Watch the Wild First Trailer for ‘Violent Night 2’, Featuring Santa’s Bloodiest Christmas Yet

Universal Pictures has officially unwrapped the first trailer and poster for Violent Night 2, and if you loved the original’s gleeful mix of Christmas cheer, over-the-top carnage, and Die Hard-inspired action, you’re in for another very bloody holiday.

The trailer reunites David Harbour (Stranger Things) with director Tommy Wirkola (Dead Snow, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters), while teasing an even bigger, bloodier sequel that somehow manages to make Santa Claus look more dangerous than ever.

One of the biggest surprises is the arrival of Kristen Bell as Mrs. Claus, who doesn’t appear to be sitting this one out. Introduced during Universal’s CinemaCon presentation, the sequel has been described as “Die Hard 2. Violent Harder,” with Mrs. Claus joining the action and helping Santa dispatch a fresh wave of bad guys.

The trailer also reveals a very different starting point for Old Saint Nick. Having apparently lost his Christmas magic, Santa finds himself working at a shopping mall before circumstances force him back into action, rediscovering both his spirit—and his taste for brutally creative violence.

If the footage is any indication, Violent Night 2 doubles down on everything that made the first film such an unexpected crowd-pleaser. Bones snap, bodies explode, blood flies, and holiday decorations once again become weapons in a relentless barrage of inventive mayhem. It’s packed with the kind of outrageous practical gore and tongue-in-cheek humor that horror fans tend to appreciate, even if the film sits comfortably in action-comedy territory.

The original Violent Night followed a group of heavily armed mercenaries who took a wealthy family hostage on Christmas Eve, only to discover they had picked the wrong house to rob. Santa Claus wasn’t about to let the holiday be ruined—and proceeded to carve through the criminals with an increasingly absurd arsenal of festive weapons.

Harbour returns alongside Bell in what already looks like a much bigger sequel, with Wirkola once again embracing the wonderfully ridiculous premise without sacrificing the brutal action.