We wish you a scaryChristmas(and a gory New Year)! Horror fans enjoy a new bevy of Halloween-themed horror movies every October. When November rolls around, many of us aren’t ready for our morbid form of merriment to end; and it’s this void, perhaps, that’s created a market for Christmas-themed horror movies. Sure, we’ve been seeing them sporadically since 1972’sBlack Christmas, but there’s definitely been a surge in recent years. Whereas there used to be a few Christmas-themed genre flicks to pick from every year, there are now dozens of options for the holiday horror-seeker. These are 10 of our favorites.
10Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022)
Christmas Bloody Christmas
While it may have gotten overshadowed by the contemporaneous release of David Harbour’sViolent Night, Joe Begos’Christmas Bloody Christmasis the much more fun and seasonal film, and the real horror movie. BeforeFive Nights at Freddy’shit the box office, this film featureda truly nasty animatronicSanta Claus that goes on a brutal rampage through a small town, and the only one who can stop it is a kickass record store owner. Well, kinda.
Riley Dandy Deserves an Incredible Career
Riley Dandy stars as Tori Tooms, the profane and fun record store owner whose dating life gets interrupted by evil robot Santa. She’s perfect here as a funny, rather random woman who becomes the Laurie Strode to Robot Santa’s Michael Myers. It’s a great performance in a truly colorful, downright psychotic Christmas movie.Stream with AMC+ or rent or buy throughPrime Videoand purchase on other digital platforms.
9Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale
Michael Dougherty’sKrampusisn’t the first big-budget film to feature the titular folkloric Anti-Santa; that honor goes to 2010’sRare Exports: A Christmas Tale. The fact that it’s a foreign-language movie out of Finland explains why it never hit many horror fans' radars, but it’s worth noting that Krampus is never actually named inRare Exports, so American audiences will actually benefit from having seen Dougherty’sKrampusfirst. The movie follows a father and son and their local community after the drilling of a research expedition unleashes an ancient Christmas evil.
While both this film andKrampusaddress family conflict through the fantastical and comedic lense of a Christmas story,Rare Exportsis a much darker exploration of dysfunction and depression. But it isA Christmas Tale, after all, so expect to be left smiling with demented Christmas cheer after watching legions of old-man-demon-elves attempt to kill our protagonists.Rare Exportswill also change the way you look at every Mall Santa moving forward.WatchRare Exportsfor free onTubi, Peacock, Pluto TV, or Redbox, and stream on AMC+, or rent or buy on digital platforms.And if you love the action in this film, check out our video list of great Christmas-themed action movies:
8The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
The Nightmare Before Christmas
The only entry on this list suitable for the entire family isThe Nightmare Before Christmas. There’s a chance extremely sensitive tykes might get spooked by the Oogie Boogie, but the jovial spirit of the film, not to mention the fact that it’s a musical, makes it nearly universal. And the amazing thing is,The Nightmare Before Christmasgets love from even the most black-hearted of horror fans. There’s something for everyone with this madcap ensemble of far-out characters, from the familiar to the outlandish, in a story about the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town and his desire to take over Christmas.
A Stop-Motion Animated Classic
The Nightmare Before Christmashas become a cult classic with annual screenings, and even live orchestra events at The Hollywood Bowl. 50 years from now, kids will probably still be watching it the same way Gen Xers watched Snoopy and the Grinch. Henry Selick is astop-motion animation genius, and this may be his best film.Stream this onDisney+or rent or buy it on any other digital platform.
7Better Watch Out (2017)
Better Watch Out
A 17-year-old babysitter (Olivia DeJonge) watches over 12-year-old Luke (Levi Miller) at Christmastime when they begin to suspect that someone is trying to get into the house and hurt them. Things turn very dark inBetter Watch Out, a real nasty piece of work that’s perfect for fans of dark horror thrillers.
This Is No Home Alone
The trailers forBetter Watch Outmade it look like aHome Alonerehash, but no. Those who flocked to Netflix when the film hit the streaming giant were probably, in many cases, unprepared for the depravity contained within. Firstly, this is not a Christmas rehash ofHome Aloneupgraded for the 21st Century;Better Watch Outtakes a few truly unexpected turns, and our hearts sinks deeper every time. Don’t be fooled by the teenage cast members or comic undertones. Eventually, the holiday backdrop becomes maudlin when juxtaposed against considerable, realistic-looking violence and intense suspense.Watch for free onTubi, PLEX, or Pluto TV, stream through Peacock or Prime Video, or rent or buy on any digital platform.
6The Children (2009)
The Childrenis possibly the only entry on this list more twisted thanBetter Watch Out.That’s because children, parenthood, and everything between them can often be nightmarish or trigger anxiety. Especially when groups of hyperactive (and hyper-sensitive) youngsters congregate for family shindigs during the holidays. But this is more than just tummy-aches and tempter tantrums; something is seriously wrong withThe Children. Not to be confused with the 1980 classic, this British film follows kids during Christmas vacation who develop a bacterial illness which makes them homicidal.
An Underrated and Mysterious Holiday Horror
This film is an amazing example of conveying maximum terror with limited reveals, but even though we don’t see a lot inThe Children, we’re sickened by what unfolds. The ending hits like a gut punch, and you might even feel like you need to take a shower.You can streamThe Childrenfor free onTubi, PLEX, Prime Video, and Vudu, or rent or buy it on any digital platform.
5Slay Belles (2018)
Slay Belles
We saw Santa engage in a violent battle royale with Krampus inA Christmas Horror Story(2015) and Mr. Claus (David Harbour) beat mercenaries to death inViolent Night(2022), butSlay Bellesdoes something truly unique. Three YouTube starlets team up with Kris Kringle to battle Krampus in an abandoned amusement park. But this time, the mythological opposites are revealed to be two halves of the same being. In other words: you may’t kill Krampus without killing Santa, a creative and entertaining conundrum that brings to mind yin-and-yang, or even Gnostic themes.
Redesigning the Santa Claus Mythology
Before it’s over,Slay Bellescompletely re-writes and established Old World and New World folklore alike. Plus, it introduces “The Adventure Girls,” a trio who deserve another film (whether Santa is involved or not). Plus, the film includes an incredible performance from Barry Bostwick (Brad fromThe Rocky Horror Picture Show), who absolutely elevatesSlay Bellesas a version of Santa you’ll never forget.You can streamSlay Bellesfor free onTubi, PLEX, Prime Video, and Vudu, or rent or buy it on any digital platform.
4Krampus (2015)
In 2015, Michael Dougherty took centuries of European folklore, added a few creative innovations, and introduced Americans toKrampus. The dark horror comedy has an incredible cast (Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, Allison Tolman, Conchata Ferrell, Emjay Anthony, Stefania LaVie Owen) and does a wonderful job of linking an obnoxiously dysfunctional family with the mythical Anti-Santa, Krampus.
Krampus Craze!
We can thank theGodzilla: King of the Monstersdirector for the Krampus Craze that followed: Krampus wrapping paper, Krampus on a Shelf, Krampus Christmas tree ornaments, Ugly Krampus sweaters, etc. Now firmly entrenched in the zeitgeist, later filmmakers have benefited from Dougherty’s crash course inKrampus, as the fiend has been a reoccurring character in Christmas-themed horror movies ever since.Krampusis streaming onPeacockand Hulu, and you’re able to rent or buy it on other digital platforms.If you’re looking for other great Christmas movies with excellent casts, check out our video list below:
3Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)
Silent Night, Deadly Night
That the events ofBlack Christmastranspired during the holiday is almost incidental (though the fact that the sorority house was mostly empty during the school break definitely made it easier for the killer to maneuver undetected). It wasSilent Night, Deadly Nightthat firstturned Santa Claus into a psychopathic villain, leaving permanent bloodstains on St. Nick’s squeaky-clean image.
Low-Budget, Historically Important
Production-wise,Silent Night, Deadly Nightdoesn’t hold up as well as other entries on this list, but in terms of historically relevant Christmas-themed horror movies, it’s a must-watch. It’s not to be confused withSilent Night, Bloody Nightfrom 1972, which likely is the first Christmas horror film, predatingBlack Christmasby two years.The movie is streaming for free onSling TVand you can rent or buy it on other digital platforms.
Related:The Darkest Depictions of Santa Claus in Film
2Gremlins (1984)
Who doesn’t loveGremlins? Released the same year asSilent Night, Deadly Night, it’s definitely a superior film with creature effects that still hold up to scrutiny in the 21st Century. The Amblin-style fantasy horror comedy inspired a generation to be sure and carefully read directions… The film follows a young man who receives a Mogwai Christmas present but doesn’t realize the horror which will ensue from this pet if he doesn’t follow instructions.
A Christmas Horror Comedy That Shouldn’t Have Been PG
Just before the PG-13 rating was invented,Gremlinsliterally scared the hell out of hordes of youngsters who were lured into theaters by images of a cute little Mogwai. In case you don’t remember how hardcore it was (or perhaps suppressed the traumatic memories), people quite literally die inGremlins. Sure, we had moments of comic relief (a theater full of hideous homunculi enchanted by the Seven Dwarves, singing “High Ho,” is cinematic gold)2, butGremlinswas seriously suspenseful and pretty damn violent to boot. The best thing aboutGremlins, though, is that it can be enjoyed any time of year!Gremlinsis streaming onMaxand you can rent or buy it on any digital platform.
1Black Christmas (1974)
1974’sBlack Christmasdoesn’t just deserve credit for triggering the torrent ofholiday-themed horror moviesthat have become commonplace; it actually established many prominent slasher tropes that would dominate the 1980s. If you’ve never seenBlack Christmas, you might be surprised to see many of the techniques John Carpenter would later employ inHalloween: The long tracking shots, the use of light and shadow, and the opaque nature of a mentally unhinged psychopath are just some examples.
The Classic Is Coming from Inside the House
The film about a serial killer stalking a sorority house invented a lot of other tropes as well, including ‘the call is coming from inside the house’ cliché, which is used to brilliant cinematic effect here.Black Christmasfaced intense backlash when it was release, so if the fact Bob Clark would go on to direct the family-friendly stapleA Christmas Storyisn’t an example of irony, we don’t know what is.Black Christmasis streaming free pretty much everywhere, including Tubi, Prime Video, Pluto TV, Peacock, andYouTube.And if you’re looking for more winter-themed horror films, check out our video list below:
