Though the Hallmark Channel may suggest otherwise, there’s nothing incongruous about pairing Christmas with scary stories.
For centuries in Britain, families would gather around a fire and ward off the winter cold by sharing chilling tales of the supernatural—a tradition that was forgotten, only to be revived by Charles Dickens and M.R. James during the Victorian era. Similar non-Christian traditions go back even further; for ages and across cultures and faith traditions, dark midwinter nights seem to have provided a particularly good excuse to creep out our loved ones.
So grab a warm drink, lock the doors, and fire up the Roku with this list of the best Christmas-themed horror movies. And speaking of fire, please check the chimney before you stoke a blaze. It’s a reasonable safety measure, especially if you’re not sure where dad’s gotten himself off to...
Silent Night, Deadly Night(1984)
There’s nothing particularly groundbreaking aboutSilent Night, Deadly Night,a film about a kid who watches his parents get murdered by a man in a Santa suit and then grows up to become a Santa-themed killer himself, as one does. Though not by any means the first Christmas-related horror movie, the Reagan era wasnotthe time for this one. Or maybe it was the perfect time? Anyway, it was boycotted and censored, which of course only generated publicity that worked to its advantage. On its own, it’s a perfectly competent slasher movie, maybe even a cut above the average, with a tiny hint of a message about consumerism. As an enjoyable cultural artifact, though, it’s more than worth watching. You can probably skip the sequels, though the second is enjoyably, howlingly bad (and incorporates a full 40 minutes of footage from its predecessor), while the fifth stars Mickey Rooney (!). And, of course, there's the current remake to carry on the tradition of freaking out the seasonal squares.StreamSilent Night, Deadly Nighton Shudderor rent it from Prime Video.
Rare Exports(2010)
Clearly, I’m not the first to recommendRare Exports: A Christmas Tale, the Finnish film having become a nouveau holiday classic shortly after its release a decade ago—thoughIt’s a Wonderful Lifethis ain’t. (But give it time.)
In the film, the research team of a greedy government drills into land best left undisturbed: an ancient burial mound that, legends suggest, is the resting place of Joulupukki, a forerunner to our modern Santa Claus. Old Joulupukki is not dissimilar from Krampus, in that he’s much more interested in punishing the wicked than in rewarding the good. It’s a spectacular, darkly comic, cynical winter’s tale (rather the perfect one for our times) and builds to a wild climax.StreamRare Exportson Tubior rent it from Prime Video.
Black Christmas(1974)
One of the O.G. slasher films, this Bob Clark-directed groundbreaker is also one of the best, with a simple, well-executed premise and a killer cast (Margot Kidder, Olivia Hussey, Andrea Martin, John Saxon, Keir Dullea). The director has legit holiday cred: After this story of a killer stalking a sorority house during winter break, he’d go on to helm holiday cable stapleA Christmas Storynearly a decade later. There’s not much here that we haven’t seen, but only because so many later movies cribbed from its style, with less chilling results. Neither of the two remakes (from 2006 and 2019) is bad but neither reaches the horrific heights of the original.StreamBlack Christmason Peacock, Prime Video, and Tubi.
It's a Wonderful Knife(2023)
I love a good high-concept movie—it's a big part of the appeal of the seasonal classicIt's a Wonderful Life. As you can probably guess, given the title, this one works off a similar central conceit: After a particularly tough year, Winnie (Jane Widdop) stands alone on a bridge and wishes she'd never been born. When her wish is granted, her town turns into hell—not because of a lifetime of good deeds, but because she'd unmasked a serial killer known as the Angel (Justin Long) the previous year, and, without her, that killer has been murdering unchecked. And is also the mayor. Bloody holiday fun.StreamIt's a Wonderful Knifeon Huluor rent it from Prime Video.
Christmas Bloody Christmas(2022)
Christmas carnage, as a genre, is at least as venerable as the holiday rom-com (Black Christmaspredates every single one of those cozy Hallmark-style movies), and there's nothing wrong with adding some blood and guts to your holiday display. Here, Riley Dandy plays Tori Tooms, a record store owner closing up for Christmas Eve, and heading out for drinks with her flirtatious employee and a couple of pals. Those friends happen to run a toy store that has in stock a Santa robot—one that's been recalled because of its original military programming. You probably won't be surprised to learn that this particular robot is about to malfunction, and cut a bloody swath through the holiday season. Not quite as scary as more modern AI, but still, best not mess with robot Santa.StreamChristmas Bloody Christmason Netflixor rent it from Prime Videoand Apple TV.
All Through the House(2015)
An appealingly low-rent slasher offers up some grisly, gory holiday kills—often to festively horny (or hornily festive?) 20-somethings. Fifteen years after the disappearance of a young girl sent a Santa-obsessed neighborhood into lockdown, Rachel Kimmell returns home just as the missing girl's mother decides she's ready to celebrate Christmas once again. But, as these things go, there's a killer in a Santa costume stalking the neighborhood's conventionally attractive young people, killing the women and castrating the men. Rachel finds herself fighting for her life while uncovering a mystery that ties her back to that missing girl. There's a bit of a Hallmark Christmas movie-vibe here—if those movies had blood and boobs.StreamAll Through the Houseon Prime Videoand Tubi.
Adult Swim Yule Log(2022)
Do you remember the bizarre viral video phenomenonToo Many Cooksfrom about 10 years back? Have you ever wondered if the creative team behind it could stretch that short film's utter mania out to feature-length? Well, wonder no more: A few years back, director Casper Kelly and Max quietly droppedAdult Swim Yule Log, a bizarro comedy horror flick that starts out as one of those festive looping videos you put on your TV when you don't have a fireplace, and soon morphs into a wild story about racism, generational trauma, ritual sacrifice, a cursed Airbnb, and a floating demonic log. If you haven't had enough after 91 minutes, a sequel,Yule Log 2: Branchin' Out, is ready for you.StreamAdult Swim Yule Logon HBO Max.
Await Further Instructions(2018)
After the first evening home for the holidays with his girlfriend Annji (Neerja Naik), Nick (Sam Gittens) decides that the two of them should make a break for it. Dad's being distant, Mom's being oblivious, while Grandpa and his sister are tag-teaming the subtle (and less subtle) racist comments. Sneaking out seems like the most reasonable thing to do, except that they can't: There's something surrounding the house trapping them inside, while screens just read—that's right—"Await Further Instructions." As the night goes on, the instructions come (do they ever!), with the family dividing over dispositions and belief systems. Glued to our screens as we are, how do we evaluate the information that comes out of the glowing boxes?The Black Mirror-esque scenario gives way to an unhinged last act.StreamAwait Further Instructionson Prime Videoand Tubi.
Silent Night(2021)
When Nell and Simon (Keira Knightly and Matthew Goode) set up to host their annual Christmas party (to strains of Michael Bublé, no less) during the movie's opening, we're given very few clues as to what's coming. It's a particularly special Christmas, apparently, as everyone is dressed in their finest and the kids are being given plenty of extra leeway. Soon we discover it's because they're all gonna die: An environmental catastrophe is slowly overwhelming the world, and with a wave of deadly gas making its way around the globe, the couple's extended family and friends have gathered for one last party before they take the government-issued pills that will end their lives painlessly. It all goes to shit, quite naturally, resulting in a bleak social satire that's also occasionally quite funny (if you don't mind your Christmas movies with a side of assisted suicide).StreamSilent Nighton Tubior rent it from Prime Video.
Christmas Evil(1980)
John Waters calledChristmas Evil“the greatest Christmas movie ever made,” and, as recommendations go, you could do a lot worse (he even did a commentary track that you can still find on the DVD and Blu-ray release). Considering the source, that recommendation also gives you a sense of what you’re in for. In the prologue, a boy sees Mommy kissing Santa Claus (and then some), and the experience engenders a lifelong obsession with Santa—and with keeping track of who’s been naughty, and who’s been nice. There’s a bit of social commentary at play amid truly over-the-top death sequences that lead to agenuinelybatshit ending.StreamChristmas Evilon Prime Videoand Tubi.
Gremlins(1984)
In the mid ‘80s, you could buy dolls, action figures, and storybooks with Gremlins on them, which, given how violent and nightmare-inducing the film is, is both impressively twisted and a deep indictment of a consumer culture in which we’ll sell anything to anyone. Hey kids, gather ‘round the TV for a movie in which murderous creatures get chopped in blenders and blown up in microwaves and one main character vividly describes finding her missing dad stuck in the chimney on Christmas day. Regardless, there’s plenty of, uh, holiday cheer to be found, including a truly rousing band of carolers. Delightful!StreamGremlinson HBO Maxand Huluor rent it from Prime Video.
A Christmas Horror Story(2015)
Your ghoulish guide to the three tortured tales in this Canadian horror anthology is: William Shatner? Sure, why not. The novelty here, aside from the framing device of Shatner as a radio DJ getting reports of local disturbances, is that the four stories here overlap, each building to twists endings at the climax of the film. We get ghosts, changelings, Krampus, and, most memorably, Santa himself facing a horde of zombie elves. The narrative threads are uneven, but that's to be expected, and, in the whole, there's plenty of bloody seasonal fun to be had here from several talented filmmakers.StreamA Christmas Horror Storyon Shudderor rent it from Prime Videoand Apple TV.
The Lodge(2019)
The story of a stepmom gradually losing her grip on reality,The Lodgeis a particularly heavy bit of Christmas horror. Some of us enjoy frothy holiday entertainment, while others like to lean into the dark, oppressive atmosphere of the bleak midwinter. Given my own vacillation there, I acknowledge all choices as valid! Riley Keough gives a great performance here as a woman newly married to a father of two children. Their mom died tragically, and the step-kids are in no mood to accept a new family member. Discovering some disturbing truths about her past, they’re perfectly happy to manipulate her emotions after the trio becomes stranded without Dad in a remote cabin full of over-the-top religious iconography. No merry Christmases here, no sirree.StreamThe Lodgeon Tubior rent it from Prime Video.
Anna and the Apocalypse(2017)
On a lighter note—zombies! In this mash-up ofHigh School MusicalandShaun of the Deadyou never knew you needed, the titular Anna just wants to get through the Christmas show at her high school in Little Haven, Scotland. She’s so preoccupied with her own problems that she fails to notice the undead infection spreading around her. It’s a weird blend of styles, no question, but one packed with gory fun and some surprising, seasonally appropriate heart.StreamAnna and the Apocalypseon Prime Videoand Tubi.
The Advent Calendar(2021)
A woman receives a beautiful but creepy Christmas gift: a cool Advent calendar her friend picked up at a Munich market. That’s nice and all, except that it comes with several explicit instructions that all end with a variation of “...or you’ll die.” It’s a unique and nightmarish movie, full of wild ideas and phantasmagoric imagery. If it doesn’t all hold together perfectly, it’s still an impressive ride, and that centerpiece calendar is as neat as cursed film props get.
Just a note: Though the film gets points for having a disabled protagonist (which is not to say hero), it stars a non-disabled actor, and the character’s central motivation is to walk (and dance) unaided—which is fairly retrograde in terms of representation.StreamThe Advent Calendaron Shudderor rent it from Prime Video.
Alien Raiders(2008)
Ignore the genuinely horrible title, which makes the movie sound like something you’d find on the bottom row at your local Redbox. On Christmas Eve, a group of masked assailants storm a grocery store. They take hostages, but it’s clear there’s something more going on (hint: It involves alien raiders). It’s all pretty enjoyable, with better acting and effects than you’d expect, fully deserving of its cult status. Though significantly lower budget, this could serve asyour next Christmas-themed, Die Hard-esque action fix.RentAlien Raiderson Prime Videoand Apple TV.
Better Watch Out(2016)
I'm not sure that it breaks a whole lot of new ground, butBetter Watch Outboasts a deranged premise and a couple of excellent lead performances from Olivia DeJonge as teenage babysitter Ashley and Levi Miller as her 12-year-old charge. Without giving too much away, I can tell you that Luke has a massive crush on Ashley and is determined to protect her from a violent home invasion, though a series of plot twists reveal something more sinister is afoot.StreamBetter Watch Outon Peacock, Tubi, and Prime Video.
Dial Code Santa Claus(1989)
Also known asDeadly Games. AndGame Over. And, originally,3615 code Père Noël. The French film represents an impressive blend of genuine horror with sweet holiday themes. It’s the story of a whiz kid who tries to use technology to connect with Santa, but instead makes contact with a murderer intent on getting access to the kid’s (rather posh) home. You’re absolutely invited to think of this as a horror-styledHome Alone, a comparison that this film’s director (René Manzor) made when he threatened a plagiarism lawsuit against Chris Columbus and co. back in the day.StreamDial Code Santa Clauson Philo.
The Legend of Hell House(1973)
The holiday imagery is a bit more subdued here than in some of the other films listed, if only because the paranormal researchers gathered at the home of a prolific murderer in the week before Christmas are rather busy being chased by violent apparitions. A solidly festive haunted house classic.RentThe Legend of Hell Housefrom Prime Video.
I Trapped the Devil(2019)
With similarities to Charles Beaumont’s short story “The Howling Man” (adapted as aTwilight Zoneepisode),I Trapped the Deviltells the story of a Matt and Karen, a couple who set off for a visit with Matt’s troubled brother, Steve, over the holidays. Increasingly alarmed by his troubling behavior, they soon discover there’s a padlock on the basement door and, behind it, a man who Steve claims is the literal devil. Which sounds entirely fine and reasonable. If the story can’tquitesustain its runtime, it’s still a suspenseful and stylish Christmas mystery.StreamI Trapped the Devilon Tubior rent it from Prime Video.
