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The Horrifying True Stories of Three Real-Life Killer Santas

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With Christmas just about a month away now, it’s getting to be that time where we’re all going to be talking about killer Santas in the movies. But what about killer Santas in the real world? Has anyone ever actually dressed up as Kris Kringle and gone on a killing spree, ala Billy in Silent Night, Deadly Night?

That’s what we’re here to talk about tonight, and I think you can guess the answer to that question, being that I wouldn’t exactly have a post to make here if the answer was no!

Though killers dressed as Santa Claus have been depicted in the world of fictional entertainment since the early ’70s, with the very first one popping up in the original Tales From The Crypt movie, the earliest real life instance of a man donning the red suit for a night of mayhem and murder that my research was able to dig up was actually not until 2008, when a man by the name of Bruce Pardo became perhaps the very first person to turn Santa into a killer…

Killer Santa

On December 24th, 2008, 45-year-old Bruce Jeffrey Pardo knocked at the door of his ex-wife’s family’s house, where a Christmas Eve party was being held. When an 8-year-old girl answered the door, she saw Pardo standing in front of her, dressed as Santa Claus and carrying a gift-wrapped present in one hand, and a 9mm handgun in the other.

He immediately shot the little girl in the face, and began pumping bullets into the other 20+ party-goers. Pardo then unwrapped the ‘gift’ he brought with him: a homemade flamethrower, which he used to burn the house to the ground.

Nine people in total were killed, including Pardo’s ex-wife and her mother, father, sister and two brothers. Three more were injured, including the 8-year-old girl, who thankfully survived the gunshot to the face.

The house engulfed in flames, Pardo took off the Santa outfit, fled the scene and drove to his brother’s house, about 30 minutes away, where he fired a fatal gunshot wound into his own head. His body was found covered in third degree burns, and portions of the Santa suit had actually melted onto him. Though his initial plan was to flee to Canada after the murders, it’s likely that his severe burns resulted in him pulling the trigger on himself.

Why was Pardo wearing a Santa suit, when he committed the murders? Allegedly because his wife’s family had a tradition of a neighbor dressing up as Santa Claus, and visiting their house on Christmas Eve. As if that story needed to get any sicker.

Killer Santa

A very similar tragedy befell a Texas family on Christmas day, in 2011, when 56-year-old Aziz Yazdanpanah entered his ex-wife’s apartment, dressed as Santa, and fatally shot not only his ex-wife, but also their two teenage children and three other relatives. Much like Pardo, Aziz shot himself after taking the lives of his family members.

Reports indicate that the family had been opening Christmas presents at the time they were murdered, and Aziz’s niece had sent out a text message to a friend shortly before, expressing her disgust over the fact that Aziz was unexpectedly at the apartment, wearing a Santa suit and trying to “win father of the year.”

Aziz and his wife had split up earlier in the year, and he was not doing well financially, as he had been unemployed for nearly 10 years. A family friend indicated that Aziz was jealous of his wife’s success on her own, after they split up, and pointed to that as a possible motive for the murders.

killer santa claus

On January 6th of 2012, in Israel, the head of the Orthodox Church Association, 51-year-old Gabriel Cadis (above), was stabbed in the street during a parade, in celebration of the Nativity of Jesus. Eyewitnesses at the scene reported seeing a man dressed in a Santa suit stabbing Cadis in the back, and then fleeing the scene. Cadis died of his injuries shortly thereafter.

Though the Santa killer in this case still hasn’t been identified, there are several suspects, and it’s likely that Cadis’ murder was orchestrated by a man he was in a real estate dispute with.

Well, this has been a depressing post, eh? Let’s end things on a positive note, with a reminder that not everyone who dresses up as Santa is an evil, bad man. Remember that, kiddies!

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Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

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Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.

Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.

“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”

Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.

While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?

The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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Movies

Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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