My dear readers, as another Christmas Eve approaches, I must say the conclusion of this upbeat season puts me in a something ponderous mood. I find the best way to celebrate is with simple reflection of the holiday’s import. Nothing satisfies me more than sitting by a blazing fire, sipping on a glass of warm glühwein and picturing all of the sorry children who Krampus would soon be visiting. Lately, however, I have found this merry meditation difficult to maintain, as the flames in our hearth sometimes take the shape of a fiery eye, and longer I fix its gaze, the more likely I am see frightful visions of the earth as we know it transformed into a blasted hellscape, with all visible signs of life eradicated and a new sun of terrifying proportions swallowing the horizon. It is all interesting enough to watch but by the time the whole spectacle has subsided my glühwein has chilled and the trek back to the kitchen completely dashes the concentration required for my wintry musings. This is all to say that, given the limited window of opportunity, any little hiccup in one’s holiday rituals can really throw the whole thing off.

Santa Claus (George Buza), the jolly old soul himself, is painfully familiar with unfavorable Yuletide disruptions. As one might expect, the mechanics of delivering gifts worldwide over the course of a single evening are quite complex and the workplace atmosphere at the North Pole becomes a bit hectic during the lead up to Christmas Eve. Santa has plenty to worry about without any unexpected issues and he really need does need his laborers to be on task. Unfortunately, the materialistic needs of well-behaved children are imperiled most seriously by a zombie-like infection among the elves, one that makes the typically upbeat little characters both violent and vulgar. It is a most inconvenient time for such an outbreak. Worst of all, the disease is so virulent that it not only threatens his entire elfin workforce but his beloved Mrs. Claus as well.

But Santa is far from the only individual who happens to be having a difficult Christmas. Molly Simon (Zoé De Grand Maison) comes down with a slight case of possession after rummaging in her school basement for clues about a murder that occurred there just one year ago. A pair of parents (Oluniké Adeliyi and Adrian Holmes) search for a Christmas tree in the woods, a task that has the the unanticipated consequences of swapping out their child for a changeling impostor. And young Caprice (Amy Forsyth) and her family are forced to spend Christmas with her elderly aunt Edda (Corinne Conley), who quickly instills the lot of them with a hearty fear of Krampus. It is often said that this is a most stressful time of year and fates of these various characters exhibit the merits of this observation.

The horror genre has a rather admirable history of not shying away from subjects that some might find difficult to discuss. A Christmas Horror Story, an “anthology” from directors Grant Harvey, Steven Hoban and Brett Sullivan, is one such film. Many parents struggle with the proper timeframe for fully educating their children on the truth about Saint Nicholas. While those early years are filled with magical tales of flying reindeer and chimney navigation, eventually the base facts must be discussed -- that every so often, Santa has to violently dispatch countless elves in order to keep toy production flowing. The thought of that snowy white beard spattered with the blood of shrieking elf-folk is an awfully lot to take in for some scrapings and by cushioning the blow of this revelation with several other enjoyable tales, the filmmakers render this potentially upsetting progression into adulthood all the more palatable. While many less daring narratives circle around the difficult subjects, A Christmas Horror Story faces this one dead on. I have no doubt that parents the world round will be grateful for its presence.

A Christmas Horror Story runs 99 minutes and does not possess a certified rating in the United States.