the mummy to round out the set.

 

 And to go with them, a Disney Racers Haunted Mansion Hot Rod! Love the details on this: Mdme. Leota's headstone on the front and the pipe organ in the back.

 

 The Indy Temple Trekker is sporting the famous hat and whip. The vehicle is based on the design used for the ride vehicle from the Disneyland attraction.

 

 While we're talking Disney, Mrs Dex got me this very cool Tron: Ares light up popcorn...bucket? container? It's pretty sizeable at just over a foot tall!

 

I was very excited to unwrap this Funko of one of my favorite Muppets: Pepe the King Prawn. There's not enough Pepe merch out there! And he's flocked!

 

 Rounding things out with a pair of Star Wars card games. This Solo Solitaire game comes in a tin that looks like Han in carbonite. It's basic "Patience" solitaire with a themed deck of cards. There's a Jedi Master mode where you add two additional cards: Carbon Freeze which "freezes" the lane when it reveals, preventing you from playing or moving cards there, until you play Save Solo on it to remove it.

 

 Finally is the Stay on Target card game, which I really wanted because it comes in that cool Death Star! Each player takes a squadron color and battles their way through Imperial defenses to take a shot at that exhaust port to score victory points.

Monthly Media Recap - December 2025

 Well, here we are at the end of another year. This was probably my lightest month for movies since I started keeping track. I was up for watching some so bad it's good holiday horror and ended up with a lot of coal in my stocking.I have no one to blame but myself as I rarely watch trailers to see what I'm in for.

 

  

Series

 

IT: Welcome to Derry (HBO Max)

I'm a King fan but only know IT from its film incarnations. The series started out a little shaky but quickly gained its footing. The kid actors are all great and their performances make each one endearing. Pennywise may not be in every episode (which is good!) but when he does show up, things are bound to get horrific and/or bloody.

 

The Creep Tapes (S2, Shudder)

On one hand, sometimes less is better. Seeing this much of "Peachfuzz" takes a little away from the films. On the other hand, watching Mark Duplass perform this role in all its unhinged craziness is a delight.

 

Movies 

 

 

Twas the Night (2023, Tubi)

I honestly couldn't tell you what this is about other than it's a holiday themed anthology. There's a wraparound story to supposedly tie everything together but like most of the rest of the movie, it fails to do what they want it to. I feel like the folks that made this had an idea in their heads that just didn't make it to the screen. For some reason, people in Purgatory are judged by Krampus?

 

Rating: 2/10 

 

 

I Trapped the Devil (2019)

It's a slow burn that could have used a little more fuel for the fire. There's a lot of atmosphere in the way it's shot and the actors are very good but I feel like it would be better as a 30 or 60 minute episode of the Twilight Zone or something similar.

 

Rating: 4/10

 

 

Krampus vs Vikings aka Pagan Warrior (2019, Tubi and YouTube) 

Hey, we have a Krampus costume and access to a castle, let's make a movie around that! Low budget, bland actors, laughable stage combat, and typos in the text opening aside, the biggest crime committed here is that Krampus is summoned by witches to help a Saxon get revenge on Viking invaders. That's not how Krampus works! There was at least one scene where the horns on his head were noticeably askew. 

 

Rating: 3/10

 

I remembered the Blumhouse "Into the Dark" Hulu series of holiday horror movies so decided to try my luck in that neck of the woods...

 

 

New Year, New You (2018, Hulu) 

I'm sure there's an audience for the type of movie this is, but I'm not it. I found it hard to get invested in most of the cast. It doesn't get off the ground for me until the second half and then it's a lot of chasing around in a dark house where I was never quite sure of the layout which made it difficult to keep track of what was happening where.

 

Rating: 4/10 

  

 

A Nasty Piece of Work (2019, Hulu)

At least I ended the year with a winner! This thing has more twists than a multi-story parking garage ramp, you know the corkscrew ones? Julian Sands (channeling his best David Warner) and Molly Hagan are wonderful as a rich couple with an epic love/hate relationship. How far would you go to get that promotion?

 

Rating: 8/10 

 

Letterboxd tells me I logged 93 movies this year but my on going total only shows 92. I wonder what I forgot to post about?

 

 

This Month

New: 5   Rewatch: 0

Year to Date

New: 82   Rewatch: 10

Merry Creepmas from Blackcraft Salem

Blackcraft in Salem is one part Goth gift shop, one part coffee house, and one part haunted attraction. I caught wind that Krampus would be there and was bringing along some seasonal specialty drinks so we just had to visit for a dose of Creepmas.

 

 

 

 Blackcraft has been in Salem for about three years and despite me always seeing stuff about them on social media, I've never visited.

 

They have the distinction of having the largest witch statue in town, which you can see hanging from the ceiling here. The store is huge and there's a lot of fun stuff to see. In addition to the clothing (they have their own brand!), coffee, and other ghoulish gifts, they go all out decorating for the spooky holiday vibe.

 

 Blackcraft is in what used to be a bank. The former teller windows have had the glass removed and serve as the checkout counter. An employee told us of  a particular spot at the counter where the floor dips slightly from people standing at the teller window over the decades. Here you can see the vaults.

  

 This life-size (not made of) gingerbread house has got a lot going on. There's some gingerbread punks running along the top and gingerbread bats hanging from the roof.

  

 I mentioned earlier, Blackcraft is also one part haunted attraction! During the off season, you can do a walk through and take all the photos you want. During Halloween season, it gets a little more intense by turning down the lights and adding scare actors. Definitely need to check both versions out when I have time.

 

 In the back corner of the store is Blackcraft Coffee that has a witch's cottage design aesthetic. They offer the usual coffee house drinks but also have a variety of other offerings, even a couple inspired by local personalities like the Good Witch of Salem and Borah. Aside from that, they also have seasonal specialties like gingerbread lattes and some Krampus themed hot cocoa.

 

 They have candy and treats for sale too including these Movie S'mores with some creative name/flavor combos.

 

 I went with "Black Christmas" which is hot cocoa with toasted marshmallows, whipped cream, and a chocolate lump of coal. It was delicious! The cocoa was really good on its own. I hate when you get it somewhere and it just doesn't give you that joy of hot cocoa.

 

 And then we got a photo with Krampus because how do you not? He was definitely a more beastly Krampus that didn't speak and communicated in loud grunts and howls. While we were waiting for our drink orders, he stormed up to the register, grunted something, and the cashier told him they were out then he got mad and stomped away.

 

 As usual, I've got more pics on Flickr if you want to have a look.

 

 

 Merry Creepmas! 

 

Naughty or Nice Christmas Gremlin Figure by Fresh Monkey

I'll take any excuse to talk about Halloween no matter the time of year so it's only fair I give a little space to Creepmas with the Christmas Gremlin figure from Fresh Monkey's Naughty or Nice Collection.

 

 As you might guess based on the name, the Naughty or Nice line is Christmas themed. They have traditional Santas, elves, and reindeer but they also have naughty versions including some wicked Krampus figures!

This is just wave 2, there's plenty more!

I'm always on the look out for things that will help inject a little creepy into the winter holiday season, so this Gremlin was a no-brainer at $20. The chonky figs like Santa and Krampus get into the $35-$40 range (but they're also 6.5") and while I wasn't considering them at first, after getting this one in hand, I feel a lot more comfortable dropping cash on this line. The also have Pocket Collection versions which are 4" tall. And who doesn't need a Krampus that you can carry in your pocket?

Let's break him out of his plastic prison, shall we?

A Pair of Creepmas Reads

Here's a couple of books I read recently to help put the creep in your Creepmas. Clicking on the covers will take you to an Amazon affiliated link, where you can get the book and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

First up is the newest from Ben Farthing's "I Found" horror series. I mentioned the first two of this series in my Halloween Reading List and loved them both. This one is just as good and it has the added bonus of being a Christmas horror. And like the others, it's a quick read at only 126 pages. Perfect for Christmas Eve by the fireplace.

After last year’s tragedy, Douglas’ parents are ignoring Christmas.
But when Douglas finds an eerie strand of lights slithering through the sewer, he unwittingly unleashes merry terror upon his neighborhood’s tacky lights contest. String lights spread like invasive kudzu, turning festive decorations into surreal, predatory nightmares. Determined not to lose both Christmas and his family forever, Douglas gathers his courage to confront the source of the holiday horror: deep in the concrete pipes beneath the street.

 

While Krampus has started getting a foothold in the US over the past few years, things are generally bright and cheery here in the month of December. Europe, on the other hand, has some darker characters associated with this time of year. The next book is a guidebook to these festive frighteners.

 

 

It features 24 entities across Europe and Denmark, with each one having a danger rating, a couple paragraphs and a wicked illustration that might inspire something other than sugarplums dancing in your head at night.

While it doesn't go into too much detail, I think it's a good way to briefly learn about these stories and possibly find some (or all!) that intrigue you enough to dig into them more. It's also absolutely worth it for the illustrations!

Monthly Media Recap - December 2021

 Is it just me or does 2022 sound more futuristic than 2021? Okay yes, technically, it is more in the future than 2021. Maybe it's all the 2s?

Video Games

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy - When this was announced, I was a little skeptical at only being able to play Star-Lord but now I see why they did it that way. The more of a fan you are of the comic Guardians, the more you'll enjoy this game! The narrative is great and they really captured the team dynamics. Plus, there's some really rad costumes you can unlock. I'll probably never play it again after finishing it but I don't think they could have given me a much better Guardians game.

Streaming Series

Lost in Space (S3, Netflix)

Space Family Robinson is back for their final season and boy am I going to miss these characters. I've pretty much loved everything about this from the start: exploring the unknown, alien worlds, the character interactions, a mystery that actually pays off. The show has been strong enough that they could have done without the name recognition but I guess people are more likely to watch a reboot than Original SciFi Show #32. 

Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story (Netflix)

While the original Tiger King was entertaining like a soap opera this more a crime doc about a human piece of trash. Thankfully, it's not so much of him personally but people that he victimized. My local Ren Faire popped up for maybe a minute so that was something. I'm pretty sure I saw Doc in person there years ago without knowing who he was. Even if you're into the whole Tiger King thing, you could probably skip this. 

 

Hawkeye (Disney+)

This was so good! I think it's only behind WandaVision for my favorite Marvel show. I can't wait to see more of Kate Bishop in the MCU. I do have one huge question about the ending but I'm sure that will get answered in the future. If you liked the show, hit the link and grab the comic it was based on.

Just Beyond (Disney+)

I've been watching this off and on since October and really liked it. It's like an older tween cousin of Goosebumps which makes sense since they're based on graphic novels by R.L. Stine. While it's aimed at the younger crowd, most of the time I never felt like I was watching a kiddie show.

Nightmare Before Christmas - Making Christmas Funko Card Game

 If you've even glanced at the board game section of your local big box store, chances are you've seen at least one game put out by Funko. They do games now, because of course they do! From Funkoverse strategy board games to Disney attractions and other movie franchises, they are just cranking them out.

Since it's the holiday season (and I love the movie!), we're having some fun with Making Christmas, the third Funko game based on The Nightmare Before Christmas.

 

This was actually released a couple months ago and me being me, I pre-ordered it as soon as I saw it. This is a family card game for ages 6+ so it's fairly simple to play.

Among the game components are four pieces you assemble to make the toy workbench play area. The back of it features the artwork from the box.

Gather toys from Halloweentown for Jack Skellington to deliver on Christmas. But the presents are in pieces! Look for clever combos on the workbench that will help you put the toys together. On your turn, swap two toy parts and use assembled toys to complete goal cards. Then refill the workbench, goal cards, and the toy-building continues to the next player! Hurry to put the toy parts together and be the player that completes the most goals to win!

The goal cards are on the left and you score them by swapping two cards, either two on the board already or with one from your hand, to make a complete toy. Some goals, like the top one, only require you to make a horizontal or vertical match. Do that, and you get to make a second swap to try and complete another goal. When the last goal is completed, the player with the most goals wins.

Like I said, it's not a very deep game but seems like it'd be perfect for younger monsters or just some quick holiday fun. The artwork is perfectly spot on and the goal cards feature different residents of Halloweentown. 

 

The Funko board games are pretty easy to find but the card games have been hit or miss for me. If you don't want to hunt for this one, you can have Santa Jack drop it down your chimney via Amazon (affiliate link).

Farewell to Creepmas

Thanks for visiting during the 9th annual Creepmas celebration! We'll be returning you to your regularly scheduled winter holiday cheer but just in case you still need a dose of wickedness, check out these Pinterest boards from yours truly.

This one is all Krampus, all the time!

Be sure to click below to see all the Creepmas celebrants!

Krampus in Fortnite

 Hey, where do you go for two year old news? Right here!

 

I'm just dipping my toes into Fortnite since they added the Mandalorian in-game items. I had tried playing once before but on an iPad and it was not a good experience. Definitely more at home sitting down at my PC to play this and I'm having fun with it. Honestly, I'm surprised I didn't check it sooner when they had the Marvel event going on.

 

Anyway!

I was poking around the item shop when I came across this very cool (not so cool that I'm shelling out cash for it) Krampus skin originally released in 2018.

 

 I'd LOVE to see them make this into a figure. Probably be a little hard to get him to stand on those cloven feet but it'd be pretty sweet!

His back bling is a little sack with children in it. Okay, they're little doll children.

And of course, Krampus has a custom glider called Krampus' Little Helper. This thing is absolutely wicked in motion!

Not Krampus related but they've got a male and female nutcracker skin and this is one of the variations of the male one that I think is Creepmas appropriate. Actually, all the variations are appropriate, a human-sized nutcracker is pretty creepy!

Check out all the Creepmas participants by clicking below!

Creepmas Creeps - Kallikantzaroi

 Kallikantzaroi

(Greece)

 

 
Image by Nmsndr on Newgrounds

Kallikantzaroi are mischievous goblins that emerge during the winter solstice, or 12 Days of Christmas, when the sun stops its seasonal movement. This time is also known as, yule, or Yuletide. According to legend, any child born during this time may transform into a Kallikantzaroi during this time of year when they are older. This could be prevented by binding the child in tresses or straw or garlic or singeing their toenails. (WHAT?)

Their appearance varies from region to region, sometimes small, sometimes large. The common description imagines them as tall, black and hairy with burning red eyes, animalistic ears, lolling tongues, and a large head. The art above is based on their appearance in the TV show Grimm.

They are said to dwell underground where they work at sawing the World Tree to cause it, and the Earth, to collapse. Just when they are about to finish their dastardly deed, Christmas rolls around and they go above ground to torment humans. They are described as more oafish than evil.

When the sun begins moving again, January 6, they return underground only to find the World Tree has healed itself and begin sawing at it again.

 

Some ways to protect yourself

   Hang the lower jaw of a pig behind the front door or inside the chimney.

    Toss a pair of old, smelly shoes onto a burning fire. The stink of aged sweat and burning soles is said to repel the creatures. (and probably most people!)

     Leave a fire burning in the fireplace, all night, so that they could not enter through it. Sometimes this would be a large piece of wood burned for all 12 days of Christmas, also known as a Yule log.

    Leave a colander on your doorstep at night. Legend has it, they cannot count above two because three is a holy number. They would rather die than say it! So they spend the entire night counting the holes until dawn.

    Mark your door with a black cross on Christmas Eve.

At the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas, priests would visit every home and bless them with holy water to drive the Kallikantzaroi away.

 

Be sure to click below to see all the Creepmas celebrants!

Creepmas Creeps - Belsnickel

Belsnickel

(Germany) 

Belsnickel originates in Germany and was brought to America by the folks that are now know as Pennsylvania Dutch. He tends to appear a couple weeks before Christmas and is usually described as a ragged looking person wearing dirty clothes and furs, sometimes with antlers. Belsnickel is definitely one of the less scary holiday figures. While he may dole out punishment to misbehaved children with his switch, he also carries a sack with treats for the good kids.

 

 

Here is a first hand account of "Beltznickle" from Maryland from around 1830 (Wikipedia)

He was known as Kriskinkle, Beltznickle and sometimes as the Christmas woman. Children then not only saw the mysterious person, but felt him or rather his stripes upon their backs with his switch. The annual visitor would make his appearance some hours after dark, thoroughly disguised, especially the face, which would sometimes be covered with a hideously ugly phiz - generally wore a female garb - hence the name Christmas woman - sometimes it would be a veritable woman but with masculine force and action. He or she would be equipped with an ample sack about the shoulders filled with cakes, nuts, and fruits, and a long hazel switch which was supposed to have some kind of a charm in it as well as a sting. One would scatter the goodies upon the floor, and then the scramble would begin by the delighted children, and the other hand would ply the switch upon the backs of the excited youngsters - who would not show a wince, but had it been parental discipline there would have been screams to reach a long distance.

Some accounts from 1870 from New York and Philadelphia say Belsnickle was a bit more extreme with his punishments, kidnapping or drowning bad kids!

Belsnickers circa 1910

"Belsnicking" was a tradition where young people would disguise themselves and go door to door. The home owner would try to guess their identity. The Belsnicker would remove their mask with a correct guess. A wrong guess would get them invited inside for some sort of treat.

Here's a 2019 video from Inside Edition featuring Belsnickel.

Be sure to click below to see all the Creepmas celebrants!

Creepmas Creeps - Karakoncolos

Karakoncolos

(Bulgaria, Turkey and Serbia) 

 

Image from FaithCreations
 

 The Karakoncolos is said to be a cross between a devil and a Sasquatch. It likes to stand on street corners and ask riddles of passers-by. If their answer does not include the word black, he would strike them down. I may be approaching this with a more modern mind, but that doesn't sound like a trick that would be hard to defeat.

In Serbian Christmas traditions, the Twelve Days of Christmas were known as the "unbaptized days" and evil forces were thought to be more active at night during these days so people stayed in at night. But that didn't stop Karakoncolos! It would mimic the voice of a loved one or a small child to lure people outside where it would put them in a trance so they would freeze to death!

If it found you out at night, it would jump on your back and make you his personal Uber until the rooster crowed and dawn broke. Can you imagine having to carry this huge, hairy creature around all night and having to watch whatever it got up to?

Click below to see all the Creepmas bloggers!