Nate Bargatze Is a Scary-Romantic Killer in SNL's "Hallmark Horror" Sketch
A girl reconnects with her high school crush, who happens to be her hometown's local serial killer.
*Ghostface voice*: Do you like Hallmark movies?
The never-ending marathon of original Hallmark Channel Christmas movies already kicks off before Halloween — so why not mash up their formulaic rom-com plots with a slasher movie? That's the premise behind "Hallmark Horror," a pretaped sketch from the October 28, 2023 Saturday Night Live episode hosted by Nate Bergatze.
Bargatze makes his return to host SNL for a second time on October 5, 2024.
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Bargatze is a hometown hunk SNL's Hallmark Channel horror movie
The parody is an extended fake trailer for a new horror movie, A Stab at Love, which puts a Halloween-style spin on the traditional Hallmark romance format.
In it, Chloe Fineman plays Kelsey, a big-city career woman who is reunited with her high school crush Mark (Bergatze). Plot twist: Since they last saw each other, Mark become the local serial killer.
After a murderous meet-cute, Kelsey and Mark begin hanging out around town, falling in love — even though Mark wants to kill her. His outfit is inspired by the 1981 cult TV horror film Dark Night of the Scarecrow (which is available to stream on Peacock!), but Mark's gruesome get-up doesn't deter Kelsey. Like any Hallmark heroine, she's developing feelings for Mark, even though she has a career — and fiancé! — back in New York.
"Didn't you ever want to get out of Autumn Hollow? Try someplace new with all-new people?" Kelsey asks Mark as they sit in the back of his pickup truck, surrounded by the colorful fall foliage.
"These are my roots. I guess I just like killing people I know," reasons Mark.
"I like that," Kelsey says with a smile.
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When a relationship grows more serious, you typically meet your significant other's friends and family. But in A Stab at Love, the next step for Mark is showing Kelsey his barn where he dismembers his victims — but instead of being horrified, Kelsey is impressed by his collection of homemade knives.
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"We've cornered the market on Christmas, why not Halloween? Because the only thing female viewers like more than romance is murder," says the trailer's narrator, adding that only Hallmark is where "'boo' means boyfriend."
Watch "Hallmark Horror" from Season 49, Episode 3 above, and stream every season of Saturday Night Live on Peacock anytime.
Will there be A Stab at Love 2? Find out when Bargatze returns to host SNL on October 5 with Musical Guest Coldplay.
