No one imagined Christmas in Emmerdale would turn into a veritable hell for the Yorkshire villagers.

As the church bells rang, a figure emerged from the darkness, and that face silenced everyone: John Sugden – the killer who had once terrorized the area – had returned.

John had disappeared years earlier after a series of shocking murders.

People thought he was dead, or at least hiding somewhere.

But this Christmas Eve, he reappeared with icy eyes, a sinister smile, and a plan more terrifying than ever. His target? None other than Kev – Robert Sugden’s ex-husband.

In an abandoned house on the edge of the village, John tied Kev with blood-stained rope, sat opposite him, and began his sick game. “You thought running away would get you out of here?” he sneered, then tossed a small knife onto the table. The atmosphere was thick with fear. Kev trembled, trying to untie the ropes, but John just sat there, calm as if watching a romantic movie.

The scene sent shivers down the spines of anyone who had ever seen John before: he didn’t kill out of anger, but to “see others afraid.”

When Kev fainted, John left the house, heading straight to The Woolpack Pub, where Aaron Dingle – his former lover – was drunk after a Christmas party. In the darkness, he approached Aaron and whispered, “No one loves you like I do.” That statement sent chills down the spines of Emmerdale fans.