Horror for the Holidays Trivia Quiz

Answer: Andrea Martin

The original "Black Christmas" was regarded as one of the earliest precursors to the slasher genre, so many horror fans hold it close to their hearts as an exemplar. In the film, a group of sorority girls start getting ready for Christmas (don't they have families to go to?), but soon they find that there's someone stalking them.

Inevitably, they realize that the killer isn't only calling after each kill he makes, but that he's in the attic of the house. This stellar film was popular in the North American box office back when it was released in 1974. Clearly, studio execs assumed it needed remake treatment, so in 2006, a new "Black Christmas" was filmed in Vancouver starring a number of seemingly-popular female actresses (and an aged Andrea Martin).

The film was much gorier, relying on a more farfetched plot to get the ball rolling with more elaborate kills. The film did fine in the box office, but failed to please critically, with some reviewers actually calling it "offensive".

Answer: Silent Night, Deadly Night

A cult classic Christmas-themed horror film from the 1980s, "Silent Night, Deadly Night" follows the uniquely confusing story of a man who went to an orphanage after his parents were killed by a crazed man in a Santa Claus suit (of course, this happened very shortly after he was told by his mentally handicapped grandfather that Santa punishes naughty people).

When he moves into an orphanage, his obsession with punishment comes to a breaking point and shortly after getting a job at a toy store, he decides to exact revenge on those who should be punished. A painful FIVE FILMS were made in this series, each one following the previous one.

The second film is particularly notorious for its cheese value and the utterance of the line "Garbage Day!" before the antagonist shoots an unnecessary victim.

Answer: Jack Frost

"Jack Frost" (not to be confused with the heart-warming Michael Keaton film of the same name released two years later) is the not-so-heart-warming story of a rather ravenous-looking serial killer who, upon being transported to the electric chair, ends up coming into contact with a horrible chemical waste which transforms his cells, via a convincing animation sketch, into liquid that can bind with snow. Now, with this new 'snowman power', he can continue to kill who he wants to (clearly, the best option for someone with such powers). One small town (don't laugh, it's called 'Snowmonton') must fight back with all the weapons at their disposal. One kid gets decapitated by sled. That should give you an impression of how serious this film is. It was followed by a sequel two years later subtitled "Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowmen". You can only imagine...

Answer: Gremlins

Set on Christmas, "Gremlins" is a Joe Dante-produced film about a boy who receives a Mogwai as a Christmas present. Although this cute little creature is fairly intelligent, it is soon discovered that the rules which must be followed in order to care for the magical creature must be followed or else everyone will need to face dire consequences. Of course, the rules aren't followed.
This film was followed by a sequel in 1990 starring and directed by the same cast and crew. Known as "The New Batch", this film didn't fare as well in the box office, but met with somewhat moderate success.
As with many of Joe Dante's works, both films were satirical in nature, often pointing at a hidden underlying meaning.

Answer: Bill Goldberg

Another movie you may not have seen too much of - it never went to theaters (with good reason). In this film, released in 2005, Santa is killing everyone in the ill-fated 'Hell Township' (*facepalm*) because he was actually a spawn of Satan, and no one remembered the fact that he had to stop massacring everyone for one thousand years after losing a celestial curling match. Now that the time is up, he's free to continue his murder spree in this small area.
At one point, Santa kills both Fran Drescher and Chris Kattan. You just got the urge to watch the movie, didn't you?
Ironically, this movie which is meant to spread 'yuletide fear' is more laughable for its unnecessary plot holes than anything. It's too out of the box to be taken seriously.

Answer: Alien vs. Predator

The fifth film in the "Alien" franchise, and the third in the "Predator" series, "AvP" (as it is typically abbreviated) is a film adaptation spawned from the comic book series of the same name. Starring Lance Henriksen (known as Bishop the android from "Aliens") and the then-unknown Sanaa Lathan, a team of scientists from the Weyland-Yutani joint venture get together to go to the frigid cliffs of Antarctica to find a long-unknown temple buried deep under the ice.

When they arrive, they discover that the place is a training ground for new Predators, and that alien xenomorph eggs have been there in hibernation for quite a while.

When the humans enter, they hatch...go figure...and they're all caught in the crossfire. A sequel, "Alien vs. Predator: Requiem", was released in 2007.

While both movies earned a lot of money, they didn't fare too well with critics. Paul W. S. Anderson, known for his work in "Resident Evil", wrote and directed the first film while the second was directed by the Brothers Strause.

Answer: 30 Days of Night

The premise of this story is the idea that vampires decide to infiltrate and slaughter an entire town, one of the northernmost locations in Alaska, at which the sun sets for thirty consecutive days in the year before returning due to the Earth's axis shifting away. Based on a graphic novel created by Steve Niles, the film had a distinct, darker feel to it than most vampire films with a lot of emphasis being placed on certain colours and tones.

The film starred Josh Hartnett and Melissa George. The film received mixed reviews though it placed number one in the box office (before being overthrown by the fourth "Saw" movie). Overall, the film was regarded as a commercial success and continued the trend of popular graphic novel adaptations (following in "300" and "Sin City's" footsteps).

Answer: Snowboarding

Released in 2003, this straight-to-DVD offering was brought to us by a number of unknown actors and crew members. Based around a killer who lived by the mantra of "Death to Snowboarders", the film took place at a ski resort at which a ski-masked murderer went around in an attempt to prove that all snowboarders must die. You may also note that this hypocrite also took to the slopes to perform some of the murders. There's only so many times you can see someone impaled by an icicle in these movies...
Suffice it to say, the movie wasn't too popular.

Answer: Kurt Russell

The Thing is actually an odd alien creature, discovered by the group at this scientific camp, which is able to transform into anything it happens to kill. Soon, the group realizes that The Thing could be anything, even those around them. The film is based on a 1951 movie known as "The Thing from Another World".

Although it didn't do as well in the box office as expected (it went up against the much more successful "E.T. the Extraterrestrial"), it still earned a profit and became one of John Carpenter's most popular movies.

As a result, it gained a notorious cult following and many sequels were planned. Kurt Russell wouldn't appear in a horror film again until about twenty-five years later when "Grindhouse" was released.

Answer: Larry Fessenden

First appearing at the Toronto International Film Festival, "The Last Winter" also featured the Wendigo focal point Larry Fessenden had been known to attribute to his horror films. Starring Ron Perlman ("Hellboy"), the film is about an Alaskan ice road being created in the northern part of the state, but in increasing man's footprint and destroying nature, those responsible discover that the spirits present in nature have a tendency to fight back when it needs to survive.
Coincidentally, it's the only film in this quiz which makes use of the topic word, "Winter".