Recap / Creepshow Shapeshifters Anonymous

Creep: Happy Horror-days, my fiendish friends! This toothsome tale tracks Robert Weston's descent into a world of confusion. On a cold December night, his life is about to unravel in a web of teeth-gnashing, blood-spurting chaos!

Shapeshifters Anonymous

Directed By: Greg Nicotero
Story By: J.A. Konrath
Written By: Greg Nicotero

The Creep stares out a window at the full moon. He then sits in a nearby chair and turns into a wolf-version of himself.

On a cold December night, the anxious and nervous Robert Weston (Adam Pally) heads to the St. Argento's church and descends into the basement, where a support group meeting is being held. The man who answers the door says that the meeting is both private and invitation-only, but Robert says that he brought cookies and donuts. After some prodding, Robert is let inside. He meets schoolteacher Irena Reed (Anna Camp), who welcomes him to "Shapeshifters Anonymous". As the other members of the group get their share of Robert's treats, Robert reveals that he's a local serial killer known as the "Naperville Ripper", and that this particular group may have the only answer to his problem. He had recently gone to a doctor after discovering unusual objects in his stool, who prescribed him a mild sleep aid and recommended a psychiatrist.

He has since become convinced that he's a therianthrope, particularly a werewolf. Irena insists that if such is the case, then he belongs with the group. She also calms him down about the fact that he has been blacking out and supposedly killing people, as all his victims were evil and therianthropes have a biological instinct to devour the wicked. She mentions that she herself is a were-cheetah, then introduces him to the other members of the group: Scott Howard (Pete Burris), an ex-Marine and were-tortoise, Andy McDermott (Frank Nicotero), an obnoxious pervert and were-boar, Phyllis Allenbee (Candy McLellan), who's actually just a furry who dresses as a hippopotamus, and "Ryan" (Derek Russo), a silent and mysterious man who comes to every meeting.

When Robert is unsure whether he can find out what he turns into (if anything), the other members present him with a box of testing equipment. A piece of wolfsbane sparks when Robert touches it, confirming that he truly is a werewolf. When the other members question Robert on how exactly he became a werewolf, he flashes back to an encounter with an old lady in his building, who placed a curse on him because he was supposedly being too loud. He also has no way of undoing the curse, since he ate the old woman, but he is assured by the group that he'll get used to being a shapeshifter. With that, the group starts the meeting by reciting the SA credo.

When the credo reaches a verse that mentions avoiding "the dread Santa Claus", Robert pauses to ask what exactly that means. As it turns out, Santa Claus (referred to the others as "Kris Kringle") is actually a killer of shapeshifters; a Biblical figure who, along with the very existence of therianthropes themselves, was edited out of the Bible by "certain religious leaders" over the years. Scott explains that 5000 years ago, God had granted Bob, one of His disciples, the ability to transform into a wolf-man hybrid, and ordered him to devour sinners. When Bob began growing prideful of his accomplishments, God grew angry and felt the need to put Bob in his place. To that end, God sought out Bob's mortal enemy: Santa Claus. Known back then as "Kristofer", Santa was granted a red suit of indestructible armor by God, who had ordered him to seek out Bob and smite him. After losing to Bob in a one-on-one battle, Kristofer felt that God had betrayed him, so he defected to Lucifer, who gave him a pair of therianthrope killing weapons known as "Satan's Claws". From that moment, Kris Kringle recruited an army of helpers into his service, vowing as long as he lived to rid the world of Bob and his kind.

Suddenly, alarms begin blaring, issuing a "perimeter breach". Surveillance monitors display an army of men dressed as Santa storming the church, one of them having followed Robert from his building. The shapeshifters arm themselves with weapons as the men burst through the doors, mowing them down with surprising accuracy. After fighting off Kringle's helpers, Ryan points to a monitor that shows Kringle himself arriving by sleigh. He gives everyone transformation potions, which turn them into their therianthrope forms and allow them to retain their human intellect. A second wave of helpers barge in, and the therianthropes proceed to tear them apart with their bestial forms.

Kringle himself then enters, preparing to kill the shapeshifters. When all seems lost, Ryan tells "Kristofer" that he's tired of running, and transforms into Bob, the first therianthrope. Bob and Kringle prepare to fight to the death, only for Phyllis to chop the distracted Kringle's head off. As Bob returns to human form, he rewards the shapeshifters with full control of their transformative abilities, and the ability to remain themselves in animal form. When Phyllis asks to become a hippopotamus, Bob mentions that isn't able to do that. Instead, he invites her to sit on Kringle's lap, since Kringle has plenty of magic. She sits on Kringle's corpse and makes a wish, but nothing happens. Suddenly, Li'l Yachty appears and offers to take Phyllis home, get her $100 million, then make love to her all night long. Despite all of the madness thrust upon them, Robert and Irena begin a relationship, with the latter suggestively inviting the former to her apartment.

A brief epilogue features the Creep wearing a Santa hat as snow falls around him, wishing a printed "Happy Horror-Days!" to the viewers.

This episode contains examples of:

• Abusive Parents: Robert is said to have devoured a mother who went as far as to leave her daughter locked in a closet for a week, with no food or water.
• All Therapists Are Muggles: Dr. Talbot recommends Robert to a therapist in regards to his apparent sleep-eating. When Robert tells Irena, she states how she frowns upon "shrinks" in general because they don't know the truth about therianthrope-kind.
• Amoral Attorney: Robert is mentioned to have eaten one who specialized in defending child molesters.
• An Ass-Kicking Christmas: Were-creatures vs. Santa Claus. It doesn't get much better than that.
• Ancient Order of Protectors: Kringle and his helpers are an evil variation, having spent 5000 years attempting to rid the world of therianthropes.
• Animal Motifs: Irena, a were-cheetah, wears a leopard-print blouse. Similarly, Scott, a were-tortoise, wears a turtleneck sweater.
• Anti-Climax: As Bob and Kringle dramatically prepare for a rematch to their previous brawl, Phyllis uses the opportunity to abruptly cut Kringle's head off with a scythe.
• Armor of Invincibility: God bestowed a suit of impenetrable armor to Kristofer to assist him in smiting Bob. The end of the story has it rendered useless when he's simply decapitated.
• Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: During his first night as a werewolf, Robert ate the gypsy who cursed him, then ate her dog, and then pissed on her hedges to mark his territory.
• As Himself: Li'l Yachty appears out of nowhere at the end of the episode to grant Phyllis' Christmas wish.
• Asshole Victim: Robert's victims, including a businessman with ties to organized crime, a defense attorney that specialized in defending child molesters, a punk who robbed a liquor store and beat its owner unconscious, and a mother who locked her daughter in a closet without food or water for a week. There's also the gypsy who curses Robert into a werewolf, as she does it mainly for her perceived grievance with him and her own sick amusement.
• Badass Teacher: Irena. Even when she isn't in were-cheetah mode, she's able to mow down a good amount of Santas when they break in. When Robert asks her how she's able to use a gun so efficiently, she admits that she teaches high school.
• Bad Santa: Santa Claus (or Kristofer/"Kris Kringle") is revealed to be a killer of therianthropes who originates from the Bible. Commanded by God to kill Bob, the first shapeshifter and his mortal enemy, Kristofer fought him in a furious battle. When he lost the battle, Kristofer felt betrayed and defected to Lucifer, who gave him a pair of weapons specially designed to kill shapeshifters, dubbed "Satan's Claws". From there, he recruited an army of men (the Santas seen in malls and street corners) into his service to rid the world of Bob and his kind. As for his reindeer, they were once ordinary creatures that God had blessed with the power of flight so they could pull Kringle's "warship of destruction" throughout the world. He does still deliver toys to children, but he does so out of remorse after slaughtering their therianthrope parents.
• Bait-and-Switch: Phyllis' Christmas wish. While it would seem that she's wishing to become a hippopotamus, nothing actually happens to her, and she's preparing to take this turn of events in stride. Then Li'l Yachty struts in.
• Berserk Button: For Phyllis, it's mocking her for being a furry, or telling her that she's not a real therianthrope.
• Bestiality Is Depraved: Scott poses a theory that some believe therianthropes are the result of "interspecies breeding".
• Big Eater: All of the shapeshifters, as per their animalistic natures. Case in point, when Irena tries to introduce them to Robert, they're too busy eating to notice anything else, like non-sapient animals.
• Big Good: Bob, the progenitor of therianthropes, who was given his transformative abilities by God to devour sinners.
• Black Eyes of Evil: Kringle's eyes are revealed to be pitch black when he appears in person. It could be a side effect of his defecting to the Devil.
• Bottle Episode: Barring Robert's flashbacks, the entire episode is set in the church's basement.
• Brick Joke:
  • Andy's introductory scene has him attempting to proposition Irena for sex, wanting to make a litter of "kiggens" with the teacher. At the end of the story, as Irena takes Robert to her apartment for sex, Andy lets out a defeated "Aw, man."
  • Andy also suggested that Robert get a leash to control himself in his transformed state. At the end, Irena reveals that she owns a leash, inviting Robert to her apartment to get kinky with it.
• Broken Record: The gypsy usually repeats "You are loud man!" and "I curse you!" during her encounter with Robert.
• Butt-Monkey: Andy usually gets no respect or recognition from anyone, even Kringle.
• Call-Back: Just like in The Finger, we have a monster who is named "Bob". The difference is that this Bob is a hero to a group, not just one deluded person.
• The Cameo: Li'l Yachty, who appears completely out of nowhere to take Phyllis home and make love to her all night long, after getting $100 million at the bank first.
• Carpet of Virility: When he loses his shirt following his transformation, Bob is shown to have quite a bit of hair on his chest.
• Christmas Episode: This story serves as the first one for the series.
• Cloud Cuckoolander: Phyllis, who according to Andy likes to dress up as a hippo and skip around like "some demented children's show host."
• Crazy-Prepared: The shapeshifters are shown to be highly prepared in the event that Kringle's helpers should ever find them. They've set alarms, installed security cameras, and even stockpiled weapons to use against said helpers. A transition scene shows that they've even rigged explosives in the church above them to deal with any potential intruders. The opening scene also implies that the group routinely changes their password as an extra security measure, after they hid the URL for their website and made their meetings invitation-only.
• Creepy Physical: Continuing from the waiting room scene mentioned below, Robert is given an examination in which Dr. Talbot removes a coat button, a piece of zipper, and 63 cents from his rectum. To further highlight the episode's crass tone, Creepshow's trademark emotional lighting, which usually appears during a tense moment, is displayed over the scene.
• Cult: Kringle essentially serves as the figurehead of one who are dedicated to the complete annihilation of therianthropes.
• Death by Irony: Kringle's death is a twofer, as he's decapitated (the method of death he's subjected to tens of thousands of shapeshifters) by Phyllis, the sole human of the group who he declared wasn't on his list.
• Denser and Wackier: This is the most comedic story so far, with very little serious drama involved. Nearly every character is over the top, there's a good amount of crass and raunchy humor, the general plot is downright absurd, and even Creepshow's signature mood lighting gets in on the humor, being displayed over inappropriate scenes.
• Disproportionate Retribution: The gypsy who cursed Robert to become a werewolf did so simply because she thought he was being too loud, and without even mentioning what he might have been doing that would be considered loud. Robert guesses that it may have been because he was brushing his teeth too loud.
• Dramatic Irony: Phyllis, a furry who identifies as a hippopotamus, is a member of a group of people who actually, physically transform into animals.
• Deus ex Machina: Ryan's transformation potions, which are even discussed as such In-Universe, as well as the fact that Ryan himself is actually Bob.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: After being treated with pity and ridicule for being a deluded furry, Phyllis hits a karmic motherlode when she kills Kringle. Not only does she gain the respect of her peers, but the wish she makes on Kringle's corpse has Li'l Yachty come in from out of nowhere to take her home, get her $100 million at the bank, and make love to her all night long.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Despite being proud of slaughtering therianthropes, Kringle is said by Scott to show remorse for leaving their children orphans, hence why he gives them toys on Christmas Eve.
• Evil Is Hammy: Kringle has all the markings of a typical cartoon supervillain, including his penchant for threatening one-liners.
• Evil Old Folks: The gypsy, who pretends to be senile while cursing Robert with lycanthropy for her own amusement.
• Evil Tastes Good: Irena tells Robert that carnivorous therianthropes have an instinctive drive to devour wicked people over good ones since they find evil tastier. Robert's victims are even noted as being a thief, a mobster, a sex offender, an abusive mother, and a defense attorney who defended child molesters.
• Extreme Omnivore: Andy states that he's previously rooted through garbage and eaten aluminum cans while transformed.
  Andy: I'm all for recycling, but have any of you ever tried to shit out a six-pack of Budweiser tall boys?!
• Face–Heel Turn: Kringle was initially appointed by God to seek out Bob, his mortal enemy, and kill him. After losing a one-on-one battle against Bob, Kringle believed that God betrayed him and he defected to Lucifer, who gave him his Satan's Claws and turned him into the therianthrope hunter he is today.
• Family of Choice: The shapeshifters, who welcome Robert with open arms.
• Faux Horrific: To display how comical this episode is over the rest of the series, Creepshow's trademark emotional lighting, which is usually reserved for a tense or dramatic moment, is displayed over the harrowing scene of... Robert getting a rectal exam at the doctor's office.
• Flat Character: Phyllis' entire character arc consists of the fact that she's a slightly-deluded furry and the sole human among a group of genuine shapeshifters, as well as the fact that the others only let her stay with them because they pity her. In spite of this, she's the person who ultimately saves the day.
• Foreshadowing: When Irena takes Robert's box of baked goods, she savagely bites into a Santa cookie, hinting of the disdain that all therianthropes have for Kringle, as well as the fact that therianthropes as a whole are big eaters.
• Formula-Breaking Episode: This is the first episode in the series to air as a single continuous story.
• For the Evulz: While she supposedly had a valid reason to yell at Robert for being loud, the gypsy cursed him into a werewolf largely for her twisted amusement.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: Phyllis, the fully-human furry who longs to be a hippopotamus, is seen as a subject of mockery by Andy, and pity by Irena and the others.
• Friend to All Children: While Kringle hunts down and murders any therianthrope he finds, he leaves their children unharmed and gives them toys as apologies for killing their parents.
• Full-Boar Action: Andy is seen mauling a helper to death with his tusks when transformed,
• Gainax Ending: While it isn't the actual end of the story, Li'l Yachty's cameo, where he takes Phyllis home and vows to make love to her all night long, comes completely out of left field and was given no foreshadowing at all.
• Greater-Scope Paragon: While Bob may be the progenitor of shapeshifters, the true GSPs are the unknown party who established Shapeshifters Anonymous, providing a safe haven for others of their kind.
• Gypsy Curse: This is how Robert is turned into a werewolf.
• Hereditary Curse: Scott says that he's been a therianthrope since he was born, having inherited a recessive gene from his mother.
• High on Catnip: During the testing scene, Irena strokes Robert's palm with catnip to see how he reacts. Being a were-cheetah, she then starts rubbing herself with it in ecstasy. Andy is forced to take it away from her, complaining that she'll play with it all day if given the chance.
• Hoist By Her Own Petard: The gypsy who cursed Robert into a werewolf is eaten by him that same night.
• Horrible Judge of Character: The world at large still refers to Kringle, the immortal, pure evil, therianthrope-killing monster, as a lovable, jolly elf who gives children toys every Christmas (which is still technically true).
• Hot Teacher: Irena, who openly flirts with Robert. She manages to stay sexy even when she transforms.
• Insistent Terminology: Irena tells Andy, propositioning her, that their hypothetical hybrid offspring would be "pitties" instead of "kiggens".
• Kubrick Stare: The helpers that Robert comes across each give him one.
• Large Ham: Andy. Being a wereboar, he's able to fit the trope literally and figuratively.
• Lethal Joke Character: Phyllis, the one-note gag character, is the one to ultimately save the day in the end.
• Let's Get Dangerous!: Scott reveals that the box of "testing equipment" holds a collection of pistols under its contents. The therianthropes use these pistols to rain death upon the first wave of Santas. When they run out of ammo, they use Ryan's potions to transform and tear apart the second wave.
• Lost Common Knowledge: Santa Claus and therianthropes are stated to have their origins in the Bible. The tales describing their origins, such as the Book of Bob, have been edited out of the Bible many years earlier by "certain religious leaders".
• Mall Santa: Thousands of them worldwide act as Santa's "Army of Redemption". Robert encounters three of them over the course of the story. One in the doctor's office waiting room, another in the hall of his apartment building, and a third on a street corner, all of them giving him a menacing Kubrick Stare. In addition, another one is seen during a news report on the rise in killings, lurking near a crime scene. The one on the street corner is also implied to have informed his fellow Santas and followed Robert to the church.
• Mentor Archetype: Irena, the chapter president, and Scott, the oldest of the group (barring Ryan), teach Robert about the history of the group, what it's like to live as a therianthrope, the origins of their kind, their historical feud with Kris Kringle, and even how to work a pistol.
• Mickey Mousing: Every step Kringle makes is punctuated by the sound of heavy, dramatic thumps mixed with jingle bells.
• Naïve Newcomer: Robert, the newest member of Shapeshifters Anonymous, is completely in the dark about the fact that he's a full-fledged therianthrope, and has no idea that his kind are the mortal enemy of Santa Claus. As such, he's usually the only character who questions the ludicrous plot of the episode.
• Never My Fault: Kringle, after losing his one-on-one battle with Bob, blamed the Lord for betraying him instead of blaming himself.
• No Ending: In spite of the fact that Kringle is stopped, the episode ends before we learn what comes after the people of the world discover that he's been killed, since his abandoned sleigh is still parked on the roof of the church.
• Offscreen Teleportation: The gypsy who curses Robert just appears in front of him as he's getting his mail.
• Off with His Head!: Irena states that this is the only way that a therianthrope can die, aside from old age. Kringle himself is killed this way by Phyllis in an ironic dose of karma.
• Only Sane Man: Robert is the only character who brings up any sort of logical concern with the entire episode's insane premise, and he still doesn't get all the answers he seeks.
• Our Werebeasts Are Different: In addition to werewolves, there are various other were-creatures in existence. Among those featured include a were-cheetah, were-tortoise, were-boar, and at least one unseen character who claims to be a were-squirrel. This is lampshaded by the others, who say that werewolves always get the most publicity. In addition, therianthropes are more-or-less ordinary people who are trying to make their way through life, as well as fully understand the unique condition they have been granted. Those who are carnivorous also primarily devour the evil instead of the good. Or in Irena's case, anyone who pisses her off.
• Plucky Comic Relief: Andy and Phyllis, who often quarrel with one another over the latter's not being a genuine shapeshifter.
• Police Are Useless: Robert and the others debate calling the police about the former's lycanthropy and the Santa mob looking to kill them, but they shoot these down because the first choice would result in Robert incriminating himself and the second choice wouldn't be taken seriously.
• Pride: According to Scott, God became angry with Bob because he started getting prideful with his killings.
• Really Gets Around: Andy, the group's resident pervert, is stated to have accidentally shown the other members a video on his phone that turned out to be a sex tape. To save face, Andy tells Robert that the woman in said tape was a college cheerleader majoring in massage therapy, but Phyllis reveals that she was actually an old lady with a walker.
• Really 700 Years Old: Kringle and Bob are over 5000 years old, having presumably been granted immortality by God as part of the blessings they received from Him.
• The Reveal: Ryan is actually Bob, the very first therianthrope, who underwent plastic surgery to disguise his face. His human face, anyway.
• Rugged Scar: Scott has a large scar across his neck, courtesy of Kringle. He tells Robert that Kringle gave him the scar when he was 7 years old, right after Kringle butchered his parents... and then gave him a train set.
  • Once Ryan/Bob's identity is revealed, he is shown to have several scars along his torso, no doubt souvenirs from his first battle with Kringle.
• Sassy Black Woman: Phyllis, who plays it up for comedy purposes.
• Scatterbrained Senior: Fitting for the comedic approach of the story, the gypsy who curses Robert is portrayed as an apparently-senile old lady with an annoying dog instead of a menacing mystic. Her voice, when heard in Robert's mind, reveals that her senility was actually an act, and she knew full well what she was doing.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: The first wave of helpers retreat when all but three (then two) of them are gunned down.
  • Andy prefers to bolt from the church instead of trying to defeat Kringle, even stealing a dead helper's uniform to help make his escape.
• Shadow Discretion Shot: Bob's transformation is displayed via Kringle watching his shadow.
• Shout-Out: There are a good number of references to werewolves and werewolf movies in this story:
  • The gypsy's dog is named Maleva, which was the name of the gypsy in The Wolf Man.
    • In addition, the doctor who examines Robert is named Dr. Talbot, named after the main character in said film.
    • The prologue has the Creep recreating Talbot's transformation from the film as well.
    • Near the end, Phyllis refers to Bob as "Lon Chaney", after the actor who played Talbot.
  • Nearly all the members of SA are named after characters from various werewolf/werecreature films:
    • Scott Howard is named after the protagonist of Teen Wolf.
    • Irena Reed is named after the protagonist of Cat People.
    • Andy McDermott is named after the protagonist of An American Werewolf in Paris.
    • Phyllis Allenby is named after the protagonist of She-Wolf of London.
  • Robert attempts to use the password "Landis" to get into the SA meeting.
  • Some of Robert's noted victims are identified as Waldemar Daminski, Tony Rivers, and Ginger Fitzgerald.
  • When discussing how werewolves are the most popular therianthrope, Andy and Phyllis mention how nobody want want to see movies called "An American Wereboar In London" and "The Oinking", respectively.
  • While aiming his gun, Robert nearly exclaims "Yippee ki yay, motherfucker!", but it's killed when the clip falls out.
  • Andy compares Ryan to The Terminator for how he sits motionlessly and doesn't talk.
  • The church of St. Argento's is a reference to Dario Argento, the Italian movie director notable for such classics as Suspiria.
  • Robert's apartment number is 138, which is a reference to The Misfits, who wrote numerous songs with horror references, including "We Are 138".
• Sleepwalking: Robert and Dr. Talbot come to believe that this to be the cause of why the former has been blacking out. Dr. Talbot relates that he once had a patient who, while sleepwalking, logged onto an internet casino and gambled away $78,000. The patient didn't actually come to Talbot for his sleepwalking, but to fix his broken nose after his wife found out.
• Sliding Scale of Silliness vs. Seriousness: The entire episode's premise, with werewolves and Santa Claus being mortal enemies going back to the Bible who try to kill each other whenever they meet, would sound completely ridiculous on paper. Despite this, the characters treat the episode's ludicrous premise completely seriously. The exception is Robert, whose status as the newest member of SA means that he's the only person who questions anything.
• The Social Darwinist: Kringle has a mentality where only the strongest are fit to serve him, as seen when he decapitates a wounded follower who begs for his help.
• Socially Awkward Hero: In the first half of the episode, Robert is presented as a nervous, stuttering, squirrely man. He manages to man up in time for the climatic battle, but then goes back to being awkward after the battle is won.
• Stating the Simple Solution: Phyllis is able to kill Kringle by simply chopping his unprotected head off, even asking Bob why he didn't think to do that 5,000 years ago. Apparently, Bob never knew it was even possible.
• Toilet Humor: To highlight this episode's goofy and comedic tone, Robert first became aware of his condition after finding little white stones and bits of fabric in his crap. Being told by Dr. Talbot to present a sample at his office, Robert is seen in the waiting room holding a plastic container visibly containing his crap, in such a way that the little kid in front of him could easily turn around to look at it. This also leads to the Creepy Physical mentioned above.
• Token Human: Phyllis is the only fully human member of Shapeshifters Anonymous, being a furry who dresses as a hippopotamus. Despite this, she never misses a meeting, so the others let her stay with the group and treat her as one of their own... mostly out of pity.
• To Be Continued... Right Now: When Kringle's helpers reach the church, we get a brief comic interlude of them being burned and blown up from the shapeshifters' explosive defenses, and then cutting right back to the shapeshifters as they were. The reason for this framing is that the episode was initially supposed to be a two-parter, but it was ultimately made into a single 44-minute episode at the last minute.
• True Companions: The shapeshifters have formed a tight-knit group over the course of their meetings. They even eagerly welcome Robert to their ranks when he comes to them for help and believes them to be his last hope.
• Van Helsing Hate Crimes: Ever since his battle with Bob, Kringle rallies his "Army of Redemption" every December, ordering them to eradicate all therianthropes from the face of the Earth, regardless of whether they're good or evil.
• Villain with Good Publicity: Despite being a remorseless slaughterer of shapeshifters, Santa Claus is still revered by the public, who treat him as "the mythical, jolly character loved by millions" that most media depicts him as.
• Vomit Indiscretion Shot: After waking up from his first night as a werewolf, Robert vomits the gypsy's necklace and her dog's collar in his sink.
• Voice of the Legion: Kringle has one, which could be a possible side effect of his allegiance with the Devil.
• Wasteful Wishing: Instead of using Kringle's magic to turn herself into a were-hippo, Phyllis wishes for $100 million and a night of lovemaking with Li'l Yachty.
• Waxing Lyrical: "Here Comes Santa Claus" and "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" both have their lyrics spoken as grave warnings of impending danger.
• We Are Everywhere: The men dressed as Santa that people see on street corners and shopping malls every December are Santa's "Army of Redemption", a vast network of minions stationed all over the world, who monitor every city and town on Earth to seek out and kill shapeshifters.
• World of Jerkass: It's established that the episode is set in a world full of sinful or otherwise evil people. This is a good thing for carnivorous therianthropes, though, as they have a sacred mission to devour sinners, and Irena says that they often make the world a slightly better place with every victim they eat.
• You Wouldn't Believe Me If I Told You: The therianthropes decide not to call the police to deal with the Santa horde out for their heads for this reason.
• Zerg Rush: The mall Santas that bombard the church in the climactic battle do so in this fashion.

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Creep: Happy Horror-days!!