It’s time to make those wallets bleed for the holiday season once more. Once the turkey’s been carved and the Thanksgiving ritual completed, the eldritch sprint to get the best gifts for Christmas begins. Horror has one of the greatest selections of cool stuff to get for the holidays, the kind of things that’ll make you the cool cousin, uncle, aunt, or friend come Christmas/Hanukah/Kwanza.
Below is a list of horror movies, comics, and merch that’ll satisfy the dark souls you buy gifts for. Trust in terror, always.
- Storm King Comics Black Friday Sale is a banquet of horror comics, stormkingcomics.com
The horror comics house that Sandy King built features an impressive and deep selection of titles that has something for all kinds of readers. Their Storm Kids imprint, for instance, has produced an endearing set of horror comics to get kids into the genre early on, and their annual Tales for a Halloween Night anthology is a great introduction to their brand of horror.
Those who’ve signed up to their email list will get a discount code for 20% off all individual graphic novels or trades. New box sets and CGC titles will also be available, along with a surprise drop for fans of John Carpenter that’ll be revealed Friday at noon (Pacific Time).
- Rob Zombie Presents Carnival of Souls vinyl movie soundtrack, waxworkrecords.com
Carnival of Souls, directed by Herk Harvey and released in 1962, is a haunting cult classic about a car crash survivor that’s visited by dark-eyed ghosts that want to guide her towards a phantasmagorical gathering of the dead. Rob Zombie cites it as one of his favorite horror films, leading him to work on the release of its soundtrack on vinyl for the first time as part of a collaboration with Waxwork Records.
The original soundtrack was composed by Gene Moore and it perfectly captures the mood of the story and its focus on how the worlds of the living and the dead bleed into each other. Zombie has also helped on the releases of other cult favorite soundtracks, including White Zombie, Spider Baby, The House on Haunted Hill, and The Last Man on Earth.
- The Others [4K, UHD] is the best way to get scared in HD, criterion.com
Alejandro Amenábar’s slow burn gothic tale possesses a classic quality to it that makes it perfect viewing for cold winter nights. It follows a woman who lives in a lonely manor with her light-sensitive kids. When the paranormal starts manifesting, the quiet of the manor is replaced with an uneasy darkness that hides truths too terrifying to consider.
Criterion movies always come packed with extras. The Others is no exception. Seven deleted scenes are included in this edition of the movie, along with production videos and auditions. The Blu-ray case features art from Greg Ruth.
Barnes & Noble currently has 50% off sale on Criterion movies that ends on December 4th, in case you wanted save some more money.
- Life-size replica of Tiffany from Bride of Chucky, store.necaonline.com
At $400.00, NECA’s life-sized Tiffany doll is as close as you’ll get to owning an actual killer doll. It stands 30 inches tall and features an inner articulated armature so she can be posed. Tiffany is currently available for preorder for a January 2024 release, though. That said, it still makes for a thoughtful gift for anyone hoping to kick off the New Year surrounded by their favorite monsters.
- Grab the Locke & Key: Keyhouse Compendium as part of IDW’s 40% off Black Friday sale, idwpublishing.com
IDW has a sizeable Black Friday sale filled with single issues and convention exclusives, but among those selections is a modern horror classic that should be required reading for any fan of horror: Locke & Key by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodríguez. The publisher is offering the entire series – volumes 1-6 – in its Keyhouse Compendium boxed set. If you haven’t read this incredible and highly inventive series yet, now’s your chance.
- Dark Horse is offering an exclusive Stranger Things: Into the Fire #1 as part of their holiday sale, darkhorsedirect.com
Limited to only 300 units, Dark Horse is offering an exclusive Stranger Things: Into the Fire #1 with a cover by Bella Grace that showcases Hawkins and the horrors it’s been subjected to. Included with the variant is a free 11-inch by 14-inch Giclée Fine Art print that makes the potential gift’s value go even higher. To be honest, it’s the print that really makes this option a great gift, especially at $19.99 from the original $49.99 price point.
- Cavity Colors’ Black Friday sale is a horror t-shirt enthusiast’s dream come true, cavitycolors.com
Halloween, Godzilla, The Wolf Man, all of them have their own t-shirts at Cavity Colors‘ Black Friday sale. The company has become an established name in horror apparel, taking old posters, special edition artwork and promo images, and original art pieces to make high-quality clothing out of them. This sale features some great examples of their work, and puts forth a great argument for why you should make them a necessary stop on your holiday gift shopping journey.
- AWA Studios’ Black Tape is a great gift for readers who prefer satanic rock and roll in their horror, shop.awastudios.com
Dan Panosian and Dalibor Talajić’s Black Tape is great and gruesome fun, a deliciously dark read that’ll make fans of rock and roll Satanism very happy. The death of a musician that made a Faustian deal with the Devil for fame and fortune brings forth certain revelations that can lead his widow on a path straight to Hell. Black Tape is an exercise in Hellish dread and mounting terror, the kind that pushes all the right buttons for fans of classic horror. It might just have a $1.50 discount, but at $8.50 it’s still a good deal.
For more Horror Beat coverage, be sure to click here! Happy Holidays and watch out for that nasty Krampus fella.
