Shudder's A Creepshow Holiday Special features several Easter eggs to some of horror's most iconic werewolf movies, characters, and actors. In just 46 minutes, director Greg Nicotero packs in every reference possible in order to make 2020's holiday special one of the most unforgettable. Here's every werewolf movie Easter egg featured in A Creepshow Holiday Special explained.
Creepshow debuted in 1982 with George A. Romero of Night Of The Living Dead fame directing and literary horror virtuoso Stephen King as its screenwriter. While it's been around for nearly 40 years, Creepshow's relevance and cult following has yet to decrease, especially after Shudder acquired the rights to turn it into a series. Greg Nicotero is known for his special effects work on Day Of The Dead alongside fellow Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native, Tom Savini. The two artists are well-known for their work on Romero's movies, but Nicotero has a vast filmography that includes The Walking Dead, Hostel, and Scream as well. As a seasoned special effects artist with a keen eye for all things horror, his role as producer for Creepshow is a perfect fit.
The Creepshow Shudder anthology series currently has two Halloween specials and one holiday special. While 2020's Halloween special was animated and features a much darker storyline, A Creepshow Holiday Special has a much lighter tone to it as well as a special guest appearance by Lil Yatchy. It follows a man who believes he has been killing people, but does not understand why. When he seeks out Shapeshifters Anonymous, he discovers that he is a lycanthrope and teams up with his fellow therianthropes to take down the demonic Santa Claus, their greatest enemy.
Shapeshifters Anonymous Password: Landis
When Adam Pally's Weston first arrives to the location of the Shapeshifters Anonymous meetings, he states that the password is "Landis." As it turns out, it was actually last week's password. Nonetheless, they allow him to enter and explore what it means to be a therianthrope and what kind he is. The word "Landis" is actually the last name of John Landis, who famously wrote and directed An American Werewolf In London.
He wrote the script for the movie in 1969, but it was shelved for over a decade until the movie finally released in 1981. The horror comedy has since become a cult classic. It largely influenced the surge of horror comedies of the same structure and use of special effects in the 1980s, as was seen in movies like Gremlins and Evil Dead 2. In 2020, An American Werewolf In London is cited as transforming the creature feature from serious situations like that of 1941's The Wolf Man to more contemporary and humorous. It comes as no surprise that A Creepshow Holiday Special included John Landis's name as a nod to the movie in their own werewolf flick.
Dr. Talbot
Prior to Weston visiting Shapeshifter's Anonymous, he seeks the assistance of Dr. Talbot. After several tests, they are unable to conclude what could be ailing him. The surname Talbot may seem rather unimportant, but it is actually the name of the original wolf man. Both Lon Chaney Jr. and Benicio del Toro have taken on this iconic role.
In 1941, Curt Siodmak and George Waggner's The Wolf Man released under Universal, making it the second ever creature feature about the iconic werewolf to come from their studio. Approximately 70 years later, del Toro took on the role, but Chaney's wolf man continues to be the dominant image of the creature. In fact, he was the only Universal monster actor to star as in the original as well as its sequels. There is nothing more iconic in werewolf horror movie history than the image of Lon Chaney Jr. emerging from woods covered in latex and hair, which is likely the reason both his character and his name were used in A Creepshow Holiday Special.
Ryan Chaney
Derek Russo's Ryan Chaney is a mystery to everyone in the meeting. No one knows who he is, what he shapeshifts into, and how he knows so much about the demonic Santa Claus that's hunting them down. While the character is listed as Ryan Chaney, he is actually Bob, the first werewolf in history. Despite being granted the gift of lycanthropy from God, he faltered when he became too proud. As a result, the all-knowing being gave his mortal enemy a red suit, transforming ordinary Chris into Chris Kringle, also known as Santa Claus.
Considering the fact that the Russo's character takes on a new name to avoid being discovered, it is slightly meta that he chose Chaney as his surname. As Lon Chaney Jr. is often considered the most noteworthy wolf man as well as the first, despite being in the second werewolf movie to come from Universal. Perhaps Bob saw the 1941 The Wolf Man and chose the name Chaney as a nod toward his origins as the first werewolf. Whether this was a choice for his characterization, it's still worth noting that this choice was made with thought that these two men are the first wolf men in existence.
Lycanthrope
The Underworld movie franchise famously popularized the lycan name for werewolves. In A Creepshow Holiday Special, Weston discovers that he is in fact a lycan, similar to those in Len Wiseman, Kevin Grevioux, and Danny McBride's franchise. The reason behind the reference may be to solely give a nod to the series, but it could also be Nicotero's way to define lycans and werewolves separately. According to creature lore, lycans are more human than the traditional werewolf. They have the ability to think, react, and have an appearance that is both human and wolf. The Shapeshifters Anonymous attendees are familiar with the minute differences between therianthropes, as they have an entire trunk full of deterrents and attractors, such as wolfsbane and catnip.
Weston has a reaction to wolfsbane, which belongs to several movies and folklore about werewolves. It doesn't appear in Underworld, but it is a major part of how Weston became a werewolf. Romani people are commonly tied to the lore, due to Romanian folk-legend that werewolves actually exist. According to mythology, these creatures only come out on Christmas, New Year, Pentecost, and Easter, unlike the traditional belief that they shapeshift when the moon is full. Nicotero must've been attentive to this history, as Weston is cursed by a Romani woman and the therianthropes all battle Santa Claus as Christmas nears. A Creepshow Holiday Special was impressively attentive to the history of werewolves, creature features, actors who portrayed the wolf man, and directors who transformed the genre with numerous Easter eggs in just under an hour.