Dasher. Dancer. Prancer. Valak.

There’s certainly no shortage of horror films to get you through the holiday season, with some of our favorites being Silent Night, Deadly Night, Black Christmas, Christmas Evil, and Krampus. But in order to quality as a “Christmas horror movie,” a film need not center on a Christmas demon or a killer dressed as Santa Claus. Some Christmas movies are a bit more subtle.

Take The Conjuring 2, for example. James Wan’s hit sequel (my personal pick for horror movie of the year) was released back in June, but it would’ve been a perfect December release at the box office. Set in England, the film clearly takes place around Christmastime, as evidenced by various holiday tunes and decorations. There’s even a scene where the Hodgson kids decorate a tree.

Over the weekend, one fan on Twitter asked James Wan if he considers The Conjuring 2 to be a Christmas horror movie, and though Wan initially responded with a Die Hard joke, we eventually got him to talk a bit more seriously about the subject. We tweeted out a humorous/horribly Photo-shopped image of demonic nun Valak wearing a Santa hat, and Wan replied as follows:

My aim was to make The Conjuring 2 a ‘Christmas-themed and set’ horror film. It felt very relevant with the characters and the world.

So there you have it. The Conjuring 2 is officially a Christmas horror movie!