Forget the holiday cheer this Christmas; aim for something scary! Rent or buy a great holiday horror movie.
If you're tired of movies dealing with sugarplums and twinkling lights, put in a Christmas horror flick.
Newer Christmas Horror Movies
- Black Christmas (2006) - Billy is abandoned by his mother as a child and is abused all through his childhood. When Billy is an adult, he escapes from prison and heads back to his childhood home which is now a sorority house. Furious, he kills the sorority sisters off one by one. (Rated R)
- The Blackout (2009) - It's Christmas Eve and the power goes out. The tenants of The Ravenwood find themselves trapped in their building and they are not alone. (Not Rated)
- The Children (2008) - A relaxing family Christmas vacation turns into a nightmare when the children turn on their parents. (Rated R)
- P2 (2007) - A corporate-climbing businesswoman is working late on Christmas Eve. When she's ready to leave and heads to the underground parking garage, she finds herself targeted by a psychopath. (Rated R)
- Santa's Slay (2005) - Santa Claus is really a demon who lost a bet with an angel and had to spend 1,000 years playing the role of the nice Santa. But the 1,000 years have passed and the demon Santa is back and on a murderous rampage. (Rated R)
- Sheitan (2006) - It's Christmas Eve in Paris and a group of people that were hanging out in a bar head to the home of one of the partiers. The house is in a secluded area in the country and they encounter a man intent on satanic worship. (Rated 16A in France and Switzerland and Rated R in Australia)
- Sint (2010) - This flick portrays St. Nicholas as a murdering bishop who kills children during a full moon on December 5th. (Rated 16A in Netherlands)
Christmas Horror Movies From the 90s
- Jack Frost (1997) - A serial killer is genetically mutated in a car wreck enroute to his execution. He returns as a snowman intent on getting revenge. (Rated R) For more with the murderous snowman, check out Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman (2000).
- Santa Claws (1996) - An actress is stalked by a man who thinks he is Santa Claus; he saw his mother sleeping with a man in a Santa hat when he was a boy and murdered them both. Love the tagline - "His Slay Bells are Ringing!" (Rated R)
Holiday Horror Movies of the 80s
- Deadly Games (1982) - A town is in the clutches of a masked killer who is murdering women. One woman manages to escape his death grip before becoming his next victim. She has an idea who the killer may be. Can she find out the truth before more women get killed? (Rated R) (1984) - This British movie tells the story of a murderer brutally killing people dressed in Santa outfits on the streets of London. A London police inspector and a reporter are trying to stop the crazy killer. (Rated R)
- Elves (1989) - A young woman is involved in a Nazi experiment that breeds elves in an attempt to create a superhuman race. The woman is trapped in a department store with a murderous elf and only a renegade Santa Claus can save her and her friends. (Rated PG-13)
- To All a Good Night (1980) - It's Christmas break at an all-girls school and the girls are throwing a big party. A bunch of boys show up and the partying really gets wild when a crazed psycho in a Santa suit starts killing the teenagers off. Could his rampage have anything to do with a hazing ritual a couple years ago? (Rated R)
- Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) - A young boy watches his parents get murdered by a thief in a Santa outfit. He is sent to live in an orphanage where he is tormented by the Mother Superior. As an adult, he gets a job in a store but when he is told to dress in a Santa suit, he snaps and goes on a murderous rampage. You gotta love the tagline for this horror film - "You've made it through Halloween, now try and survive Christmas." (Rated R)
- You Better Watch Out (1980) - A boy is devastated to learn Santa is not real. When he grows up, he becomes a toymaker and tries to make the spirit of the holidays a reality. But when he is met with cynicism, he goes on a holiday killing spree. (Rated R)
Classic Christmas Horrors
- Black Christmas (1974) - A sorority house is terrorized during Christmas break by a man making threatening phone calls and then murdering the sorority sisters. (Rated R)
- Silent Night, Bloody Night (1974) - A man returns to his home on Christmas Eve; the house burns down with him inside that night and he dies. A few years later his grandson returns to the family home to find a serial killer has taken refuge in the mansion. The killer takes the life of anyone who comes near the house. Does he have a link to the grandfather who burned and died in the home? (Rated R)
- Tales From the Crypt (1972) - Five people are trapped in a crypt and the crypt keeper shows them their future and how they will die. But they can opt out of their fate - if they opt out of the rest of their lives. (Rated PG)
It's not likely that any of these movies won an Academy Award but it you are looking for a cheesy holiday horror movie, you've got lots to choose from!
Copyright Toby Welch. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.
Toby Welch - Toby is a full-time freelance writer who specializes in magazine articles, online writing, e-books, and manuscript editing.
Join the Conversation