About Evil Snowmen
Christmas is a time of giving and a time of joy. It’s a time of present giving, waking up early on Christmas morning to try and catch Santa coming down the chimney and a time for building the world’s best snowman using fallen snow.
Thanks to this tradition and the fable about Frosty the Snowman, the idea of snowmen has become almost as popular as ole Saint Nic himself. And thanks to the darker story tellers, there have been plenty of works of fiction that have depicted Evil Snowmen. From the creepy and vicious Snowmen in Doctor Who to Jack Frost in the 1997 horror comedy of the same name.
In celebration of this Christmas-f(r)iendly boogieman, I’ve picked 8 of the best and most evil Snowmen in fiction – from comics and books to film and TV shows. One look at this and, chances are, you’ll recognise at least one of these maniacal snowmen and where they come from.
1. The Snowmen in ‘Krampus’ (2015)
Krampus is dark horror comedy with outstanding practical effects. Which is a surprise given you don’t see much in the way of practical effects anymore.
After an unforeseen blizzard blows through town, a large snowman appears in Max and his family’s yard facing their house. No one knows who build the snowman, and Max seems to be the only one concerned about it. By nightfall, a small army of these suspicious snowmen have sprouted in the front yard. What happens next will give you frostbite all over your naughty parts.
2. The Snowmen in ‘The Snowman’ (2017)
Although, not really about a Snowman in the beloved character sense of the word. The Snowman is a dark thriller about a serial killer who lives Snowmen at the scene of every kill. But does get creative with the snowmen he leaves behind.
With some of the snowmen having dismembered limbs and heads attached to he snowman figures. Almost like dead, scarecrow body parts made out of snow. If you’re into creepy murder scenes then this is the snowman story for you.
3. The Snowmen in ‘Doctor Who Christmas Special’ (2012)
Doctor Who is known for its strange and bizarre sci-fi tales – and the horror theme in this Christmas Special is no exception. Set in the early 1980s, this group of Evil Snowmen terrorise the Doctor’s companion, Clara Oswald.
Vicious, maniacal and evil-looking, the Snowmen were eventually downgraded to being just a visual-based problem. For me, this ‘blow’ to the storyline isn’t softened any less when the Snowmen are this evil and bloodthirsty looking.
4. The Evil Snowman in ‘Beware, the Snowman’ Goosebumps Novel
Every millennial and his dog remembers Goosebumps. This famous R.L. Stine line of books dealt all sorts of creepy and fear inducing stories that gnawed at you. Beware the Snowman was one of these books.
What starts as an innocent tale where snowmen start popping up all over town soon becomes a fight for survival as the protagonist and her long lost father lead the fight against the grandmaster of them all: an evil snowman.
5. The Snow Queen in ‘Frozen’, ‘Once Upon A Time’ and More
The Snow Queen is the main antagonist in the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale of the same name. She’s a morally ambiguous witch who possesses the power of ‘cryomancy’ which is the ability to manipulate ice and the cold. Basically making her a snow(wo)man.
The Snow Queen has appeared as many versions of the character over the last hundred years. Most famous of which is Elsa (Frozen), Ingrid (Once Upon A Time), Lumi (Fables) and Freya (The Huntsman: Winter’s War).
6. The Sinister Snowman in ‘Scooby-Doo! Haunted Holidays’ (2012)
The Scooby Doo cartoon has been delivering on creepy cadavers and ghostly ghouls for decades. In Fact, it’s probably the most consistent work of fiction on this list.
In addition to solving cases involving ghosts, ghouls and mummies, the Mystery Machine squad has also had its fair share of creepy looking snowmen thanks to 2012’s Scooby Doo! Haunted Holidays. The evil snowman haunts the streets surrounding a toy store and summons a blizzard to shut it down and ruin Christmas. Then there’s the shape-shifting – from snow-shaped spider to Slimer-wannabes. It’s enough to make you scream “Jinkies!”
7. Blue Snowman in DC Comics
Blue Snowman is easily one of the most ridiculous C-rated characters that DC Comics has to offer. For some reason, DC Comics saw it in their infinite wisdom to commission a character which is part robot and part snow. Huh?
Despite this ridiculous decision, Blue Snowman does make for a cool display of bad arsery when the need for bad snowmen is in high demand. Spoilers: It rarely is.
8. Jack Frost in ‘Jack Frost’ (1997)
Do not mistake the 1998 Jack Frost film for the 1997 slice of life one. Yes, that’s right. There were two films with the same name that came out in two separate years concerning a character with the same name. No, I’m not talking about the feel-good film starring Michael Keaton. I’m talking about the B-grade horror movie where a criminal is literally turned into a snowman.
That’s right kids. When Jack Frost is on the way to be executed his prison bus collides with a truck transporting bio-materials which causes Jack to mutate when combined with snow. Think of Spider-Man’s not-so-friendly nemesis, Sandman, and you’ve got the idea.
What follows is a black-comedy horror slasher film cementing Jack Frost as the King of Evil Snowmen.
