The director of Adult Swim’s viral hit Too Many Cooks, Casper Kelly, is back with his first horror film, Yule Log. Like the faux commercials that aired during Adult Swim in 2014, everything was kept under wraps until the creepy delight’s debut. First premiered after the Rick and Morty season 6 finale, a picture of a Christmas block is shown for nearly a minute before a woman’s legs appear, and then all hell breaks loose. Over the next hour and a half, every horror trope is combined into a glorious love letter to the scary genre. It’s a countertop approach to filmmaking that probably shouldn’t work and yet works perfectly.
The amicable director isn’t what you’d expect from someone who creates such surreal, unsettling horror. I had the pleasure of sitting down with him to talk about his new film. The mind of the engaging director and writer works differently than most. He sees the horror and humor in the most inconvenient places. Where most would avoid a scenario, he sees opportunities. When making Yule Log, he wanted some of “those flavors” from Too Many Cooks. His specific form of horror is a crazy mix of horror, practical effects, humor and surrealism. Like a tasty recipe, each note is in balance with the others, delivering delicious bite after bite to the viewer. Yule Log is guaranteed to become a cult hit that horror fans will revisit every winter.
Kelly was influenced by Mike Lee, who created British sink dramas, but from a horror point of view. He said his favorite horror movie is Alien and Cabin In The Woods, but he found inspiration from many of the greats. So many elements of Yule Log can be seen in the best horror movies. The fear of Invitation and the juxtaposition of something comforting with something deadly, like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, is used to create an utterly unnerving and comedic experience. Kelly explained, “Everything you ingest gets ground into dirt.” Ideas grow on that soil. Years later, a memory of David Lynch’s Log Lady from Twin Peaks turns into a murderous flaming log that flies through the air, killing anything it comes in contact with.
Kelly is a master of the obvious. He finds humor in the most unexpected and unusual places. It places the viewer in an uncanny valley of what should be and yet isn’t. He established his brand of offbeat horror with Too Many Cooks. The short originally aired as part of Adult Swim’s late-night programming block. The film parodies the credits of various TV shows from different genres and eras.
It starts with a simple, happy end credits sequence for a family sitcom, but as the film progresses, the tone becomes more and more surreal and dark. The characters from the different TV shows start interacting with each other and the happy music turns into a terrifying and disturbing melody. The film ends with a violent and bizarre twist, leaving the viewer both confused and disturbed. It’s a genius thing and it’s still being talked about. Yule Log will be the same way.
Other earlier work can be found in Mandy by Panos Cosmatos. His Cheddar Goblin commercial is memorable not only because of Shane Morton’s great effects work. Kelly and Morton were brought in to create and direct the bizarre commercial that became an unforgettable part of one of the toughest metal gorefests of this or any era. Kelly tipped me off that the pimento cheese brand in Yule Log, Devine is a deliberate nod to the mac and cheese brand in Mandy, Devein. Cheeky little details like these make this film a dream to watch.
Yule Log has something for everyone. There are racist supernatural southern white men, ancient curses, Hillbilly killers who must be Leatherface’s long-lost cousins, and most hilarious, face-sucking aliens. Lurking in the shadows, however, carries a grim message. Time moves on and only the sins of the past linger. Intercut between all of today’s shenanigans is the dark heart of Yule Log. However, it is all disguised behind the veil of humour. Kelly’s true vision can only be seen in the fleeting glimpses of the past. Although it is an absurdist comedy, this is a horror film about slavery, cowardice, cruelty and anger. Times may have changed, because true evil never goes away.
Hopefully this is just the first of many of Kelly’s creations. Kelly said he would like to do more feature films and hoped that Yule Log would make viewers “want to fund his next movie”. As a proof of concept, Yule Log should solidify this deal. Yule Log can be seen on HBO Max. So light a fire, turn on some holiday music and watch Yule Log. It won’t disappoint.
As editor-in-chief of Signal Horizon, I enjoy watching and writing about genre entertainment. I grew up on old fashioned slashers, but my real passion is television and all weird and ambiguous stuff. My work can be found here and Travel Weird, where I am the editor-in-chief.
