The room is quiet as actor Bradley James peers over at a sullen R.A. Mihailoff. “I’m trying to do right by you, Kris, but you’re giving me nothing,” says the exhausted officer. Mihailoff is off-screen, but nonetheless in character, replies, “I know, and I’m so very sorry.” Not a second later, the lovely Azure Parsons makes her way into the room, slams the door behind her and throws a file down onto the table. This writer is starting to wonder how many more takes that door can last before falling off its hinges. But there are more important matters at hand-like a psychopath covered in blood not answering some very important questions. We’ll answer some of these questions (and share some exclusive pics) below the jump, as Fango continues its set visit to MY NAME IS KRIS KRINGLE, which we last told you about here. The horrific holiday opus, written and directed by CAMERA OBSCURA’s Drew Daywalt, will debut on this site later this week.

As Daywalt and the crew near the halfway point for MY NAME IS KRIS KRINGLE, a break is called and we all leave the cramped set for some pizza. TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE III’s Mihailoff is relaxing on a sofa in the other room, the perfect target for the unanswered questions of FANGORIA readers across the nation. The first order of business-who would win in a fight, Kris Kringle or Leatherface?

“In terms of ferociousness, without a doubt, Leatherface,” Mihailoff answers. “However, Kris Kringle has a few tricks up his sleeve and would eventually gain the upper hand,” he adds with a quip. A cult favorite, the actor talks about his bounty hunter role in HATCHET II. In reference to some of his fight scenes, “It was fun,” Mihailoff says. “I was allowed to be a part of these brutal, vicious fights to the death with Victor Crowley, Kane Hodder’s character. No holds barred.” Interestingly enough, Hodder was also the stuntman behind many of the action in TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE III, where Mihailoff essayed Leatherface. So what other great directors, horror and non-horror, would the actor love the opportunity to work with? “Definitely Frank Darabont and his THE WALKING DEAD series,” he says. “Great show, great director. Him, or even [writer/producer] Kurt Sutter and a spot on SONS OF ANARCHY.”

It’s pretty common knowledge among those privy to the horror genre that Mihailoff, if given the opportunity, would chainsaw his way onto the silver screen once again. “That would be the best, being Leatherface again,” he says. “I loved working with [director] Jeff Burr, would definitely be interested in working on another horror project with him.”

In the first article on MY NAME IS KRIS KRINGLE, it was mentioned that Daywalt wrote the Santa role specifically for Mihailoff. Fango couldn’t help but ask the man directly if this is true, and if perhaps his character is a warning to department stores to start doing background checks on their cheery Mr. Clauses. “It’s true that I hate Christmas, but for what it’s become,” Mihailoff says. ”I’m disgusted with the commercialization of it all, the hypocrisy. One day out of 365, you have the entire nation being told to hold hands, to love one another. The next, we’re lying, cheating, and stealing.”

Mihailoff and Daywalt talked at length about the conceptualization of their killer Kringle. “Drew and I would be constantly going back and forth over the characterization of this Santa Claus,” he says. “First, Drew wrote the script, then I would give him my thoughts on what should be tweaked, and he would pick and choose. I was the one who brought up the idea of an opening scene [before the interrogation] in which we would be introduced to this madman.” An opener, this writer might confidently add, which will unquestionably please the fans of Daywalt’s previous shorts. That is unless you hate blood and spinal cords.

Back on set, everyone’s getting in their places now that Donnie Jeffcoat (from 1988’s NIGHT OF THE DEMONS) has arrived for the final scenes of this exclusive short. James’ character once again asks the deranged old man what his name is, again the perp replies with delusional impotence. Like clockwork, Parsons briskly makes her way into the room, sure to slam the door behind her. Playing true to the part of “bad cop”, she tries to rile Kringle up with petulant insults, attempts to guilt him with jabs at his handiwork, then finally begins to question his humanity in a pejoratively derogative manner. When Fango catches up with her, Parsons says, “As a psycho in a Santa suit, he’s terrifying. I wanted to get inside his head, pick apart his brain and completely destroy him from the inside out.”

While this reporter waits for Daywalt to call out “Door!” as he has done for the last 50 shots, instead Jeffcoat’s character comes barreling into the room. Said entrance has served as an imaginary looking point for James, Parsons and Mihailoff during the last four hours. Out of breath and in an easily recognizable panicked tone, he says, “Have you guys seen the news?”

TO BE CONTINUED...

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MOVIES/TV - Fearful Features