There may be 12 Days of Christmas, but that’s not sufficient for our holiday horror list, which offers enough suggestions for every day in December. From the goofy to the gory, here are the festive frights that’ll keep you watching all the way through to the terrors of 2025. So settle in with the best Christmas horrors in cinematic history, starting with…
31. Don’t Open Till Christmas (1984) – Edmund Purdom and Alan Birkinshaw’s microbudget yuletide sleazefest sets a spree-killer Santa loose on 1980s London. Can Inspector Harris (Edmund Purdom) crack the case and halt the sleighings? This is utter garbage – perfect for a post-eggnog “who the hell made this grim nonsense?” watch that reminds me of the run-down London of my youth (NB: I was 8 and never pursued by a killer Claus).
30. The Sacrifice Game (2023) – Holdover horror from Jenn Wexler; occult shenanigans during Christmas break at a 1970s boarding school, where two girls face off against sinister cultists. Smart dialogue and ambiguous, ominous energy make this a worthy entry.
29. Red Snow (2021) – Sean Nichols Lynch’s snow-bound horror-comedy follows a struggling vampire romance novelist (Denise Cisneros) who finds an injured bat, and brings it inside her Lake Tahoe cabin. Of course, that counts as an invitation to a vampire… you’d think she would know the rules. Fun, cute, and surprisingly bloody.
28. It’s a Wonderful Knife (2023) – Tyler MacIntyre’s timeline-twisting seasonal slasher reimagines a small-town Christmas where a final girl (Jane Widdop) wishes she’d never been born – and finds that she must confront a masked killer and save the holiday all over again. Charming, smart, and featuring Justin Long as an evil bigwig in a big wig.
27. 3615 Code Père Noël aka Dial Code Santa Claus aka Game Over aka Deadly Game (1989) – The original Home Alone (yes, they tried to sue) is a rather more brutal Gaelic affair than Macaulay Culkin’s escapades. Director René Manzor’s Christmas Eve mansion-invasion thriller pits a young boy against a psychotic intruder dressed as Santa Claus, lured there by they boy’s Christmas email submitted to the French proto-internet system Minitel (3615 being the page number for Santa, 80s tech-fans!). Booby traps and violent hijinks abound, with a more visceral sense of injury and physical trauma than Chris Columbus ever attempted. An early example of an online stranger-danger horror, with the odd choice that (imho) the brat is unlikeable, too!
26. I Trapped the Devil (2019) – Psychological horror from Josh Lobo. A disturbed man (Scott Poythress) is convinced he has captured the Devil himself in his basement… so the last thing he needs is for his family (AJ Bowen, Susan Burke) to show up for Christmas. Beautifully shot, with great set design: lots of Christmas lights, suspended in the shadows of gloomy rooms… and what could be more Christmassy than a significant mental illness flare-up? (Or is it?)
25. The Leech (2022) – Holiday horror gets horny. Eric Pennycoff’s dark comedy follows a devout priest (Graham Skipper) who sees his life unravel when he opens his home to a volatile, flirty couple (Graham Skipper, Taylor Zaudtke) during Christmas. But is he being manipulated by them, or lead astray by his own hallucinations into a spiralling vortex of festive recrimination?
24. The Advent Calendar (2021) – Patrick Ridremont’s very watchable supernatural yarn follows a Belgian lady in a wheelchair, whose advent calendar grants her wishes but – wouldn’t you know it – also demands sinister sacrifices. Strong Twilight Zone energy. Seemingly sponsored by After Eight Mints, so, very festive.
23. Brooklyn 45 (2023) – Ted Geoghegan directs this anti-war chamber piece horror, in which military veterans gather for a Christmas Eve séance that unleashes paranoia, hate, xenophobia, machismo… and maybe some ghosts too. Brings the vibes of an Agatha Christie thriller, with a good number of twists for a single-room tale. A great role for Larry Fessenden too, plus some fun gore I won’t spoil here…
22. Violent Night (2022) – Another Home Alone adjacent film, as Tommy Wirkola’s action-horror asks: what if a young tyke was aided in battling the robber mercenaries invading her family’s holiday gathering… by a grizzled action-hero Santa Claus (David Harbour)? Call it Die Hard With a Reindeer. Lead villain John Leguizmo’s death in this film is arguably the best kill on the list.
21. Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) – Charles E. Sellier Jr.’s, trashy, slashy Santasploitation tale of a traumatised boy who grows up to become a killer Santa Claus. Sags in the middle, but a great opening and a suitably bloody climax. The path from troubled child to twitch-eyed killer is iconically goofy. He does, indeed, know when you’ve been naughty.
20. Krampus (2015) – A dark fantasy horror in which director Michael Dougherty pits a dysfunctional family against Krampus, the demonic anti-Santa, and his festive minions. The cast is good fun – Adam Scott, Toni Collette, Alison Tolman, David Koechner – and the build-up is decent. But really it’s all about the creature design and brutality of the last thirty minutes – plus that standout final image. Respect to Universal for putting out something like Gremlins reimagined by Thomas Ligotti.
19. Await Further Instructions (2018) – The vibes are well and truly off in Johnny Kevorkian’s mysterious UK sci-fi horror. When a young man brings his Indian girlfriend home for the holidays, the family wake the next morning to find themselves trapped inside the house by a mysterious, authoritarian force that blocks all the doors and windows and hijacks the TV to announce, simply, “stay indoors and await further instructions.” David Bradley is on superbly hateable form as the cantankerous xenophobic patriarch. Christmas really is a time for family arguments, in this dark post-Brexit Black Mirror-esque riddle.
18. The Day of the Beast (1995) – Álex de la Iglesia’s rambunctious Spanish horror-comedy follows a priest through the Christmas Eve from hell, as he attempts to prevent the Antichrist’s birth through various blasphemous acts, including kidnapping his own smarmy televangelist rival. A fun mix of the sacred and profane: theologically interesting, enjoyably unpredictable, and genuinely odd.
17. Terrifier 3 (2024) – You better not shout, you better not cry: Damien Leone returns to the scene of the crime to continue the story of Art the Clown’s rampage against unsuspecting victims, with this third feature this time set at Christmas for no particular reason. As before, the best parts are the OTT set pieces, the hints of bizarre Fulci-esque lore, and Lauren LaVera. More good news: this is the least misogynistic of the three, with plenty of yuletide penile punishment to balance the blood-spattered boobs.
16. Black Christmas (2006) – Wildly better than its reputation, Glen Morgan’s remake of the original slasher movie revisits the terror of sorority sisters being stalked by a killer during their Christmas downtime. A troubled production and edit (yes, it was the Weinsteins) mean that the plot chops around erratically with little control of narrative flow. That would usually be a disaster… but when it’s coupled with a mysterious killer hiding in the walls and floors, bold lighting, and a generally deranged atmosphere the whole things starts to feel like Black Christmas via Dario Argento’s Inferno. No higher compliment. And Michelle Trachtenberg is genuinely good!
15. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) – Usually associated with writer-producer Tim Burton, actually directed by Henry Selick, this beautifully designed dark stop-motion fantasy blends horror with gothic whimsy as Jack Skellington, King of Halloween Town, tries to hijack Christmas. Catherine O’Hara is excellent as Sally, the human who may have to stop him, as is Ken Page as the baritone ghoul and true threat to all, Oogie Boogie. Delightful.
14. Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 (1987) – Directed by Lee Harry, this slasher sequel follows Ricky (Eric Freeman), the brother of the original killer, as he continues the Christmas carnage. Originally intended as a padded-out version of the original, the extra material gradually took over and the project turned into more of a sequel – but a sequel that still has a huge amount of the original film embedded in it as flashbacks. Make no mistake, Harry took a silly exploitation original and made it dumber, trashier, and generally much worse – which is to say, much better, which is why it’s higher on this list. This movie truly is the “Garbage Day” to the original’s Christmas Eve. A trashterpiece.
13. Sole Survivor (1984) – Thom Eberhardt’s creepy psychological thriller follows a woman (Anita Skinner) who survives a plane crash only to be stalked by eerie, death-like figures, while an alcoholic actress (Robin Davidson) tries to warn her of her impending doom. Sole Survivor is most famous for being a clear inspiration for Final Destination – but unlike that film’s late 90s/early noughties teen horror schtick, this one draws from the desolate dread of Carnival of Souls and Messiah of Evil. It’s also the least Christmassy film on this list, but it’s set over the holidays, uses the season as an excuse to get people playing strip poker (some sort of nudity clause from the financiers, one imagines) and there is one shot of a flustered Santa running down a corridor and jumping into our nervous heroine’s extremely untrustworthy elevator.
12. Sheitan (Satan) (2006) – Kim Chapiron directs this punchy New French Extremity hicksploitation provocation, with energy and bad taste to spare. Three horny teenage boys (one black, one white, one Thai) out in the prowl on Christmas Eve get thrown out of a nightclub (unsubtly named ‘Styxxx’), and pick up a couple of girls – the unequal numbers fuelling endless petty one-upmanship. They are then led by one of those girls out of town to her family’s farmhouse – and into the sinister orbit of her aggressively strange groundsman (a thoroughly deranged Vincent Cassell). Sheitan is aiming to be Gaspar Noé, and it does get close enough to muster some gasps. Content warning for the multiple ethnic slurs, including a gregarious Cassell dropping a hard-R n-bomb on future star director Ladj Ly (playing “Ladj”, one of the boys) over dinner while slapping him fraternally on the back. The unwillingness of Ladj’s supposed mates to protest this aggression proves a sign that they lack the true loyalty that might have protected them all from what’s to come…
11. Dead End (2003) – More Carnival of Souls style shivers from this road-trip chiller from Jean-Baptiste Andrea and Fabrice Canepa, which follows a family trapped in a supernatural loop while traveling on Christmas Eve. With no turn-offs, no end, and a mother and baby hitchhiker to contend with, family arguments start to boil over… The ending is obvious from the second scene if not the first, but this film is more about the journey than the destination. Plus the parents are played by Ray Wise and Lin Shaye, so you know you’re in for the perfect mix of wild-eyed dread and dark camp… and whatever you do, don’t look at the baby!
10. Better Watch Out (2016) – Another festive Home Alone spin, this time from director Chris Peckover. This thriller takes a twisted turn as a babysitter (Olivia DeJonge) and her young charge (Levi Miller) try to defend themselves from mysterious intruders. Go in cold for the best Chirstmassy horror of its decade, as Better Watch Out offers a clever subversion of slasher and home-invasion tropes, mixes the playfully humorous with the fairly disturbing, and delivers a great villain.
9. Christmas Evil (1980) – Less camp than Silent Night, Deadly Night, this similarly themed psychological horror from Lewis Jackson explores the descent of a toy factory worker (Brandon Maggart) into madness. He mulls over a primal memory of Santa pleasuring his mother, until he snaps and becomes a murderous Santa Claus himself. Less a slasher per se, more the melancholy tale of a broken man who feels disconnected from society, and wanders around killing a few people during the “happiest time of the year.” Essentially, it’s Sleigh Driver featuring Santa Bickle. Christmas Evil does, however, upend things with a truly wild choice for a closing image.
8. Silent Night (2021) – I have very little to say about this one, as you should go into Camille Griffin’s pitch-dark film absolutely stone cold. It follows an extended family who gather for a Christmas dinner as trouble looms. An excellent British cast includes Keira Knightly, Matthew Goode, Lucy Punch and Sope Dìrísù. Say no more – but absolutely check it out.
7. Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (1972) – This psychological thriller reimagines Hansel and Gretel as two orphans fending off a disturbed matriarch (Shelly Winters) who is adopting/kidnapping them, after she takes a shining to the girl over a philanthropic Christmas meal. Director Curtis Harrington serves up this berserk hagsploitation classic, whose dark material and wild performances are amusingly mismatched by the very straightforward, if over-lit, visual craft. An ambiguously nasty tone escalates throughout, thanks to a vision that allows every single character to be an absolute psychopath.
6. Adult Swim Yule Log (2022) – Question: What kind of horror shall we make? Answer: Yes. Casper Kelly’s surreal horror-comedy is the most formally audacious entry in this list, beginning as a cozy fireplace video before spiralling into a chaotic, multidimensional nightmare. The Too Many Cooks of Christmas movies, to say any more would spoil the ride as it moves from minimalism to maximalism.
5. Inside (2007) – Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo’s New French Extremity horror follows a pregnant woman Alysson Paradis) left home alone to battle a mysterious intruder on the night before Christmas. What is it about Christmas Eve home invasions that we keep creating so many variations? Inside takes its one central idea – pregnant lady terrorised by Beatrice Dalle – and rams it into remarkable territory with its sheer commitment to gore and violence, to create one of the tensest, most visceral films I’ve ever seen. Meatier than a Christmas ham, crunchier than a brussels sprout.
4. Night of the Comet (1984) – This post-apocalyptic romp follows two Valley girls (Catherine Mary Stewart, Kelli Maroney) who survive a passing comet that turns everyone else to powder. They must then arm up, battle zombies, and check out the mall – against the backdrop of a mostly depopulated Los Angeles holiday season. Filled with long shadows, gorgeous costumes, snappy set designs and ridiculous dialogue, director Thom Eberhardt’s charming genre gem is punky, goofy, and utterly LA-80s, as it suggests that you get to do Christmas your own way when you’re an adult… or when the world has ended.
3. Black Christmas (1974) – Bob Clark’s horror classic chronicles a house of sorority sisters besieged by a menacing killer during the Christmas holidays. This was the point North America took the Italian giallo and tweaked it into something new – something we’d come to call the slasher. An immaculately constructed, stylishly executed work that pointedly takes aim at the wider patriarchy, Black Christmas is excellently supported by its gorgeous yuletide cinematography and a standout cast that includes Margot Kidder and Olivia Hussey. The original and best festive slasher.
2. The Children (2008) – Not to be confused with The Children (1980), this rich slice of kidsploitation terror is a supremely watchable psychological horror. It really delivers on the ominous premise of children turning homicidal during a pair of annoying British families’ Christmas vacation. This thing slaps harder than you would ever expect – it’s essentially The Crazies meets Who Can Kill A Child, and much more boldly edited than this kind of material usually gets to be. Director Tom Shankland delivers a fantastic satire of parents too – they’re all just constantly fronting and in need of a decent slap, although perhaps not deserving of the degree of gnarly carnage that transpires here!
1. Gremlins (1984) – Joe Dante’s endlessly rewatchable horror-comedy family classic tells the tale of a young man (Zach Galligan) who fails to follow the strict instructions that come with his mysterious new pet, and so unleashes a wave of mischievous, deadly creatures into his small town at Christmastime. This movie gave us “bright light, bright light,” a Gremlin in a blender, a Gremlin in a microwave, a chainsaw fight, Gremlins 2, and this showstopper monologue from Phoebe Cates:
The worst thing that ever happened to me was on Christmas. Oh, God. It was so horrible. It was Christmas Eve. I was 9 years old. Me and Mom were decorating the tree, waiting for Dad to come home from work. A couple hours went by. Dad wasn’t home. So Mom called the office. No answer. Christmas Day came and went, and still nothing.
So the police began a search. Four or five days went by. Neither one of us could eat or sleep. Everything was falling apart. It was snowing outside. The house was freezing, so I went to try to light up the fire. That’s when I noticed the smell.
The firemen came and broke through the chimney top. And me and Mom were expecting them to pull out a dead cat or a bird. And instead they pulled out my father. He was dressed in a Santa Claus suit. He’d been climbing down the chimney… his arms loaded with presents. He was gonna surprise us. He slipped and broke his neck. He died instantly. And that’s how I found out there was no Santa Claus.
Merry Christmas, every one!
Whitlock&Pope 