♪ this is "nightline." >> juju: tonight, vanished. children of the prophet, the desperate mothers on a mission to find their children. you're convinced they're in hiding? >> i think they're being hidden. >> juju: they say the kids are under the influence of tyrannical leader and convicted pedophile, warren jeffs. >> send this message everywhere you can among the priesthood people. >> juju: allegedly still running his church from behind bars. why his brother is sounding the

alarm. >> if the law officials, fbi, whoever, doesn't stop warren, thousands will die. >> juju: the race to find them before it's too late. >> i have no idea if he's alive. but hope to god he is. >> juju: plus holiday horror. >> merry christmas! >> juju: from "it's a wonderful life" to "it's a wonderful knife." >> i don't think jimmy stewart ever thought anybody would make a movie like this. >> juju: the rise of seasonal slashers. why so many moviegoers love a "fright christmas." >> it's dark at 4:30, the wind whistles in your ear like a ghost. it's a creepy, eerie time but in a cozy way. y again... pops! ay son! ya got a little somethin' on yuh face. needed a quick shave. quick shave? respect the process! it ain't my dad's razor, dad, it's from gillettelabs. gillette...labs?

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♪ >> juju: thanks for joining us. tonight, we take another look at the urgent search for eight children. the mothers fighting to find them are all former members of the fundamentalist church of jesus christ of latter-day saints. why they say bringing them home is a matter of life or death. >> i checked on him at midnight. my daughter was awake and i thought, that's odd. i'll just sleep with one ear

open. >> juju: it was a wintry morning this past february when lorraine jessup realized her three kids had vanished. >> at 5:00 a.m., i awoke to a cold house. because the front door was wide open. and the kids were gone. it was horrifying. it was cold outside. they didn't take any of their things with them besides what they had on. it's really scary when you don't know where your children are. i immediately called the police. "my kids have disappeared." >> juju: do you have a sense of what happened? >> i do. i feel like that either someone took it upon themselves or were told by church authorities to gather up these children. >> juju: lorraine jessup is one of four mothers whose children, as young as 12, have disappeared

from remote towns dotting the rocky mountains. >> my name is lorraine jessup. i haven't seen my kids since february 4th of 2023. >> my name is sarah johnson. my son has been missing since march of 2021. >> my name is miranda johnson. i haven't seen or heard from my son since october 29th, 2022. >> my name is elizabeth roundy. i have not seen my daughter elyncha since january 1st, 2023. >> juju: law enforcement says they're all runaways. but these mothers are convinced it's not that simple. and are sounding the alarm. >> who is to say they are safe? >> juju: the women are united by a painful bond that goes beyond their missing children and ties directly back to their former religion. they were all members of the fundamentalist church of jesus christ of latter-day saints. the flds.

known for their bouffant hair-dos, prairie dresses, large families with multiple sister wives. but most of all, polygamy. this breakaway offshoot of mormonism, led by now-imprisoned convicted pedophile warren jeffs. >> the nationwide manhunt for a polygamist who became one of the fbi's ten most wanted has ended. >> guilt of two counts of felony sexual assault against two girls. one 12, the other gave birth to his child when she was 15. >> crazy. psychopath. warren thinks he's god, and they think he's god. >> it would be impossible for him to make a mistake. that's on the level of jesus. warren jeffs, however, is a pedophile. he had 80, approximately, wives. many, many of them underage girls. >> juju: the mothers placing the blame directly at the foot of

their former church whose leader was convicted of pedophilia and marrying off child brides. >> the whole church was based on fear. they controlled people by fear. >> one of the downfalls they teach is, keep sweet. that means, do whatever they tell you to do at all costs or there will be dire consequences. >> juju: all four mothers leaving that life behind. but now they believe their kids have actually run back to the church they fought so hard to escape. you're convinced they're in hiding? >> i think they're being hidden. >> if there's anything that the flds is good at, it's hiding people. >> it's my belief that all of the flds children that are missing at the present time are all connected. >> there is a pattern that's very similar to what i've seen in the past, and it's an alarming pattern. >> juju: those who study the church say the prophet, warren jeffs, even after more than 15 years behind bars, still runs

the flds with an iron fist. >> warren will be a prophet till the day he dies or he goes totally insane and he's put in a rubber room somewhere. >> send this message everywhere you can among the priesthood people. >> warren's followers believe whatever warren says. he's got them so indoctrinated. >> juju: these mothers fear they're working against the clock because jeffs himself has issued a series of frightening prophecies calling for his disciples to die so they can be resurrected in heaven. >> i'm looking at the revelation warren sent out. according to the heavenly calendar that will exist in new jerusalem, translated people must die. >> what does it mean? >> whatever warren jeffs means by it, i don't want to wait and find out and see. >> if warren jeffs were to command people to be "translated," in other words, die so they could go to heaven -- the faithful flds may

well do that. >> it's not unrealistic to believe his followers would follow him down the road of a mass suicide event. >> that's our concern is that something could happen along the lines of a heaven's gate. >> the mass suicide in california, 21 women, 18 men -- >> or a zonestown -- >> jim jones, the leader of afternoon american religious cult and his followers, have been found dead at their jungle camp in guyana, the result of a mass suicide/murder. >> and i hope i'm wrong, i really do. but that is what is written in the revelations. >> i want to make this very clear. if the law officials, fbi, whoever, doesn't stop warren, thousands will die. sorry. >> juju: jeffs calling for all children of former flds members

to come back into the fold. >> i think those recent revelations have everything to do with the disappearance of these children. >> i'm very worried for them. >> juju: do you feel a sense of peril? >> yes. i do. >> i have no idea if he's alive. but hope to god he is. >> i'm very scared for her. >> a year ago, i knew of one child missing. now there's eight. >> juju: the church is famous for casting people out and splitting up families. all of our mothers say it happened to them. when lorraine was 32, she was banished for something she had done years earlier. >> it was because i had been seen by a male doctor at a time when i had hemorrhaged. a woman cannot see a male doctor. if she does, she's been defiled and can no longer be a member of the church. >> juju: was that a miscarriage? >> yes. >> juju: when she permanently

broke with the flds, they labeled her what they call an apostate, the starlet letter of the flds community. what did you say to your children? >> i told them that i had sinned and that i had to go live somewhere else and that it was best for them to stay with the priesthood. >> juju: when she embarked on a new life, she says she entrusted all six of her children to her sister wife. >> it's the hardest thing and the stupidest thing i've ever done in my life. but to me, it was the only option. it was the only choice. i felt like i was going to burn in hell. imagine if you were walking into a furnace, would you take your children with you? if that's where you knew you were going? in my mind, i knew that's where i was going. >> juju: after two years on the outside, lorraine conquered her fears and decided to try to get her children back.

>> juju: actually getting them back would be the fight of her life. abc news reached out to the flds church for comment. they did not respond. you can see more of the mothers' fight on "impact on nightline" now streaming on hulu. when we come back, holiday slasher films. why this christmas season the weather isn't the only thing that's frightful. to help protect from hiv. i prep without pills. with apretude, a prescription medicine used to reduce the risk of hiv without daily prep pills. with one shot every other month, just 6 times a year. in studies, apretude was proven superior to a daily prep pill in reducing the risk of hiv. you must be hiv negative to receive apretude and get tested before each injection. if you think you were exposed to hiv or have flu-like symptoms, tell your doctor right away.

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holidays are synonymous with merry and bright. in this season of warmth and good cheer, more and more moviegoers want to scream in fear. abc's ashan singh revisits the rise of holiday horror films. >> reporter: for many, holidays are for sitting in front of the fire and watching a christmas classic like "it's a wonderful life." >> every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings. >> reporter: for others, the holidays mean horror and movies like "it's a wonderful knife." >> i don't think jimmy stewart ever thought anybody would make a movie like this. it's like i'm sweet and savory at the same time. >> reporter: what do you want viewers at home to take away from watching this movie, especially if they think they're going in expecting something else? >> if you have "knife" in the title, then i think you can expect a lot of knives. >> reporter: the christmas slasher film starring comedian joel mchale, known for the show

"community" -- >> could you imagine what it could do to a person? >> reporter: plays off the beloved classic. >> it follows the mechanism of "it's a wonderful life" which is seemingly a nice, charming movie. >> i give you christmas! >> reporter: then it turns into a film noir. >> everyone would be better off if i was never born. [ screaming ] >> with a slasher, a faceless angel running in and out of scenes. you know. killing characters off. >> reporter: from a killer angel to a chase scene timed to christmas lights -- ♪ >> reporter: "it's a wonderful knife" drips with the atmosphere of the season. the film is one of dozens of slashers that you and your family can enjoy this festive season. >> you'll be safe now. >> reporter: along with your turkey, you can be terrorized on thanksgiving.

by an ax-wielding maniac. place your bets on who will survive the night in "krampus." sing along to your favorite zombie musical, "anna and the apocalypse." alison wilmore is a film critic. what is it about the holidays that make people want to be scared? >> i think that just like we love that comforting feeling, sometimes we want the opposite. >> reporter: it's been 20 years since will ferrell warmed our hearts in "elf." >> santa's coming to town. >> santa, oh my god! i know him! >> reporter: the film becoming an instant classic. >> i feel like big stars really used to be the face of a lot of these holiday movies that used to come out. you definitely used to see everyone from jimmy stewart to arnold schwarzenegger, you know, making a christmas movie. it was part of something you could do in your career as a giant movie star. but i think that we have started

to associate the christmas movie now is less the movie stardom of what they're offering and more just the volume. like, you can find so many of them. >> reporter: today's viewers have an abundance of choices. warm and fuzzy from hallmark like "everything christmas." >> kris kringle at your service. >> perhaps i can show you a faster way to yuletide springs. >> reporter: or something to make you scream, "the sacrifice game." >> it's going to be the best christmas of your lives. >> we need to hide. >> reporter: these movies are generating millions. are you a horror movie fan? >> die-hard, it's my calling. >> reporter: sam zimmerman is vp of programming for shutter, a streaming service entirely devoted to horror. is it subversive to release these movies during the most wonderful time of the year? >> i guess i would say, for who is it the most wonderful time of year? right? a lot of people are feeling stress and anger or grief. all these other things. that's what a lot of holiday horror confirms in a lovely way.

>> reporter: zimmerman says this time of year is perfect for horror. >> dark at 4:30. the wind whistles in your elike a ghost. candles flicker. lights flicker. it's a kind of creepy, eerie time, but in a cozy way. >> reporter: ghost stories have been a part of christmas for centuries. >> "a christmas carol" and charles dickens is the preeminent, most popular, most iconic christmas horror story. >> humbug, i tell you, humbug! >> reporter: the charles dickens classic was published in 1843. the first adaptation came out in 1938. >> this is not my end! please! >> reporter: but it was 1974's "black christmas" about a serial killer hiding in a sorority house that brought holiday horror to the masses. >> it pulls on the old urban legend about the call is coming from inside the house! and that is always frightening.

>> there are no elements of hallmark in that one. >> no, "black christmas" is really scary. billy, the killer you never see, he's kind of an eyeball and a creepy voice. >> reporter: by the '80s the christmas slasher had gone mainstream, "silent night, deadly night" in 1984. >> you've made it through halloween. now try and survive christmas. >> that seemed like a watershed moment for this subgenre? >> it was a big moment. it came at a time when a lot of things were converging. you had this idea of a santa with an ax, killing people. the tv advertisements were famously run during football games and daytime tv. >> reporter: the films sparking a wave of protests. eventually, it was pulled from theaters. >> mainly because of this idea of, what about the children? what about the children seeing santa's arm with an ax? but really, it's a lot of fun. >> reporter: what do you make of people who say these movies are running the holidays?

>> there's such this wealth of holiday content, it's hard to really object to there also being some of these action movies or violent movies, slasher movies. because it's not like there's a shortage of alternatives if you're looking for them. >> reporter: if watching a christmas party turn into a massacre isn't for you, you can always turn to a classic. what are some of your favorite holiday movies? >> you know, i think "home alone" is a perfect movie. >> reporter: perhaps bask in the glow of "the muppets christmas carol." ♪ there goes mr. humbug ♪ >> michael caine gives a totally straight-faced performance. you would think he was in the most serious bbc drama of all-time, just happening to be surrounded by muppets. >> reporter: or revel in the chaos of "gremlins." >> it's a holiday classic. even though it is kind of mean and chaotic and fun.

>> reporter: from us here at "nightline" to you, may the perfect holiday movie find you this season. >> juju: our thanks to ashan. when we come back, helping our bad moments of 2023 go up in smoke.

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♪ >> juju: negativity begone. in times square, the 17th annual "good riddance" day where participants are encouraged to torch negativity, literally. visitors asked to write down their regretsi, their bad moments, and the things they'd like to see disappear.

>> lose the bad. >> juju: the annual event hosted by "mean girl" actor jonathan bennett and featured a magician to help make bad memories go up in smoke. >> wow! >> juju: abracadabra. that's "nightline." see you back here same time tomorrow. thanks for staying up with us. good night, america.