The other day I went to my local Walgreens and was horrified to see the Halloween section split in half, with Christmas decorations already out. So it seems fitting that Christmas at the Kringles, the new holiday horror-comedy film from director Kevin Lewis (Willy’s Wonderland), is in theaters today.
“It's funny, Lowe's and Home Depot already put out Christmas animatronics out,” Lewis jokes. “This is a Christmas movie, it really is, but it could be a Halloween movie too, so to me, it's fair game. We can love both!” Christmas at the Kringles centers on the Severson family (Ron Livingston, Rachel Bilson), who move to a quiet suburban neighborhood and discover their neighbors, the Kringles (Thomas Lennon, Arden Myrin), celebrate Christmas year-round. When Mark Severson uncovers the Kringles' sinister yuletide intentions, he teams up with a badass, drunk Santa (Rob Riggle) in a high-stakes, action-packed fight to save his family.
Lewis received the screenplay from writer Zack Imbrogno about four years ago, and the pair have worked together to perfect it ever since. But from the start, Lewis knew one element had to be there. “Ron Livingston was who I wanted for Mark the second I read the script,” he tells FANGORIA. “I just related to that because I'm also putting Elf on the shelf, and I'm about to break my neck putting an angel on a tree and all this stuff, so it was like, kind of my vengeance also,” he says.
He also says his wife and daughter are big fans of Hallmark Christmas movies, and he saw Christmas at the Kringles as a chance to deconstruct that style of holiday fare. “It was such a fun idea, he exclaims. “A family that celebrates Christmas 365 days a year? I mean, okay, you got me! Lewis is known for helming genre-blending films, so a holiday horror-comedy feels right at home with the rest of his filmography.
Christmas at the Kringles boasts an absolute murderer’s row of some of the funniest comedic actors working today, and Lewis says bringing them all together felt like the planets aligning in perfect harmony. Producer Andrew Ortenberg and Briarcliff Entertainment knew Rob Riggle, and Lewis appeared on a Halloween Special episode of Rachel Bilson’s podcast, Broad Ideas. From there, he says it just started snowballing.
Lewis’ director of photography, Brandon Cox, worked on the Netflix show Free Bert with Arden Myrin, who knew Christmas Vacation legend, Beverly D’Angelo. One of the film’s producers had known David Wain since childhood, so it felt like kismet. “Even though there were stressful years, it was meant to be,” says Lewis. “We got the best cast, the best crew, and it finally all just coalesced and came together.”
With so many big comedic personalities on set, Lewis knew he could rely on their skills and encouraged improvisation. “I love actors […], and I feel as a director, my job is to create a safe space for these amazing talents to be vulnerable and to try things and not look or feel foolish,” he explains. He continues by saying:
“It's kind of a play space, let loose and see what comes of it. We've got the script; we'll always go back to the script, but what have you been thinking about? What are your ideas? What are the things that made you want to make this movie? That's what fascinated me about this film.”
Donald Faison told Lewis that part of why he wanted to do Christmas at the Kringles is because he couldn’t stop thinking about the film, and that if he reads a script and he can’t get it out of his mind the next day, he does the movie. “Everybody has their own style, you know, and I realized, for me, I'm not gonna change who I am, this is who I am, and I've always loved actors,” says Lewis.
The movie gods also blessed Christmas at the Kringles with its production design, where two weeks before filming, they came across a gigantic estate sale loaded with festive goodies, including the 14-foot Christmas tree used in the film. “I wanted this to be Christmas at 100 miles per hour,” he says. And with so many Christmas decorations to choose from, Lewis injected plenty of festive insert shots to set the mood. “I called it the five-cut Kringle to get us in and out of things,” he says.
Armed with a 75-page shot list and a Christmas wonderland, Lewis gave his cast and crew the freedom to have fun, get creative, and go balls-to-the-wall, but he wanted to ensure the sentimental heart key to every holiday film was maintained. Yes, there’s heart in a holiday horror-comedy with a former Marine playing Drunk Santa.
It seems like there’s always a new holiday horror movie on the horizon, but Lewis thinks despite the long journey it took to bring Christmas at the Kringles to audiences, now is the perfect time. As he explains:
“We used to go to the movies and just have a great time, right? So there is a message, you about being present, which I loved. I loved the idea of the father, you know, realizing like he has to be present with his kid and with his family. Making films is time-consuming and exhausting, especially when you have passion, and it's always on my mind. I've got kids, and I'm like, ’Am I spending enough time?’ So I feel like that's a universal theme that we all could understand: being present with our loved ones and with oneself, and not just always like looking at our phones or, you know, TikTok or whatever it is. Enjoying the moment.”
And now, Lewis finally gets to enjoy the moment, as Christmas at the Kringles is now playing in theaters. But for purists who want to wait until closer to the winter holidays to dive into a film like this, the director has a double-feature suggestion. Settle in with the original animated special, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! featuring Boris Karloff, and then once the children are nestled all snug in their beds, bring the comedy carnage of Christmas at the Kringles.
