North Pole: The Final Gift

Written by Travis D. Norman

WARNING! This review may contain spoilers.

When I dove into North Pole: The Final Gift, I was immediately captivated by its imaginative twist on holiday horror. Picture Zara, our fierce protagonist, thrust into a nightmare version of the North Pole, where Santa Claus isn’t the jolly gift-giver we know but a twisted figure wielding an axe. The screenplay does a fantastic job setting the tone with eerie visuals of a frozen, desolate wasteland, a place that feels both mythological and unsettlingly real. As Zara pushes deeper into this corrupted North Pole, we witness her uncover the rotting remains of what used to be Santa’s workshop—a grim monument to lost joy that immediately pulls you into the darkness of this world.

What grabbed me most was how the script straddles the line between festive and horrifying, creating a dark fantasy that’s strangely captivating. The themes are clever, and I imagine the balance of these elements would make for an exciting table read.

I am going to be a bit picky on the script format though. The grammar, spelling, and punctuation are pretty solid, but I couldn’t help but notice some formatting quirks. A few dialogue lines aren’t centered properly, and the lack of page numbers threw me off a bit—especially since traditional screenplay formatting standards weren’t quite met. The action lines left me wanting a bit more. For example, when I read descriptions like, “the wraith is stronger than the guardian they faced before, more attuned to the primal magic of the world,” I felt that a bit more cinematic language could have pushed the visuals further. There are also some clarity issues, especially with the flashforward on page 47. It jumps focus abruptly from Milo and introduces new characters in a way that made me feel disconnected from the main thread of the story.

I found Zara’s quest pretty darn cool. She starts out battling a monstrous Santa, and things escalate as she faces off against Krampus and other supernatural guardians. The pacing is excellent, with strong visual storytelling that keeps the tension high. Zara’s character is brave and determined, and I loved how she continually drives the plot forward. When new characters suddenly appear and the flashforward shifts gears so drastically, it muddles the flow and clarity of the story. That said, the blend of Christmas folklore and horror works for me and the tension builds beautifully in this magical nightmare.

North Pole: The Final Gift delivers an exciting mix of horror, fantasy, and holiday magic. With some adjustments to the format and a bit more narrative consistency, I think it could really be magical —especially in a live reading or as a strong contender for screen adaptation.