Mixing horror and the holidays is one of my absolute favorite things. The blending of two elements that seem completely at odds and smashing them together to create some outstanding stories is just amazing. The happiest time of the year can quickly turn into a nightmare, and with Dread the Halls, I’m here for it every single time.
What Chris Ryall and Jordan Hart have done with their Dread the… series of anthologies is fantastic. Starting in 2024 with the first Dread the Halls, the adding the comic-con centered Dread the Hall H in the summer of 2025 and now with their second installment in their holiday horror with the 72-page Dread the Halls 2025. These collection of outlandish holiday freights is now something I look forward to each year.
Wether its taking a cheesy Hallmarkesque holiday story and tweaking it ever so slightly to bring it into the horror genre, like what Hart does with Yule or Ryall taking a things even darker in a different take on the iconic A Christmas Carol, Dread the Halls has a little bit of holiday horror for everyone. Stories of cheer and stories that fear, Ryall and Hart have collected the perfect holiday horror anthology once again in 2025.
The stories themselves are not the only standout of this anthology, but it’s the artwork that goes right along with it. Ryall and Hart enlisted Maria Wolf once again to create a truly amazing main cover while Lee Ferguson, Walter Pax, Luana Vecchio, Keithan Jones, and Fábio Veras illustrate some truly fantastic stories. Each tale has its own feel in story as well as vibe and visuals. This sets them all apart from each other while sharing the simple fact they are crafted to bring horror and holidays onto the same page.
Dread the Halls is one of the best ways to finish out the year. Chris Ryall and Jordan Hart once again bring cheer and fear to the pages of their annual holiday horror anthology from Hallmark horror to an even darker A Christmas Carol, Dread the Halls is just what you need for this holiday season.
Dread the Halls #1 hits local comic shops on December 3, 2025 from Syzygy Publishing and Image Comics. Check out Jordan and Chris on Episode 255 of the Capes and Tights Podcast discussing Dread the Halls and more!
Dread the Halls #1 Covers
