Christmas Horror Movies

Silent Night, Deadly Night & Silent Night, Deadly Night 2

These two movies are cheesy, often sleazy, but they’re Christmas horror classes in spite of, or perhaps because of, those characteristics. Half of the second one is simply a recap of the first one told in flashback, but it’s still worth watching for the original bits, which have to be seen to be believed. “Garbage day!”

Silent Night (2012)

Steven C. Miller’s loose remake of Silent Night, Deadly Night is a grim movie. Many of the inhabitants of its small town are sketchy and often downright sleazy. There’s no happy ending coming for anyone here. Definitely lacking in Christmas cheer, this is still a hell of a movie, bolstered by standout performances from horror regulars Jaime King as our heroine and Michael McDowell as the cocky and condescending sheriff. Donal Logue is also fantastic as a creepy Santa Clause red herring.

Gremlins

Joe Dante’s classic Christmas creature feature can be enjoyed by adults and kids alike. This one is close to my heart. Gizmo is one of the most adorable cinematic creations or all time and the gremlins themselves are both hilarious and genuinely menacing. Fun for the whole family!

Black Christmas (1974)

A true classic and perhaps my favorite film on this list, I watch the original Black Christmas every single year. This is also the only movie here that really ever scared me, what with its twist on the classic urban legend where “the calls are coming from inside the house.” A stellar cast feature horror darling John Saxon, as well as Olivia Hussey, Margot Kidder, and Andrea Martin along others makes this slasher a must watch for all horror fans.

Black Christmas (2006)

I initially hated this movie, but time has been kind to it, and all the silly things I originally disliked are what makes it all the more fun now. No, it doesn’t hold a candle to the original, but it’s still a gory, fun little film of its own, with an impressive cast, including Katie Cassidy, Michelle Trachtenberg, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and the original’s Andrea Martin.

Black Christmas (2019)

I didn’t know what to expect going in to this loose remake as I had only heard mixed reviews, but this Black Christmas blew me away. It will probably resonate better with millennial and Gen-Z women than any other audiences, but I found it both exciting and empowering. Our final girl, Imogen Poots, is a criminally underrated actress and Cary Elwes is magnificent as a misogynistic professor.

Silent Night, Bloody Night

This odd and surreal film features Mary Woronov and John Carradine as two of the many odd inhabitants of a small town about to be visited by a whole lot of death and murder. There’s nothing I can say to convey to you the weirdness of this movie, but it’s strangely beautiful to look at and completely haunting.

Better Watch Out

This movie starts out as a home invasion flick, only to completely change course about 1/3 of the way through. I don’t want to give away where it goes, although I will tell you that it shows us what would really happen if someone set up some of the burglar traps from Home Alone.

Puppet Master vs. Demonic Toys

This is a very silly movie, and if you don't have the patience for silly, you should sit this one out. However, if you love the goofy and the cheesy, and if you're a fan of either of the franchises battling it out here, you won't want to miss this Corey Feldman starring oddity.

To All a Good Night

Directed by exploitation darling, David Hess, To All A Good Night is a fun, by the numbers Christmas slasher set at a girl’s boarding school. Nothing particularly unique about it, it’s still a mighty entertaining time for slasher fans.

Saint

This Dutch film features an evil Saint Nick who returns every 42 years on December 5 to kidnap and kill children and otherwise unleash murder and mayhem. Featuring an absolutely show stopping rooftop race and some good gore, Saint is a great Christmas film for those with the darkest of hearts.

Rare Exports

Finland’s horror/fantasy Rare Exports manages to be creepy, funny, and utterly heartwarming all at the same time. A little boy and his father must save children kidnapped by evil Santas (yep, Santas plural) and prevent the rise of a great evil. Absolutely charming.

Jack Frost

Not to be confused with the terrible Michael Keaton film of the same name, Jack Frost is a purposefully ridiculous film about a serial killer reincarnated as a killer snowman terrorizing the town of the sheriff who caught him. This somehow manages to be completely Christmas-spirited while also featuring bloody deaths and black humor.

Silent Night (2021)

Not to be confused with 2012’s Silent Night, the most recent film on our list is a drama about a group of friends celebrating their last Christmas on earth as the apocalypse looms over them. Featuring stellar performances from a cast that includes Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Lucy Punch, and Jojo Rabbit’s Roman Griffin Davis, Silent Night is both beautiful and hard breaking and is the only movie on this list that brought tears to my eyes.