- A murderous Santa wreaks havoc on the asylum. Sister Jude faces off with the Devil. Arden has a shocking encounter in the Death Chute.
- It's Christmas-time at Briarcliff Manor and, with Sister Mary Eunice in charge, it's going to be a special holiday with a specially decorated tree. She entices Leigh Emerson, who killed 18 people from 5 families at Christmas two years ago, out of his solitary cell to attend. He had caused quite a commotion at Briarcliff the previous Christmas and she intends that he do the same this year. Lana realizes that Kit is also in the asylum and concludes that her own case has never been reported to the police. She tells Kit about Dr. Thredson. Sister Jude desperately wants to get back into the asylum and gets help from a totally unexpected source. Things don't quite go as planned. Dr. Alden has a close encounter while trying to dispose of Grace's body.—garykmcd
- Outside a store, a little boy tells his mom what he wants for Christmas. She puts money in a kettle and Santa gives the boy a candy cane, promising the boy the coonskin hat he wants. The lights on the store go out and a stranger (Ian McShane) approaches Santa, giving him grief for promising the boy something he might not get. Then he takes out a gun and shoots Santa.
1962 A little girl comes downstairs to see blood-stained Santa (McShane) in her living room, minus a beard. The little girl points out he's six days early, and asks why he broke the window to get in instead of using the chimney. He points out the logistical silliness of Christmas, and suggests Suzy take him to her parents.
Suzy wakes her parents up, Santa puts a gun to her mom's head. Downstairs, he wraps them in Christmas lights and whacks dad with a handbell. He picked their house because of the decorations. He promises them a night of terror and rape and lets them choose which one of them he'll kill first. They plead with him and he shoots them both. "I'm not feeling very Christmassy," he says.
1964, Briarcliff Sister Mary Eunice puts on Christmas carols and announces that Christmas is back. She has a tree set up, but they'll have to improvise ornaments. She collects patients' dentures and hair ribbons cut right out of their hair.
Frank prays feverishly over Grace's dead body. He promises her he'll make things right. He tells Arden he wants to go to the police about everything, including Kit and the monster, he's prepared to accept the consequences. "I'll see what I can do," Arden says.
Sister Mary Eunice sits in front of the fire listening to carols. Sister Jude sneaks up behind her and holds a straight razor to her neck, threatening the devil. Mary Eunice laughs at her and flings canes and a record at her. When Arden interrupts, Sister Mary Eunice tells him to call security. Sister Jude is taken away.
Arden slips Sister Mary Eunice something and tells her they have a problem with Frank.
Sister Mary Eunice brings crazy Santa a costume in his dark cell.
1963 Sister Jude prepares the patients for a photographer's visit at Christmas. Santa killed 18 people from five families in one night. One of the orderlies passes out goodie bags as the photographer arrives. When he approaches Santa, the jolly old insane elf bites down on his neck.
Back in his cell, Sister Mary Eunice tempts him with the costume. She knows he was a petty criminal in jail for stealing bread when jailers came by caroling and let him get gang raped and stole his Christmas spirit.
Late at night, Sister Mary Eunice smokes a cigarette and kicks up her stockings. Arden drops by with a gift for her. She's expecting bad perfume, but it's gorgeous drop ruby earrings. They belonged to a Jewish woman in the concentration camp, who always complained of stomach problems. One day he followed her to the bathroom for a stool sample and found her digging through her own feces. She swallowed them every day. Sister Mary Eunice hears where they've been but puts them on happily. He's disappointed she doesn't recoil in horror like the Mary Eunice he used to know would have.
Lana throws up in a bed pan. A nurse assures her Sister Mary Eunice will follow through on her promise to go to the police. Lana asks who's on the other side of a divider. It's Kit.
Sister Jude tries to convince Mother Superior she needs to get back in Briarcliff. She gets a call about a visitor.
Sister Jude is surprised to see Arden waiting for her. He thinks they have a shared commitment to Briarcliff. He tells her Sister Mary Eunice is in desperate trouble. She tells him to go to hell. He begs her to help. She makes him promise he'll follow her instructions.
In the common room, the Monsignor takes out a shiny crystal star for the top of the tree. He thinks Lee Emerson (Santa) is re-energized, but that's because he can't hear Santa talking dirty to a patient.
Kit brings home a tree for Alma and their unborn baby. He's talking to the baby when he looks up and see Grace instead of Alma. He apologizes to her.
Lana whispers to Kit at his bedside. She realizes that if the manhunt for him is still on, then they don't know she's there either. Kit tells her Grace is dead. Lana sees he's hooked up to drugs and removes his IV. She tells him Thredson is a real Bloody Face. She wants to get to a phone and call the police. She promises him she'll be back.
Down in the bakery, Arden lets Jude in as the Christmas party continues. She asks Arden to bring Mary Eunice to her office and not let anyone in.
Frank brings a ladder to put the star on top of the tree. The Monsignor commends Mary Eunice on the job she's doing. As he's leaving, Frank falls off the ladder and Santa goes for the star. He tries to attack Frank, but two orderlies hold him down and Frank kicks him. They take Santa back to his cell.
Arden comes for Mary Eunice.
Lana finds a phone and is dialing when she turns around and sees Thredson standing behind her.
Frank throws Santa in his cell and finds Sister Mary Eunice waiting for him. She asks if Santa gave him any trouble, then assures Frank he did. She takes out a straight razor and slashes Frank's throat as Santa looks on from inside his cell. "How'd this get in the building? I pray we're not looking at a rampage," she says.
Sister Jude prays in her office. Her door opens. She expects Sister Mary Eunice, but sees disheveled Crazy Santa instead.
Out in the hall, Sister Mary Eunice locks the door behind him and turns to Arden. "I trust my loyalty is no longer in question," he says.
Sister Jude runs to her door and finds it locked. Santa picks up her letter opener and waggles it at her. He's angry at her for locking him away. She screams and begs for someone to help her, but Arden simply walks away.
Thredson unplugs the phone from the wall. Since she left, he's been thoroughly cleaning his house. She's an unreliable witness at best. He blames her for making him share his story with her. He puts the phone cord around her neck. She struggles and fights back. He picks her up and tells her her skin will be the start of a whole new Bloody Face. He's dragging her out the door when someone cracks him on the head. Kit to the rescue!
Santa throws Jude around and into her caning closet. He remembers her whipping him and selects his instrument. He drags her to the desk and throws her over it, caning her.
Lana wants to kill Thredson, but Kit says he's the only thing standing between him and the electric chair. "Why isn't there a man hunt? Why haven't they turned you in?" she asks.
Down in the basement, Arden is wheeling Grace's body to the incinerator when there's a high pitched alien whine and bright light and suddenly Grace's body is gone.
Santa drags Jude to the bed, with bad intentions. Flash back to her bent over the desk, reaching for the sharp letter opener. Santa starts to climb on top of her on the bed and she stabs him in the neck.
Lana and Kit drag Thredson to an abandoned storage room for safe keeping. They think no one will find him while they come up with what to do with him. "One day I'll bury you," Lana tells him.
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