An extremely talented fan of Valve's puzzle-shooter hybrid Portal writes, animates, and directs a music video for a Christmas carol parody using elements from the game.

In order to celebrate Christmas in the vein of Portal, YouTuber Harry “Harry101UK” Callaghan decided that the murderous turrets from Valve's game deserved a chance to win over the world's collective heart with their own version of Mykola Leontovych and Peter J. Wilhousky's “Carol of the Bells”. However, the Portal turrets quickly turn what was once a song filled with Yuletide cheer into a tune brimming with macabre overtones and gruesome imagery with lyrics like, “Guns we will bring / Bullets we will sling / Fill them with holes / That is our goal.”

Using the Source Filmmaker to put the whole shebang together, Harry101UK definitely pulls out all of the stops. He composed and recorded each and every musical arrangement (including the vocals), directed and edited the clip, and wrote all of the lyrics, which not only make clever references to cake and the Animal King, but also GLaDOS — arguably one of the top 5 video game villains of all time.

While Harry101UK definitely did most of the heavy lifting himself, he gives a nod to his pal August "Rantis" Loolam, as he provided the turret rigs. Dubbed "Carol of the Turrets", gaming fans can watch the music video below in all of its glory.

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As many gamers would attest, Portal contains some of the best video game music ever produced, and Harry101UK pays homage to the original soundtrack's electronic undertones and house-tinged elements with a pulsing groove laid underneath the classic Christmas carol's main melody. Quite honestly, the YouTuber's song is so good, that it has the ability to stand next to Jonathan Coulton's exceptional Portal 2 track "Want You Gone" as far as quality is concerned.

Obviously, this isn't the first time a fan has paid tribute to Valve's eccentric shooter with video, but it may be the only salute to also involve Christmas. At any rate, a few years back, movie-maker Dan Trachtenberg created the seriously impressive short film Portal: No Escape, of which fans of the game and laymen alike should enjoy.

With Christmas just around the corner, video game fans now have a brand new song to add to their holiday-flavored playlists, as "Carol of the Turrets" is sure to put a smile on plenty of faces familiar with Portal. As a matter of fact, the track can be downloaded via Harry101UK's Bandcamp page for as low as £2, and could make a decent digital stocking stuffer for avid fans of Valve's puzzle-shooter fusion game.

Portal and its sequel Portal 2 are both available to play on Mac, PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.

Source: Harry101UK – YouTube (via PC Gamer)