I am a sucker for a good horror story set during the holidays. The juxtaposition of what should be a jolly good time and the terrifying frights of the horrors that take place is something I cannot get enough of. ‘Twas The Night by Kevin Johnson scratches the itch with a uniquely horrifying tale set in my home-state of Maine.
You better watch out. You better not cry. It’s Christmas in the village of Yule, Maine.
In fact, it’s always Christmas in Yule. Here, Santa Claus isn’t a storybook figure. He’s an icon. A god. The villagers don’t just believe in him—they worship him. And the world is better for it. Halley Belanger hates Christmas, and she doesn’t have much love for Santa either. But when a string of child disappearances across Maine seems to spare only the village of Yule, Halley—a sharp, skeptical reporter—decides to investigate.
What she finds is a town that guards its secrets with gingerbread smiles and a snow globe sheen. Outsiders aren’t welcome. She isn’t welcome. And something sinister is keeping the Christmas spirit alive. As Halley digs deeper, she begins to uncover the horrifying truth behind Yule’s eternal cheer. Christmas comes at a grisly cost. And Santa Claus is no saint.
The Christmas tale set in the horror genre is the key reason why I picked up ‘Twas The Night, but the fact that it takes place in the fictional Maine town of Yule sealed the deal. As a Mainer I tend to get overexcited about stories taking place in my backyard, as we have a special state with a vast variety of people, towns, communities and geography that make setting stories here something unlike anywhere else. Why not a Christmas horror story that is not just a random holiday tale, but one that features the big guy himself.
We have read or seen our far share of holiday horrors, even those involving Santa, but Johnson takes this story in a fresh direction. ‘Twas The Night twists the love and affection we all feel for the big guy in red around the holiday season and takes it to a new level. The almost cult-like worshipping of Santa and the relation to a string a missing children not only is creepy, but also heartbreaking made even worse by the jolliness we all want to feel around the holidays.
When ‘Twas The Night opened, I could vividly see the Town of Yule as well as the people within that would not leave my head. As a Mainer I would hope there is actually no place in my state like Yule, but could see it like I had been there before. An atmospheric setting is what hooked me from the outset, but it’s the eerie characters within this book that had me staying around. Most of these characters are not likable, but there was something pushing me to want to know more.
‘Twas The Night is an eerie, atmospheric horror story that adds more horror to the holidays in a fresh way. Kevin Johnson comes out swinging in his debut novel with a terrifying tale of a cult-like worshipping of Santa that is has creepy as it is frightening. Johnson delivers on a chilling holiday nightmare that transforms Christmas cheer into pure dread.
‘Twas The Night hits bookstores everywhere on October 13, 2026 from William Morrow.
