Hello again, Fiends and welcome to Cold-Blooded Killers Month here at Nightmare on Film Street. Today begins our month-long analyses of the darkest minds in horror that only find joy in cruelty and ill will. Unlike the rest of us that strive to bring a smile to even the strangers that we meet, these inhuman monsters adopt one for themselves only to trick us into believing they are just like us. Their deception so convincing that we don’t realize the danger we are in until their hands are already around our throats…

As the winter months are swallowed by inescapable darkness and our world becomes an uninhabitable frozen tundra, we all share one common goal: Survival. As we bundle up to brave the storm or barricade ourselves inside near the fire, we are reminded just how vulnerable and defenseless we are against the cruel elements of everyday life. We wish visiting friends safe travels, and warn one another to stay warm because the lights that shine down on our holidays remind us of the darkness that surrounds us all. A darkness that chills us to the bones and could only exist in a world that is at times, so warm and inviting.

These juxtaposing thoughts are what remind us that even in the most carefree of times, we are never out of arms reach from these cold-blooded killers. It was a natural thought for the creators of Silent Night, Deadly Night all those years ago. A crazed maniac goes on a rampage, dressed as Santa Claus because of the connections his impressionable mind made between Christmas and cruelty. It’s also exactly why mothers across the country rose up to protest the film’s release, desperate to squash any reminder that we are no safer at Christmas time than we were on those hot summer nights. Evil does not take a holiday. Evil waits until we are at our most vulnerable, until we are completely out of our element and utterly defenseless.

But regardless of what side of the picket line you find yourself on, whether you’re out stalking a victim for your dungeon, or sizing up a Christmas tree for your den, this time of year we all kidnap something beautiful, chain it up behind closed doors and feed it only just enough nutrients to stay alive until we grow tired of it and leave it at the curb with the rest of the week’s garbage.

This month at Nightmare on Film Street we’ll be revisiting some of cinema’s most sadistic madmen, cruel individuals who simply can’t control themselves, and real-life killers that haunt our history books. We’ll be discussing Henry Lee Lucas, through the upcoming Netflix documentary The Confession Killer as well as John McNaughton’s Henry: Portrait of A Serial Killer (1986), which we have paired with William Lustig’s Maniac (1980) on this week’s episode of the Nightmare on Film Street Podcast. This month, we’re also debuting a whole host of new columns from the team, including deep dives into the world of Satanism, Direct-To-Video Sequels perfect for your holiday horror watchlist, and the fashion choices of your favorite Final Girls.

Stay inside, stay warm, stay safe, and join us as we celebrate the sick and twisted world of Horror’s most Cold-Blood Killers. And don’t forget to let us know what’s keeping you creepy this month over on Twitter, in the Nightmare on Film Street Subreddit, and on Facebook in the Horror Movie Fiend Club!