Streamers have almost as many Christmas horror movies as serial killer shows and baking competitions. Why? Because holiday cheer mixed with murder and mayhem is a brightly festooned bloodied win. In this case, a fun twist on vampirism and a rumination on motherhood take place within a manic version of America’s most stressful holiday.
The broad strokes of N0S4A2 include a few ‘creatives,’ so-called not just for prowess in the arts—but for supernatural abilities. The lead creative is Vic, a teenager with massive talent, reasonably-sized dreams, and parents who didn’t bother to provide a future for her. Moms who fail, or appear to fail due to circumstances, are a common theme in N0S4A2. There’s also a character named after the author’s mom. *thinky emoji*
I firmly believe that vampires should be scary and not sexy. So I had to learn to live with Zachary Quinto’s Mr. Manx being both. Appearing at numerous stages of aging and regressing—Quinto is legit terrifying as the kidnapper of children. Manx doesn’t kill or eat his child victims. They’re taken away to the magical Christmasland to recover from the horror of neglectful or otherwise imperfect parents. This “recovery” comes in the form of monsterizing the children in a way that leaves them murderous and manic and...pretty cool-looking if I’m being honest. But it’s horrifying. Manx is also on the hunt for a virgin to play mom to ‘his’ children. He’s not having much luck.
In addition to kidnapping kids and whisking them to a glittery hell, Manx torments and abuses a simple kid called Bing—who was already being abused by his parents. Bing wants only to live in Christmasland where he can heal and be happy—after all—unhappiness is against the law there. Manx taking advantage of someone so obviously vulnerable makes is crave his demise.
Ultimately, N0S4A2 is about a mother (not Bing’s) who would do anything at all to save her child. While plenty of people nod along to that sentiment as if it’s the most natural thing in the world—Maggie, another creative, tells Vic, “My mom kicked me out of the house because I kiss girls.” All moms are not created equal, and N0S4A2 illustrates that in multiple ways.
Based on the novel by Joe Hill, N0S4A2 can also be enjoyed as a series of graphic novels, including a prequel about the Wraith. Oh, I didn’t mention the Wraith? It’s badass. Watch the show and see. N0S4A2 really is the perfect watch for the season.