Why are Yule Logs scary this 12 months?

People who make Yule Log movies — are you okay? I’m frightened about you. The normal flame-filled movies of vacation cheer appear loads darker currently, and whereas I’d like to know why, I’m additionally simply typically involved on your psychological well-being.

My first signal that one thing was improper was The Witcher: Fireplace on Netflix, which technically got here out final 12 months however is understandably getting re-promoted now. It’s received a nice-looking fireplace crackling away within the Great Hall at Kaer Morhen, however the evenly ominous music lurking within the background killed “the perfect backdrop for a cozy vibe” that Netflix promised.

Then Yellowjackets received within the sport on Wednesday with a Yule Log that saved the logs however appears to have missed the Yule. It’s simply two hours of creepy vibes and freaky Easter eggs.

So even when I give the creepy Yule Log’s the side-eye, if a scary hearth brings you some sadistic sense of pleasure, or helps you deal with the sensation of pressured vacation cheer that appears to permeate every thing this time of 12 months, then hey, okay, I get it. Sometimes we simply need our artwork to replicate the world, and 2022 hasn’t been universally nice. For lots of people, it’s been fairly shitty. If it helps you get by to have ominous whispers popping out of the audio system whereas a desolate winter scene hovers on the display screen, go for it. You do you.

Personally, I activate a Yule Log as a result of I would like an escape from <waves arms> all this. I don’t have a hearth in my NYC residence, so I activate one of many “Fireplace For Your Home” movies on Netflix whereas I wrestle presents into wrapping paper. I’m precisely the sort of individual that programmers had in thoughts when WPIX started the TV Yule Log tradition by broadcasting a three-hour loop of a hearth in 1966.

I do know it’s fundamental, however essentially the most thrilling factor I need to determine if I would like the traditional or Birch variations. Bring on the flames. I’ll save the scares for an additional season.