Just when you thought it was safe to roast chestnuts over an open fire again, the Adult Swim Yule Log is back.
A new sequel, Yule Log 2: Branchin’ Out, dropped as the clock struck midnight on December 6. The late-night holiday treat is directed by Too Many Cooks’ creator Casper Kelly. And just like the original, it starts innocent enough with a shot of a nice fireplace, but then things take a deadly turn. It’s certainly not wholesome family viewing!
In Yule Log 2 Zoe (Andrea Laing) is back, looking for a fresh start in the idyllic town of Mistletoe after all the trauma of the first flick. But soon things go chillingly wrong. The original won over viewers and network execs to greenlight the follow-up. Here Kelly chats with us about his latest frightful flick.
At one point did you see a sequel for this? How was it having the network on board again because the first one was successful?
Casper Kelly: I think it did well and got a lot of press. I thought, “Maybe they’ll let me do another one.” I loved making a movie so much. It has been a dream of mine, so I hoped to be able to make a second one. It came out of all that. When I was thinking of ideas, I had a bunch of them. Maybe if I get to do a third one I’ll use some of those. Here I thought, “A lot of times the second movie in a trilogy is much darker and grittier. I think of the first Star Wars trilogy or Back to the Future. That second one is very dark. So, I thought maybe I’ll go lighter for the second one. Be a little different.
Adult Swim
And you decide to take that Hallmark vibe.
Concurrently, I was in this film club. One of the people in the film club, Kat Daugherty, is a big fan of Hallmark movies. What’s a good Hallmark movie to watch? She recommended Holiday in Handcuffs, which was hilarious but also I got emotionally involved. I was surprised by how emotionally involved and how warm and cozy I felt. I went in there prepared to sh*t on it, which I did. I also got into it. I kind of got inspired by that and got interested in how something you might be laughing at but simultaneously emotionally involved in a sincere way. That interested me. I watched some more and got emotionally involved in those. I get it now. I always avoided them, but now I get it.
Horror-infused holiday movies are having a moment. We’ve just seen the success of Terrifier 3 as one example and this new almost franchise you’re building. What do you think about this potential trend?
That is a great question. I think we do want to escape. A way to do that is Hallmark movies. This idealized thing. The other way is this cathartic horror where you go from hell and back. Then you have this catharsis and leave the theater thinking, “Well, I feel so good with reality now because that movie was so horrible, what they went through. It makes you appreciate the real world more.” It makes you think of the real world as a horror show a little less. I think that is a component. There is a desire for some sort of escape, isn’t there? I guess that is what the protagonist of this movie is trying to do. She is trying to escape.
Talk about the decision to bring Andrea back to continue her story after what she faced in the last movie. She has become your “Final Girl,” you’d say?
She is just a wonderful human being. Just very committed and always so prepared and ready for anything. Also, I was attracted to the idea of how Halloween immediately picks up following Jamie Lee Curtis. That interested me. It got me thinking, “Well, if you had been through that what would you do?” I thought, “If it was me, I would damn sure have that ax with me at all times.” Then I would probably not try to get back to my old life but far away.
Adult Swim
When viewers saw the first movie, they got the concept. Did that put any added pressure on you to deliver again something different?
A little bit. I think a lot of people were thinking it should be the log is in a new fireplace and new people come into the cabin. That could have been good. For whatever reason, I wanted to try something different than that. I guess I was interested in doing multiple locations, a bigger cast, and in a new genre. Just trying something different. I got into the Hallmark movies. I got the bug. What can I say?
I love the nods to those romantic tropes and elements of a Hallmark movie that we see in this movie. Like when Zoe meet-cute runs into these guys down the street of this town. I think someone who loves Hallmark movies loves it, and those who hate them will enjoy this too. You found a great balance.
Thank you. That makes me happy you say that.
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What was it like putting together the killer scenes? There is one where the log literally takes possession of someone, which is crazy.
I think this movie plays with dread a little. Where there is a gap from a lot of killing, but you know it’s coming. Hopefully, that dread is delicious with fear. We have this town that has a Yule Log Festival. There are multiple logs here. There are also attempts to destroy the log. The log comes back in a surprising body horror sort of way.
What is your vision for the future of these?
I do have a lot of ideas for a potential third one that I’d love to explore. I do have a lot of other things cooking as well. I have a horror movie with BoulderLight Pictures that did Barbarian. I have a movie on Netflix. I do like this word. It’s fun to do super low-budget, super fast, and try things. I’m so grateful to Adult Swim for allowing me to do this Hallmark movie of sorts. I love they let me try things and support me in that way.
Yule Log and Yule Log 2: Branchin’ Out is streaming now on Max
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