The 25 Best Christmas Horror Movies
Although the Hallmark Channel may claim otherwise , there’s nothing inherently wrong with pairing Christmas with scary stories. For centuries in Britain, families gathered around the fireplace and battled the winter chill by telling chilling tales of the supernatural—a tradition forgotten and revived by Charles Dickens and M.R. James in the Victorian era. Similar non-Christian traditions go back even further; across centuries, across cultures and religious traditions, dark winter nights seem to offer a particularly good excuse to spook our loved ones. So grab a warm drink, close the doors, and turn on your Roku to watch this list of the best Christmas horror movies. And speaking of fire, please check the chimney before lighting a blaze. It’s a sensible safety precaution, especially if you’re not sure where Dad has gone…
Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)
There’s nothing particularly groundbreaking about Silent Night, Deadly Night . It’s the story of a boy who witnesses his parents being murdered by a man in a Santa suit, and then grows up to become a killer himself, as is often the case. While it’s not the first Christmas horror film, the Reagan era was n’t the best time for it. Or perhaps it was ideal? Either way, it was boycotted and censored, which, of course, only created publicity that benefited it. On its own, it’s a perfectly decent slasher, perhaps even a cut above average, with just the slightest hint of consumerism. However, as an enjoyable cultural artifact, it’s more than worth watching. The sequels can probably be skipped, though the second is delightfully, horribly bad (and includes a full 40 minutes of footage from the previous one), and the fifth stars Mickey Rooney (!). And, of course, there’s the current remake, continuing the tradition of terrifying seasonal fans. Watch “Silent Night, Deadly Night” on Shudder or rent it on Prime Video .
Rare Export Products (2010)
Clearly, I’m not the first to recommend Rare Export: A Christmas Carol. The Finnish film became a new Christmas classic shortly after its release ten years ago—though it’s no Wonderful Life . (But give it time.) In the film, a greedy government research team drills into earth best left untouched: an ancient burial mound that, according to legend, is the resting place of Joulupukki, the precursor to our modern-day Santa Claus. Old Joulupukki isn’t much different from Krampus in that he’s far more interested in punishing evildoers than rewarding the good. It’s a gripping, darkly comic, cynical winter fairy tale (pretty much perfect for our times), culminating in a bonkers finale. Watch Rare Export on Tubi or rent it on Prime Video .
Black Christmas (1974)
This groundbreaking film by Bob Clark, one of the first slashers, is also one of the best, with a simple, well-crafted plot and a terrific cast (Margot Kidder, Olivia Hussey, Andrea Martin, John Saxon, Keir Dullea). The director has a reputation as a true Christmas hero: after this story about a maniac stalking college girls during winter break, he made the popular Christmas movie A Christmas Story nearly a decade later. There’s nothing fundamentally new here, but that’s only because many later films have borrowed its style, with less frightening results. Neither of the two remakes (2006 and 2019) are bad, but neither reaches the terrifying heights of the original. Watch Black Christmas on Peacock , Prime Video , and Tubi.
This is a wonderful knife (2023)
I’m a sucker for a good movie with an original concept—that’s one of the main reasons for the popularity of the classic Christmas movie , It’s a Wonderful Life . As you might have guessed from the title, this film is based on a similar central idea: after a particularly tough year, Winnie (Jane Widdop) stands alone on a bridge, wishing she’d never existed. When her wish comes true, her town turns into hell—not because of all the good deeds she’s done throughout her life, but because she exposed a serial killer known as Angel (Justin Long) the previous year, and without her, the killer continues to kill with impunity. He’s also the mayor. Bloody holiday fun. Watch It’s a Beautiful Knife on Hulu or rent it on Prime Video .
Bloody Christmas (2022)
Christmas gore as a genre is at least as venerable as romantic comedies ( Black Christmas predates all those cozy Hallmark-style movies), and there’s nothing wrong with adding a little blood and guts to your holiday decor. Here, Riley Dandy plays Tory Toomes, the owner of a record store who closes on Christmas Eve and goes out for drinks with her flirtatious employee and a couple of friends. These friends, it turns out, own a toy store that has a robot Santa—the same one that was recalled due to its original military use. You probably won’t be surprised that this particular robot is about to malfunction and unleash a bloody storm of holiday gore. Not as scary as more modern AI, but still, you don’t want to mess with a robot Santa.Watch Black Christmason Netflix or rent it on Prime Video and Apple TV .
The Whole House (2015)
This engaging and affordable slasher features several grisly, gory holiday murders—often targeting lustful (or lustfully festive?) twenty-somethings. Fifteen years after a girl’s disappearance sent her Santa-obsessed neighborhood into lockdown, Rachel Kimmell returns home just as the missing girl’s mother decides to celebrate Christmas again. But, as often happens, a killer dressed as Santa Claus is on the loose in the neighborhood, targeting attractive young men, murdering women and castrating men. Rachel fights for her life while uncovering a mystery that connects her to the missing girl. It feels like a Hallmark Christmas movie—if only those movies had blood and breasts. Watch “All Through the House” on Prime Video and Tubi.
Christmas Keychain for Adults (2022)
Remember that weird “Too Many Cooks” viral video from a decade ago? Ever wondered if the team behind it could stretch that short film madness into a feature? Well, wonder no more: a few years ago, director Casper Kelly and Max quietly released “Yule Log” on Adult Swim —a quirky horror-comedy that starts out as one of those holiday loops you play on your TV when you don’t have a fireplace and soon evolves into a wild tale of racism, generational trauma, ritual sacrifice, a cursed Airbnb, and a floating demonic log. If that’s not enough for you after 91 minutes, there’s a sequel, “Yule Log 2: Branchin’ Out.” Watch “Yule Log” on Adult Swim on HBO Max .
Await further instructions (2018)
After spending his first evening home for the holidays with his girlfriend, Angie (Neerja Naik), Nick (Sam Gittens) decides the two of them need to escape. His dad is distant, his mom is oblivious, and his grandfather and sister take turns responding to subtle (and not-so-subtle) racist remarks. Running away seems like the smartest move, but they can’t: the house is surrounded by something trapping them inside, and the screens just display—yes, “Await Further Instructions.” As night falls, the instructions arrive (as always!), and the family becomes divided in their views and beliefs. Glued to the screens, how can we interpret the information emerging from the glowing boxes? A Black Mirror -style scenario gives way to a frantic final act. Watch “Await Further Instructions” on Prime Video and Tubi.
Silent Night (2021)
At the beginning of the film, as Nell and Simon (Keira Knightley and Matthew Goode) prepare to host their annual Christmas party (set to the sounds of Michael Bublé), we’re given little indication of what’s to come. It seems like a special Christmas, with everyone dressed in their finest and the children given a lot of freedom. We soon learn that they’re all going to die: the world is slowly being engulfed by an environmental disaster, and as a wave of deadly gas spreads across the globe, the couple’s family and friends gather for one last party before taking government-issued pills that will painlessly end their lives. Things go awry, naturally, leading to a dark social satire that’s quite funny at times (if you don’t mind Christmas movies with elements of euthanasia). You can watch Silent Night on Tubi or rent it on Prime Video .
Christmas Evil (1980)
John Waters called “A Christmas Evil ” “the greatest Christmas movie of all time,” and as far as recommendations go, you could do much worse (he even recorded a commentary track, which is still available on DVD and Blu-ray releases). Given the source material, this recommendation also gives a hint of what to expect. In the prologue, a boy sees his mother kissing Santa Claus (among other things), an event that sparks a lifelong obsession with Santa Claus—and the desire to keep track of who’s been naughty and who’s been good. The film also features an element of social commentary, amid some truly ridiculous death scenes, leading to a completely insane ending. Watch “A Christmas Evil” on Prime Video and Tubi .
Gremlins (1984)
In the mid-’80s, you could buy Gremlins-themed dolls, figurines, and picture books, which, given the film’s brutality and horror, is both impressively perverse and a profound indictment of a consumer culture in which we sell anything to anyone. Hey, kids, gather around the TV to watch a movie in which bloodthirsty creatures are shredded in blenders and exploded in microwaves, and one of the main characters vividly describes finding her missing father stuck in a chimney on Christmas Day. Still, the film has plenty of, er, holiday cheer, including a truly rousing caroling group. Delightful! Watch Gremlins on HBO Max and Hulu , or rent it on Prime Video .
A Christmas Horror Story (2015)
Your creepy guide to three harrowing tales from this Canadian horror anthology: William Shatner? Sure, why not. The novelty here, beyond the framing device of Shatner playing a radio DJ receiving reports of local unrest, is that the four stories intersect, each leading to unexpected conclusions in the film’s climax. We see ghosts, changelings, Krampus, and, most memorably, Santa himself confronting a horde of zombie elves. The storylines are uneven, but that’s to be expected, and overall, there’s plenty of gory seasonal fun here from several talented directors. Watch “A Christmas Horror Story” on Shudder or rent on Prime Video and Apple TV .
Lodge (2019)
“The House” is the story of a stepmother slowly losing touch with reality, making it a particularly heavy Christmas horror film. Some of us enjoy lighthearted holiday fun, while others prefer the dark, oppressive atmosphere of a dreary winter. Given my own reservations about this, I admit, all options are valid! Riley Keough gives a brilliant performance as a woman recently married to a father of two. Their mother has tragically died, and the stepchildren are in no mood to welcome the new family member. After learning disturbing details of her past, they delight in manipulating her emotions after the trio finds themselves alone in a remote cabin filled with over-the-top religious iconography. There’s no merry Christmas here, not even a single one. Watch “The House” on Tubi or rent it on Prime Video .
Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)
Now for something lighter—zombie! In this High School Musical meets Shaun of the Dead mashup you never knew existed, protagonist Anna just wants to survive the Christmas play at her school in Little Haven, Scotland. She’s so consumed with her own problems that she’s oblivious to the zombie infestation spreading around her. It’s certainly a strange mix of styles, but it’s filled with gory fun and unexpected, timeless heartwarming moments. Watch Anna and the Apocalypse on Prime Video and Tubi.
Advent Calendar (2021)
A woman receives a beautiful yet terrifying Christmas gift: a cool advent calendar her friend bought at a Munich market. While that’s all well and good, the calendar comes with several blatant instructions, each ending with a variation of the phrase “…or you die.” It’s a unique and nightmarish film, full of crazy ideas and phantasmagorical imagery. Even if it doesn’t all come together perfectly, it’s still a spectacular sight, and this central calendar is one of the coolest, when it comes to cursed movie props.
A quick note: while the film deserves praise for featuring a disabled protagonist (which doesn’t necessarily make him a hero), it stars a non-disabled actor, and the character’s main motivation is to walk (and dance) unaided, which is rather retrograde in terms of representation. You can watch “The Advent Calendar” on Shudder or rent it on Prime Video .
Alien Raiders (2008)
Ignore the truly awful title, which makes this film sound like it could be found in the bottom aisle of your local Redbox. On Christmas Eve, a group of masked assailants break into a grocery store. They take hostages, but it’s clear something more is going on (hint: it involves alien invaders). Overall, the film is quite entertaining, with better acting and special effects than you might expect, and it fully deserves its cult status. Despite a significantly smaller budget, it could be your next dose of Die Hard-style action this Christmas . Rent Alien Invaders on Prime Video and Apple TV .
Better Be Careful (2016)
I’m not sure the film breaks any new ground, but Better Watch Out boasts a wild plot and two excellent leads: Olivia DeJonge as Ashley’s teenage babysitter and Levi Miller as her 12-year-old charge. Without giving away too much, I can say that Luke is obsessed with Ashley and determined to protect her from a brutal attack at her home, though several plot twists reveal something more sinister. Watch Better Watch Out on Peacock , Tubi, and Prime Video .
Santa Claus Code Set (1989)
Also known as “Deadly Games,” “Game Over, ” and, originally, “The Santa Claus Dial Code,” this French film is a stunning blend of genuine horror and sweet holiday themes. It’s the story of a gifted child who tries to use technology to contact Santa, but instead finds himself in the clutches of a killer seeking access to the child’s (rather posh) home. You could easily compare this film to a horror-themed “Home Alone” —a comparison the film’s director (René Manzor) used when threatening Chris Columbus and his co-stars with a plagiarism lawsuit. Watch “The Santa Claus Dial Code” on Philo .
The Legend of Hell House (1973)
The holiday imagery here is somewhat more subdued than in some of the other films listed, not least because the paranormal investigators gathered at the home of a notorious killer a week before Christmas are quite busy being haunted by violent ghosts. A solid haunted house classic with a Christmas theme. Rent “The Legend of Hell House” on Prime Video .
I Caught the Devil in a Trap (2019)
Much like Charles Beaumont’s short story “The Howling Man” (adapted as an episode of The Twilight Zone ), I Caught the Devil follows Matt and Karen, a couple who go to visit Matt’s troubled brother, Steve, for the holidays. Increasingly alarmed by his disturbing behavior, they soon discover a lock on the basement door, and behind it, a man Steve calls the real devil. Which makes perfect sense. While the plot is a bit short, it’s still a gripping and stylish Christmas mystery. Watch I Caught the Devil on Tubi or rent it on Prime Video .
Fart! (2018)
Just in time for Christmas, a new popular toy has arrived: Pooka, a wildly quirky and capricious doll who basically does whatever she wants. Kids are thrilled! An out-of-work actor (Nyasha Hatendi) isn’t thrilled when he’s offered a job selling dolls in a giant Pooka costume, but the money is good. Naturally, that’s when the weird starts to spiral into outright surrealism. Director Nacho Vigalondo ( Colossal , Time Crimes ) enjoys experimenting with the concept, which ultimately evolves into a twisted, inverted take on A Christmas Carol . Watch Pooka! on Hulu .
Bloody Rhythm (1983)
I have no idea what the movie “Blood Rhythm” is about; I’m not sure anyone does. A young couple gathers at home for a family gathering when the ghost of a samurai (or something like that) starts killing people, all set to a stunning synth score. And some of the people are psychic, too? The film’s cult status stems not from any hidden depth in the plot, but from its often impressive visuals and hypnotic atmosphere. In that sense, I’d recommend it as a nice complement to mints, but only if you’re not easily scared. Or you’re not afraid of samurai, I guess. Watch “Blood Rhythm” on Tubi .
Krampus (2015)
Krampus is one of the decade’s best films, reviving ancient, frightening European traditions with far less jolly versions of Santa Claus. It’s a Gremlins -style horror comedy with original special effects from Weta Workshop. It may not be the darkest or goriest of Christmas horror films, but it’s a lot of fun, with effects that create the atmosphere of a creepy winter fairytale as we follow a family haunted by the demon that gives the film its title. Watch Krampus on Peacock or rent it on Prime Video .
Killing Santa (2005)
Have you ever wondered how terrible Santa’s job really is? He’s supposed to deliver toys to billions of children, and he only has one night to do it. The unsuccessful 1985 blockbuster The Santa Clause: The Movie shows that this is only possible because, for Santa, the night drags on endlessly until the job is done, which is pretty horrific when you consider the consequences. The clever 2005 slasher film Killing Santa makes the job explicitly undesirable, revealing that Santa (wrestler Bill Goldberg) was actually Satan’s unfavorite son, given this annual duty after losing a bet—but only for 1,000 years, and his time is up. Watch Killing Santa on Tubi or rent it on Prime Video .
Cruel Night (2022)
This film is probably more of an action comedy than an outright horror, but if you’re looking for a gory Christmas scene, it’s still a good choice. Stranger Things ‘ David Harbour plays a kindly old Santa Claus who decides to protect the lives of a wealthy family from murderous attackers (all of whom go by holiday-themed nicknames like “Mr. Scrooge”) on Christmas Eve. The climax is a Home Alone -style trap, a much bloodier and more realistic version of the chaos unleashed by little Kevin McCallister in that oddly violent Christmas classic, and Harbour does a great job of playing Santa Claus’s obvious (but still funny) portrayal of a depressive and moody character. Watch “Cruel Night” on Peacock or rent it on Prime Video .