The Creepy Christmas Festival…
In 2008, filmmaker and animator Beck Underwood and NYC-based production company Glass Eye Pix attempted the unthinkable – creating a digital advent calendar that offered genre fans a new Christmas-themed horror short every day from December 1st through December 25th. Dubbed “The Creepy Christmas Film Festival”, it was a resounding success, featuring a host of contributors including Mary Harron, Sara Driver, Jim Mickle, and Ti West.
Now, ten years later, The Creepy Christmas Fest returns for more yuletide carnage, delivering 25 new holiday films created by some of today’s most exciting genre storytellers, offering up fare from the haunting to the whimsical, both live-action and animation.
Starting on December 1st and running through Christmas morning, The 2018 Creepy Christmas Fest will unveil a startlingly original short every single day via their website and social media pages.
This year’s filmmakers include Glass Eye Pix CEO Larry Fessenden (HABIT, WENDIGO), GEP regulars Jenn Wexler (THE RANGER), Glenn McQuaid (I SELL THE DEAD), Graham Reznick (Shudder’s “Deadwax”), Mickey Keating (PSYCHOPATHS), Joe Maggio (BITTER FEAST), James McKenney (SATAN HATES YOU), JT Petty (THE BURROWERS, HELLBENDERS), and many fresh faces – including animators Joy + Noelle, (HUMAN KINDOF), award-winning puppet theater director Jessica Grindstaff (PHANTOM LIMB COMPANY), Gothic impresario Voltaire (GOTHIC HOMEMAKING SHOW), young filmmakers from The Lower East Side Girls Club, and a host of other unexpected contributors. (See the full list at the website).
Says Underwood, “In 2008, I made an advent calendar for Glass Eye Pix. After completing the diorama and photos for the original calendar, I felt there were more stories to be had from the little scenarios behind each window. I was lucky enough to find a group of artists who rose to the challenge. They received the objects from the window in the mail, their due date and with no additional direction, whipped up some wicked visions. After 10 years, speaking with filmmaker Ben Duff, who was still a teenager when the first fest premiered, I decided to send out the random missive again with Ben co-curating, bringing his eye to the mix of contributors.
“I think of The Creepy Christmas Film Test as being like conceptual art. It explores the trust of community making art in the same spirit we all had as children to put on a show. It’s always nice when I see contributors involving their families, friends, passersby, pets… and the resulting films all have that same charm one hopes blesses the holiday season.”
Fessenden says, “At Glass Eye, we’re always looking for forums to get people to loosen up, forget about budgets, and rekindle their love of filmmaking and mischief making. Beck’s festival does just that, and it’s a real treat to see what artists of all stripes come up with for the assignment: ‘Creepy’ blended with the absurdly iconic, over-saturated imagery of the Christmas Season. ‘Deck the Halls’ indeed!”
For additional details on The 2018 Creepy Christmas Fest, please visit creepychristmasfest.com
Images: Glass Eye Pix
haddonfieldhorror.com 
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