Kevin Smith Has Completed A Holiday Horror Anthology Screenplay

When you sit around and talk with your friends for hours on end, some crazy stories are bound to come out. And if you're Kevin Smith, you turn those stories into screenplays. That's how his next movie, Tusk, came about, and the origin of a potential musical project called Helena Handbag. Now a third story has been turned into a screenplay. Described as a Smodcast version of Creepshow, with a holiday theme, it's called Comes The Krampus and was co-written by Smith and Andy McElfresh. Smith, along with Jason Mewes, Jennifer Schwalbach and others will each direct a segment of the anthology holiday horror film over the summer, after Smith finishes Clerks 3. Read more below.

Smith announced the project on his blog. Here's the post.

If you listen to the EDUMACATION podcast, you'll remember that episode 20 (Part 2 of the Christmas eps) consisted of another dopey conversation that resulted in a screenplay – a'la SModcast and TUSK. I was goofing around with Mr. Edumacation himself, Professor Andy McElfresh, when we accidentally brainstormed a Christmas horror anthology that would eschew the gruesome spin on Santa Claus, and instead embrace the Scandinavian/German Kid-Eating Christmas creature known as the The Krampus. That podcast was released 12/23/13.

It took us less than a month, but Andy and I have finished the screenplay for a flick we're calling COMES THE KRAMPUS! It's 99 pulse-pounding pages of what's essentially SModCo's CREEPSHOW, with four terrifying tales stitched together by a freaky framing device. It was a blast to write and totally new to me, as I never actually wrote a screenplay WITH someone else before.

And now, to extend the spirit of collaboration even further, I'M GONNA CO-DIRECT THE FLICK WITH THE SMODCO FAMILY! Andy McElfresh will direct the "The Krampus vs. The 3rd Grade" episode (SO f***ed up), Jason Mewes (yes – THAT Jason Mewes) will direct the "Hitler's Krampus" episode (twisted period piece), I will direct the "Mask Maker" episode (the Gothic horror piece), Carol Banker will direct the "The Proposal" episode (which is f***ing nuts), and Jennifer Schwalbach will direct "The Bad Babysitter" – which is the framing device that holds the whole mess together. Jordan Monsanto will produce for SModcast Pictures and the twin SModCo cherries on the top of this scary sundae? I'm gonna force my Bro Scotty Mo(sier) to act in it and Babble-Meister RALPH GARMAN will feature in every episode!

The script reads like it's maybe a $2 million movie. We'll start doing a schedule and a budget next week, but the idea is to shoot it right on the heels of CLERKS III (which I'm hoping to start on April 7th). It's gonna be fun and a true SModcast Picture! There's something to be said for the power of podcasting...

You can listen to the full podcast at this link.

I love this idea, and love the idea Smith is using his daily musings to create other media. Will this film ever see the light of day? We'll have to wait and see. But the more ideas Smith gets out there, the more likely we are to see some new and exciting projects.