Christmas is a time of love, compassion, joy….the season of peace and goodwill to all. That doesn’t mean that we can’t have a bit of ghoulish fun during the Yuletide holiday though, and over the years a host of mean-spirited horror films have given viewers a much-needed tonic from all of the sugary sweetness that usually takes precedence.
Horror and Christmas actually go together surprisingly well. With a history of Victorian ghost stories and the macabre legend of the Krampus, things that go bump in the nighttime snow are certainly nothing new. Here is a list of some of the best festive frights to indulge in this Christmas.
10 Tales From the Crypt (1972)
Based on the notorious EC Comics of the 1950s, Tales from the Crypt isn’t a Christmas movie per se, but this anthology movie has one segment dedicated to a particularly nasty Yule.
“…And All Through the House”, the first chapter of the film, centers on a money-grabbing wife who murders her husband for his riches. Unbeknownst to her, a psychopath dressed as Santa Claus has escaped from prison and pays her and her young daughter a visit. A darkly humorous Christmas tale.
9 Christmas Evil (1980)
Boasting infamous director John Waters as a fan, Christmas Evil managed to make the video nasties list, primarily due to the concept of a man dressed as Santa Claus committing murder.
Beautifully directed, and exploring far deeper themes than the average slasher, Christmas Evil is a surprisingly good movie. It even lends the main antagonist, Harry Stadling, some shades to his character. Underrated!
8 Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)
By the mid-eighties, the slasher boom was in full (axe) swing, and every holiday imaginable was getting the horror treatment. Silent Night, Deadly Night was 1984’s festive offering, and it brought a great deal of controversy with it.
Far from being the first movie to feature a killer Santa (see above), Silent Night was perhaps the most high-profile film to do so. The ad campaign, which showcased its sinister Saint Nick in all his bloodthirsty glory, shocked audiences around America and cemented the film’s notoriety. Many sequels followed…
7 Jack Frost (1997)
A straight-to-video slasher from the late 90s, Jack Frost tells the story of a serial killer who turns into a snowman after a chemical fuses his body with snow. That tells viewers everything they need to know…
There are some (intentionally and unintentionally) funny moments and a few creative kills that keep the momentum going. The cheap-and-cheerful nastiness of Jack Frost has gone on to become a cult favorite, and it even spawned an ever-more ridiculous sequel.
6 Santa's Slay (2005)
Ridiculous, over-the-top, gory, violent, and absolutely cheesy. Exactly what fans would expect from a movie called Santa’s Slay, where the villain of the piece is played by wrestler Bill Goldberg.
Yet another movie on this list featuring a killer Santa, Santa’s Slay has none of the depth or craft of other films on this list, but it’s still a lot of fun. The opening sequence alone is a leave-your-brain-at-the-door delight, and there’s never a dull moment.
5 Anna And The Apocalypse (2018)
Perhaps the first Christmas zombie musical, Anna and the Apocalypse garnered rave reviews upon its release for its mixture of great characters, interesting concepts, and non-stop thrills.
The soundtrack is fantastic, blending musical and horror conventions together in an intelligent, and occasionally beautiful, way. The Christmas theme is always prevalent too, no more than when the title character wields a giant candy cane for some zombie-slaying mayhem.
4 Rare Exports (2010)
The most original of the “killer Santa” movies on this list, Rare Exports is a Finnish film that mixes a clever blend of dark humor, fantasy, and horror that takes an interesting concept and runs with it.
The Santa featured in Rare Exports is THE Santa, not an imposter: a nasty, twisted old man with a lust for blood. The movie keeps viewers guessing throughout, with touching characterizations and explorations of family alongside the thrills and chills.
3 Krampus (2015)
Krampus is a wonderful mix of family comedy and dark humor, focusing on a dysfunctional family who gets an unpleasant visitor on Christmas Eve.
Frequently funny and occasionally scary, Krampus has the same comedy/horror spirit as Gremlins, and wraps it all up under the Alpine folktale of "The Shadow of Saint Nicholas." Spooky shapes move through the snow, terrifying toys come to life in the attic and some very unpleasant-looking snowmen abound.
2 Gremlins (1984)
The Christmas horror movie by which most others are measured, Gremlins is a riot of special effects, outrageous death sequences, and hilarious set-pieces.
Gizmo is the puppet star of the show, effortlessly cute many years before Grogu came onto the scene. Then there are the Gremlins – wonderful animatronics who ooze macabre personalities. From Kate’s disturbing monologue about how she found her dead dad in a chimney dressed as Santa, to a horde of green monsters gleefully singing along to the Snow White soundtrack in the cinema, Gremlins has it all!
1 Black Christmas (1974)
Pre-dating Halloween by four years, Black Christmas is a tense, terrifying slasher movie with real characters and a fantastic premise.
It centers on a group of sorority sisters who are spending Christmas together, and start receiving threatening and disturbing phone calls, eventually leading to their murders, one by one. Easily one of the greatest horror movies of all time, Black Christmas is a truly dark festive film that lingers long after the end credits have rolled. A true classic, not bettered by the remakes that have since followed.