Christmas Horror Movies
by emertens | created - 26 Nov 2011 | updated - 22 Dec 2022 | PublicCHRISTMAS HORROR MOVIES
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1. Scrooge (1970)
G | 113 min | Drama, Family, Fantasy
A musical retelling of Charles Dickens' classic novel about an old bitter miser taken on a journey of self-redemption, courtesy of several mysterious Christmas apparitions.
Director: Ronald Neame | Stars: Albert Finney, Alec Guinness, Edith Evans, Kenneth More
Votes: 12,587 | Gross: $3.70M
This film contains some rather frightening sequences. For instance during the 'See the Phantoms' song - a brief, dark song sung by Marley as he and Scrooge fly through the dark sky, surrounded by phantoms.
But most of all because of the extended graveyard scene. In a nightmarish sequence, the ghost of 'Christmas Yet to Come' shows its face (the face of Death) to Scrooge who falls backwards, screaming, through his own open grave, through a seemingly bottomless shaft, and into the very bowels of Hell. He wakes up in a coffin-shaped crater and meets Marley, who tells him of his appointment as Lucifer's personal clerk and shows him to his icy, rat-infested office. The frightened Scrooge's massive chain then arrives on the backs of several burly, hooded "demons" who wrap it around him, fairly immobilizing him, amid his futile cries to Marley for help. (This scene is often edited or removed.)
2. Black Christmas (1974)
R | 98 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
During their Christmas break, a group of sorority girls are stalked by a stranger.
Director: Bob Clark | Stars: Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, John Saxon
Votes: 48,344 | Gross: $4.05M
I didn't want my list to start with the most obvious choice. That's of course "Black Christmas". This whole movie really breathes "Blackness" and Christmas in all kinds of ways. The colour schemes, the music, the story. It gets better with every viewing.
3. Gremlins (1984)
PG | 106 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
A young man inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.
Director: Joe Dante | Stars: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, John Louie
Votes: 247,770 | Gross: $148.17M
4. Night of the Dark Full Moon (1972)
R | 81 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A man inherits a mansion which once was a mental home. He visits the place and begins to investigate some crimes that happened in old times, scaring the people living in the region.
Director: Theodore Gershuny | Stars: Patrick O'Neal, James Patterson, Mary Woronov, Astrid Heeren
Votes: 4,895
aka Silent Night, Bloody Night.
A terrific Christmas horror movie. After leaving the drive-in circuit in the early 70's the film fell into public domain and it remained obscure until the mid 80's. The copy I've seen is available on archive.org. It's heavily damaged, with a lots of scratches and dust. The aspect ratio is cropped and the colors are faded. The sound definitely has lost its clarity. Sometimes - when it is within limits - some of these "symptoms of old age" add to the nostalgic atmosphere. But in this case the quality of the copy is just too bad. It makes the movie look shoddy and cheap and it doesn't deserve that.
It's an interesting slasheresq horror movie with a lot of atmosphere. Very nice cinematography and some of the music definitely must have influenced John Carpenter's Halloween.
Besides that, the festive season scenery is tastefully present. And some Christmas carols are cleverly intertwining with the score.
Very good.
5. Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)
R | 79 min | Horror, Thriller
Little Billy witnesses his parents getting killed by Santa after being warned by his senile grandpa that Santa punishes those who are naughty. Now Billy is 18 and out of the orphanage, and he has just become Santa himself.
Director: Charles E. Sellier Jr. | Stars: Lilyan Chauvin, Gilmer McCormick, Toni Nero, Robert Brian Wilson
Votes: 18,804 | Gross: $2.49M
6. Saint (2010)
Not Rated | 88 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
A horror film that depicts St. Nicholas as a murderous bishop who kidnaps and murders children when there is a full moon on December 5.
Director: Dick Maas | Stars: Egbert Jan Weeber, Bert Luppes, Caro Lenssen, Huub Stapel
Votes: 9,670
To anyone outside the Netherlands this movie may seem to be a Christmas horror movie. Actually it isn't. The origins of Santa Claus (Santa) are found in the Dutch Sinterklaas (Sint). That's correct. But the birthday of Sinterklaas is traditionally celebrated on the 5th of December. Almost all Dutch people celebrate Sinterklaas as well as Christmas, the later with a Santa Claus similar to the one in the US - although here he's called "de kerstman" (the Christmas Man).
However, since it's on all the other Christmas horror lists, and I absolutely love the movie, I've decided to add it anyway. Since its release I've watched it every 5th of December.
7. The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020)
R | 85 min | Comedy, Horror, Mystery
Terror grips a small mountain town as bodies are discovered after each full moon. Losing sleep, raising a teenage daughter, and caring for his ailing father, officer Marshall struggles to remind himself there's no such thing as werewolves.
Director: Jim Cummings | Stars: Jim Cummings, Riki Lindhome, Robert Forster, Chloe East
Votes: 24,263
Good original movie.
8. Better Watch Out (II) (2016)
R | 89 min | Comedy, Horror, Thriller
On a quiet suburban street, a babysitter must defend a twelve-year-old boy from intruders, only to discover it's far from a normal home invasion.
Director: Chris Peckover | Stars: Olivia DeJonge, Levi Miller, Ed Oxenbould, Aleks Mikic
Votes: 46,246 | Gross: $0.02M
Good movie with a fantastic performance by Levi Miller.
9. Last Stop on the Night Train (1975)
R | 94 min | Horror, Thriller
A pair of psychotic hoodlums and an equally demented nymphomaniac woman terrorize two young girls on a train trip from Germany to Italy.
Director: Aldo Lado | Stars: Flavio Bucci, Macha Méril, Gianfranco De Grassi, Enrico Maria Salerno
Votes: 3,428
This really is a very good film. It contains some of the most beautiful colour imagery i've ever seen in pictures. The music of Morricone (I'm NOT talking about the opening song) is almost superb at some places.
I't is a real Christmas Horror movie and there's a lot of black comedy. It's a very cynical movie.
Most reviewers compare it to "Last House of the Left" and call it a ripp-off. I don't care for that. I'm not a fan of Craven at all. In some ways Last House is a ripp-off of "The Sadist" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057465/combined) Who cares... One can call every vampire movie a ripp-off of Nosferatu (1922). No one would be able to make films at all.
10. I, Madman (1989)
R | 89 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A bookshop clerk and wannabe actress starts seeing the disfigured killer from her 1950s pulp novels come to life and start killing people around her. She tries to convince her cop boyfriend, but to no avail.
Director: Tibor Takács | Stars: Jenny Wright, Clayton Rohner, Randall William Cook, Stephanie Hodge
Votes: 3,730 | Gross: $0.15M
So I watched this recently (dec 2012), but I think I must have missed a lot (I dozed off a few times). So my remembrance is a bit of a confusing mess. I'm afraid I have to rewatch it...
But from what I can recollect, here's my opinion...
This type of horror, like for instance Cronenberg's Naked Lunch, is a bit too illogical to my taste. I don't mind the amount of fantasy, but I like to know what's going on. Even movies like Images, Messiah of Evil or Let's Scare Jessica to Death seem to be more clearer, while they have a good reason to be vague.
But that said, it's a potentially decent movie, crafted well enough, with a some nice scary moments as well as some likable stop-motion special effects.
A lot of scenes show some Christmas decoration in the background. I cannot recall if it was ever a topic of conversation, or other way part of the plot. But it's undeniably present.
Edit: Re-watched it December 2014. My opinion on this movie has completely changed. Sure, it contains a number of supernatural elements, and - as in a lot of of horror movies - it pretty much defies logic, but nonetheless it wasn't at all confusing. Maybe I was just too tired when I watched it 2 years ago.
Fun movie to watch around Christmas. 7.5/10
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11. Christmas Evil (1980)
R | 100 min | Horror, Thriller
A toy factory worker, mentally scarred as a child upon learning Santa Claus is not real, suffers a nervous breakdown after being belittled at work, and embarks on a Yuletide killing spree.
Director: Lewis Jackson | Stars: Brandon Maggart, Jeffrey DeMunn, Dianne Hull, Andy Fenwick
Votes: 8,571
Also known as: "Christmas Evil"
12. Sole Survivor (1984)
R | 85 min | Horror, Thriller
A lone survivor of a plane crash is haunted by a feeling unworthy of survival. Dead people start coming after her to collect her.
Director: Thom Eberhardt | Stars: Anita Skinner, Caren L. Larkey, Peggy McClure, Roberta Kay
Votes: 2,561
Great movie. The Christmas stuff is in the last part of the movie
13. Night Train (I) (2009)
R | 91 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
Two passengers and the conductor discover that a man has passed away on their night train cabin. They come across a mysterious object in a box the dead man was carrying and they all wish to keep for themselves.
Director: Brian King | Stars: Danny Glover, Leelee Sobieski, Steve Zahn, Matthias Schweighöfer
Votes: 9,860
This movie has a strong straight-to-video look and that might be a bit off-putting, but it's a good, nightmarish movie that gets better with repeat-viewings.
14. Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (1972)
PG-13 | 91 min | Horror, Thriller
A demented widow lures unsuspecting children into her mansion in a bizarre "Hansel and Gretel" twist.
Director: Curtis Harrington | Stars: Shelley Winters, Mark Lester, Chloe Franks, Ralph Richardson
Votes: 2,534
A Good Christmas Horror film. Very underrated.
Loaded with well-known names.
A James H. Nicholson & Samuel Z. Arkoff production
Jimmy Sangster (a lot of Hammer movies) co-wrote the screenplay.
Cast: Shelly Winters, Ralph Richardson, Lionel Jeffries, Hugh Griffith.
The story leaves you wondering who's going to be the real 'bad one'. Winters is the main antagonist. And of course she has some serious mental problems. But is she really evil? She herself is a victim of her butler and a fake psychic. And the children she has to deal with, are very sly and cold-blooded.
15. Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015)
R | 88 min | Horror, Mystery
Using a special camera that can see spirits, a family must protect their daughter from an evil entity with a sinister plan.
Director: Gregory Plotkin | Stars: Chris J. Murray, Brit Shaw, Ivy George, Dan Gill
Votes: 30,673 | Gross: $18.30M
This installment to the franchise plays during Christmas, which is very noticeable during most of the movie. I thought it was reasonably entertaining with a nice Christmas-y atmosphere. If I'm not mistaken, the story is a follow-up to PA3 (which I actually rather liked, although I 'm not much a fan of the series)
16. The Children (2008)
R | 84 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A relaxing Christmas vacation turns into a terrifying fight for survival as the children begin to turn on their parents.
Director: Tom Shankland | Stars: Eva Birthistle, Stephen Campbell Moore, Jeremy Sheffield, Rachel Shelley
Votes: 19,029
17. The Path (2012)
83 min | Horror, Thriller
The chess player Raúl invites his estranged wife Ana and his son Nico to travel with him during Christmas to an isolated cabin in a snowy mountain expecting to reconcile with her. On the ... See full summary »
Director: Miguel Ángel Toledo | Stars: Ariel Castro, Raquel Escribano, Javier Montó, Joan Prades
Votes: 603
Very good, atmospheric Christmas horror movie, with some true chilling moments. I think it's excellently paced - but I'm quite sure the junkfood majority will find it slow. In style it contains a bit too much modern day tropes, although on several occasions it transcends to an inspired well-executed higher level. There's actually a climatic moment with some really good original music, something that imo is very rare in today's movies.
There's not much talk, nor is everything that happens explained. Something I consider very positive.
The twist at the end is a bit predictable. But I don't watch a movie only to be amazed by it's conclusion.
7.5-8.5/10
18. The Conjuring 2 (2016)
R | 134 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Ed and Lorraine Warren travel to North London to help a single mother raising four children alone in a house plagued by a supernatural spirit.
Director: James Wan | Stars: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Madison Wolfe, Frances O'Connor
Votes: 300,380 | Gross: $102.47M
If I remember well, the story of this film - or part of it - takes place during the beginning of December. Halfway through the movie the family gets a Christmas tree into their home. However the movie never really gets into a good Christmas feeling / mood.
19. The Advent Calendar (2021)
104 min | Horror, Thriller
Eva is a paraplegic. On her birthday, her friend Sophie gives her a strange Advent calendar. It's not the traditional treats you find when you open each drawer, but quirky gifts that are scary and get bloodier.
Director: Patrick Ridremont | Stars: Eugénie Derouand, Honorine Magnier, Clément Olivieri, Janis Abrikh
Votes: 5,991
20. The Day of the Beast (1995)
R | 99 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Bent on committing as many sins as possible to avert the birth of the beast, a Catholic priest teams up with a Black Metal aficionado and an Italian connoisseur of the occult. Now, he must become an unrelenting sinner. Is there still hope?
Director: Álex de la Iglesia | Stars: Álex Angulo, Armando De Razza, Santiago Segura, Terele Pávez
Votes: 23,776 | Gross: $0.02M
December 2016 - I dropped my rating from 9/10 to 7/10.
I have no idea why I liked it that much the first time I had seen it.
It's a black comedy - but it seems to aim its arrows at metalheads who value anything "political incorrect" as a big hoot by default.
i thought the movie missed substance, as well as some really good cynicism.
21. Black Rainbow (1989)
R | 103 min | Horror, Thriller
A medium has a vision of a hit-man killing his target. The vision comes true, and the same hit-man is assigned to kill her. Her drunk father/manager doesn't believe she has the gift, and a curious journalist tries to protect her.
Director: Mike Hodges | Stars: Rosanna Arquette, Jason Robards, Tom Hulce, Mark Joy
Votes: 2,011
22. Dead End (I) (2003)
R | 85 min | Adventure, Horror, Mystery
Christmas Eve. On his way to his in-laws with his family, Frank Harrington decides to try a shortcut, for the first time in 20 years. It turns out to be the biggest mistake of his life.
Directors: Jean-Baptiste Andrea, Fabrice Canepa | Stars: Ray Wise, Lin Shaye, Mick Cain, Alexandra Holden
Votes: 32,277
A rather decent horror movie in my opinion. But not much of it reminds of Christmas, although it all takes place on Christmas Eve.
23. Home for the Holidays (1972 TV Movie)
73 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
An ailing man summons his four daughters home for Christmas and asks them to kill his new wife, who he suspects is poisoning him.
Director: John Llewellyn Moxey | Stars: Sally Field, Jill Haworth, Julie Harris, Eleanor Parker
Votes: 1,336
24. The Mothman Prophecies (2002)
PG-13 | 119 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A reporter is drawn to a small West Virginia town to investigate a series of strange events, including psychic visions and the appearance of bizarre entities.
Director: Mark Pellington | Stars: Richard Gere, Laura Linney, David Eigenberg, Bob Tracey
Votes: 84,772 | Gross: $35.75M
25.
The League of Gentlemen (1999–2017)
Episode:
The League of Gentlemen Christmas Special
(2000)
TV-14 | 60 min | Comedy, Horror
Alone in the chapel of hope on Christmas Eve Reverend Bernice hates Christmas,since her mother was carried off by Papa Lazarou disguised as Santa Claus when she was a child. She has three ... See full summary »
Director: Steve Bendelack | Stars: Jeremy Dyson, Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith
Votes: 391
This Christmas special, which can be easily watched on its own, is a very funny, extremely well-made horrific anthology in three parts.
The Rev Bernice Woodall, Royston Vasey's vicar, is in a typically un-festive mood, haunted by a terrible Christmas memory, when three visitors appear at her church, each with their own chilling tale to recall.
The first concerns troubled married couple Charlie and Stella becoming unwittingly involved in voodoo and witchcraft.
The second (and the best in my opinion) features the German exchange teacher Herr Lipp in a Nosferatu skit that reveals the terrible truth about what really goes on in Duisburg
The third tells of the horrible hereditary curse that afflicted Dr Chinnery's great-grandfather.
After consoling her parishioners, Bernice finds herself buoyed with Christmas spirit. But it doesn't last for long. She receives a fourth visitor in the form of carnival ringmaster Papa Lazarou, the most terrifying Santa Claus you could imagine.
This one-off special distils all the League's penchant for disturbing, twisted characterisation and macabre humour into a single hour; the result is one of the most daring "comedies" ever seen on British TV.
26.
Inside No. 9 (2014– )
Episode:
The Devil of Christmas
(2016)
TV-MA | 29 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A director talks about his old horror film. It's Austria, Krampusnacht, December 1977. The Devonshires arrive at the alpine chalet for a holiday. The caretaker, Klaus, tells them about a local legend of Krampus, the Devil of Christmas.
Director: Graeme Harper | Stars: Reece Shearsmith, Rula Lenska, Jessica Raine, Steve Pemberton
Votes: 1,980
27. A Fantastic Fear of Everything (2012)
R | 100 min | Comedy, Horror
A crime novelist whose research on Victorian serial killers has turned him into a paranoid wreck must confront his worst fears when a film executive takes a sudden interest in his movie script.
Directors: Crispian Mills, Chris Hopewell | Stars: Simon Pegg, Paul Freeman, Amara Karan, Clare Higgins
Votes: 15,207
Fun movie - & it plays around Christmas time. Besides a group of Christmas carol singing kids - there's a smal amount of Christmas decoration (f.i a green Father Christmas figure in the launderette's window, if I remember well). The movie starts better then it ends imo. The "real" serial killer only kills the wonderfully chaotic story line Pegg's paranoid character has created - and even worse: adds some very annoying feel good sentiment to it all.
28. Stalled (I) (2013)
Not Rated | 84 min | Comedy, Horror
A janitor gets trapped in a women's restroom and encounters an all-out attack by a horde of zombies.
Director: Christian James | Stars: Dan Palmer, Antonia Bernath, Tamaryn Payne, Mark Holden
Votes: 2,133
29. Red Snow (I) (2021)
80 min | Comedy, Horror, Thriller
A struggling vampire romance novelist must defend herself against real-life vampires during Christmas in Lake Tahoe.
Director: Sean Nichols Lynch | Stars: Dennice Cisneros, Nico Bellamy, Laura Kennon, Vernon Wells
Votes: 2,164
30. The Brain (1988)
R | 94 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
A psychologist with an increasingly popular TV show brainwashes his audiences using a giant living brain. A mischievous high school student is sent to the psychologist's institute, and becomes determined to expose him.
Director: Ed Hunt | Stars: Tom Bresnahan, Cynthia Preston, David Gale, George Buza
Votes: 3,517
6-8.5/10
Fun, fast paced and very 1980s. The alien brain, somehow reminiscent to the one from planet Arous (and as least as unconvincing), is shown right from the start as well as lots of times during the movie. I thought it only added to the fun.
The cinematography is pretty good, with nice color compositions.
The story takes clearly place during Christmas time. In losts of scenes Christmas decorations are shown. And indirectly also Christmas tunes are to be heard (car radio f.i.) Several outdoor scenes show snowy surroundings. Other scenes that don't are still fine, convincing, atmospheric depictions of the last month of year.
One of the last shots at the happy ending (it's the 80s!) of the movie shows a Christmas tree being put next to the garbage outside, waiting to be collected, somehow symbolizing all supernatural nonsense have been finished for the moment.
Oh, and I thought Tom Bresnahan was a pretty hot dude. During the 1980s they often chose more sympathetic male heroes for horror movies, than they do now, imo.
31. Santa's Slay (2005)
R | 78 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
Santa Claus is actually a demon who lost a bet with an angel, so he becomes the giver of toys and happiness. But when the bet is off, he returns to his evil ways.
Director: David Steiman | Stars: Bill Goldberg, Douglas Smith, Emilie de Ravin, Robert Culp
Votes: 11,225
32. P2 (2007)
R | 98 min | Crime, Horror, Thriller
A businesswoman is pursued by a psychopath after being locked in a parking garage on Christmas Eve.
Director: Franck Khalfoun | Stars: Rachel Nichols, Wes Bentley, Simon Reynolds, Philip Akin
Votes: 36,426 | Gross: $3.99M
Nice, scary Christmas horror movie.
33. A Cadaver Christmas (2011)
Not Rated | 85 min | Comedy, Horror
Unconventional heroes band together against an army of living corpses reanimated by a dark force in a cadaver lab on Christmas, as the undead rapidly recruit new members.
Director: Joe Zerull | Stars: Daniel Rairdin-Hale, Hanlon Smith-Dorsey, Yosh Hayashi, Ben Hopkins
Votes: 858
A low-budget Grindhouse Christmas Zombie Horror Comedy. The acting sucks, the sound sucks, the score sucks even more. But the camera work wasn't that bad. And the story - as well as some of the comedy bits- seemed to work (The best joke was the running gag about dialing 911. Campus security had a totally absurd prank prevention solution - dialing 911 resulted in a connection with a telephone operator (a security guard) who would check the urgency of the call first, before reconnecting..) Actually I thought it was quite entertaining. I will sure I'll watch it again - SOME day.
34. The Phantom Carriage (1921)
Not Rated | 107 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
On New Year's Eve, the driver of a ghostly carriage forces a drunken man to reflect on his selfish, wasted life.
Director: Victor Sjöström | Stars: Victor Sjöström, Hilda Borgström, Tore Svennberg, Astrid Holm
Votes: 14,083
The story takes place on New Years Eve. Christmas trees can be seen several times. At the end it's all a bit too religious for my taste. But it's very suitable for Christmas time, rather moving and with a few nice spooky scenes.
35. Alien Raiders (2008)
R | 85 min | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
A group enters a supermarket at closing time, shoots around and takes hostages. They believe aliens have arrived there then. Cops arrive outside.
Director: Ben Rock | Stars: Carlos Bernard, Mathew St. Patrick, Rockmond Dunbar, Courtney Ford
Votes: 9,084
Practically the whole "Alien Raiders" movie takes place in a supermarket. It must be set during the festive season because the place is heavily decorated all around. There's even a huge Santa Clause figure - very prominently visible in a lot of shots - outside next to the entrance of the store. Furthermore there are also Christmas tunes that are played inside the place. At the beginning of the movie some of these tunes are even heard as part of the score in a rather creepy way.
During the movie the atmosphere changes. At some point the electricity is cut down, so the lights go out and the shop music stops.
I like the basic premise of the plot. A group of shop personnel is kept hostage by some people who are trying to find a person infected by an alien. They know there is one, but they don't know what he/she looks like. The second halve of the movie was a bit of a let-down. And I find most of the characters and their behavior rather irritating.
But in to-to it is rather enjoyable.
36. To All a Goodnight (1980)
R | 87 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A group of teenagers at a party find themselves being stalked by a maniacal killer in a Santa Claus costume.
Director: David Hess | Stars: Jennifer Runyon, Forrest Swonsen, Linda Gentile, William Lauer
Votes: 2,355
37. Lucky Stiff (1988)
PG | 82 min | Comedy, Horror
A plump loser, after being left at the alter by his fiancee, is invited to Christmas dinner by a beautiful woman, but her family are cannibals who intend to have *him* as the main course.
Director: Anthony Perkins | Stars: Donna Dixon, Joe Alaskey, Jeff Kober, Fran Ryan
Votes: 474
A Christmas Horror Comedy directed by Anthony Perkins. A fat guy stumbles upon a good looking woman, who for some reason instantly wants to marry him, whereupon she introduces him to her weird, inbreed -cannibalistic- family. Yes - he is going to be the main course for Christmas dinner. Although several aspects were pretty mediocre, overall I thought it was a rather entertaining movie. Very suitable to watch on (or around) Christmas.
38. Inside (2007)
R | 82 min | Horror
Four months after the death of her husband, a woman on the brink of motherhood is tormented in her home by a strange woman who wants her unborn baby.
Directors: Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury | Stars: Alysson Paradis, Jean-Baptiste Tabourin, Claude Lulé, Dominique Frot
Votes: 44,693
A rather nasty, gruesome horror movie, if I remember well... Have to re watch it.
39. ATM (I) (2012)
R | 90 min | Horror, Thriller
On a late night visit to an ATM, three co-workers end up in a desperate fight for their lives when they become trapped by an unknown man.
Director: David Brooks | Stars: Alice Eve, Josh Peck, Brian Geraghty, Mike O'Brian
Votes: 25,380 | Gross: $0.00M
A nice Christmas horror movie. On Christmas Eve a couple of adolescents are trapped in an ATM on a desolated parking lot. Outside - only just visible in the dark - an unknown psycho is waiting to kill them.
40. Wind Chill (2007)
R | 91 min | Adventure, Drama, Horror
Two college students share a ride home for the holidays, but when they break down on a deserted stretch of road, they are preyed upon by the ghosts of people who have died there.
Director: Gregory Jacobs | Stars: Emily Blunt, Ashton Holmes, Martin Donovan, Ned Bellamy
Votes: 24,975 | Gross: $0.02M
The design of the film consists of many contemporary horror movie clichés. Everything is in lifeless dark blue. Just a cheap filter trick that doesn't work. Usually I hate that, but because it all takes place in a snowy landscape at night, it seemed a bit appropriate.
The scary scenes are accompanied by a monotonous low humming sound. Another cliché. And a rather ugly one. It doesn't make any sense at all unless the place is some kind of cellar or underground subway.
Don't expect to much in which case it is an enjoyable horror flick.
41. Maniac (1980)
18+ | 87 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A psychopathic man goes on a killing and mutilation spree in New York City.
Director: William Lustig | Stars: Joe Spinell, Caroline Munro, Abigail Clayton, Kelly Piper
Votes: 20,210
Hardy anyone notices, but this "classic" plays during/around Christmas. It's mentioned a few times in the dialogues. F.i.: the neighbor who asks Zito (Spinell) if the stuff he's carrying are Christmas shoppings; Zito visiting his mother's grave - something he always does when it's Christmas time, at least that's what he says.
Christmas trees and other decorations are seen several times, even in Zito's place (although strangely most of the trees aren't decorated...)
And then of course there's the very noteworthy scene with the music box playing "Silent Night, Holy Night"
Nonetheless on the whole it's a bit too scarce to call it a thoroughbred "Christmas horror movie"
Not really one of my favorites, not the worst either.
A strong 7/10
42. The Curse of the Cat People (1944)
Passed | 70 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
The young, friendless daughter of Oliver and Alice Reed befriends her father's dead first wife and an aging, reclusive actress.
Directors: Gunther von Fritsch, Robert Wise | Stars: Simone Simon, Kent Smith, Jane Randolph, Ann Carter
Votes: 7,174
43. Violent Night (2022)
R | 112 min | Action, Comedy, Thriller
An elite team of mercenaries breaks into a family compound on Christmas Eve, taking everyone hostage. However, they aren't prepared for a surprise combatant: Santa Claus is on the grounds, and he's about to show why this Nick is no saint.
Director: Tommy Wirkola | Stars: David Harbour, John Leguizamo, Beverly D'Angelo, Alex Hassell
Votes: 99,045 | Gross: $50.06M
Not really horror, but R-rated especially because of the amount of violence. Because of that it is rather weird that the movie still has some messaging that seems to be aimed directly at children (f.i how important it is to have faith in Santa/Christmas). It could've done without it. It felt like a rather right-winged movie. The young mother - one of the protagonists - said she could handle a gun because her dad always took her hunting when she was young. I will never be able to see someone who has killed or hurt animals for pleasure as a good person. On the plus side: the movie had a very good score by Dominic Lewis. (not talking about the pop music). Hesitating between a 6 and a 7.
44.
Dead of Night (1972)
Episode:
The Exorcism
(1972)
50 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
Four friends gather for Christmas dinner at an old cottage. Suddenly, there's a power failure and the phone goes dead. Then their wine turns to blood and the turkey makes them violently ill. Then things really get strange!
Director: Don Taylor | Stars: Anna Cropper, Sylvia Kay, Edward Petherbridge, Clive Swift
Votes: 214
Edmund and his wife Rachel renovate a remote cottage in the country and invite their friends Dan and Margaret to have Christmas dinner there. Through the course of the next 45 minutes, they are brutally forced by supernatural means to confront the literal and figurative foundations of their privileged existence.
45. A Christmas Tale (2005 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 71 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
In 1985, in a coastal town, the friends Koldo, Peti, Tito, Eugenio and Moni stumble with a woman dressed like Santa Claus trapped in a hole in the woods. While the boys go to the police ... See full summary »
Directors: Paco Plaza, George A. Romero | Stars: Maru Valdivielso, Christian Casas, Roger Babià, Pau Poch
Votes: 1,807
English Title: Films to keep you awake: A Christmas Tale
71 min
Good!!
46. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
PG | 76 min | Animation, Family, Fantasy
Jack Skellington, king of Halloween Town, discovers Christmas Town, but his attempts to bring Christmas to his home causes confusion.
Director: Henry Selick | Stars: Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara, William Hickey
Votes: 375,106 | Gross: $75.08M
This is a highly praised movie, and it's obvious it took a lot of craftsmanship to make it. But I'm not a very big fan of it. The first problem to me is the music. I find the almost continuously parlando sung music rather dull. It's like an endless recitative. Only Ken Page (Oogie Boogie) was able to make something of it. He reminded me of Levi Stubbs who sang the role of Audrey II in Frank Oz's Little Shop Of Horrors. THAT's one of my favourite black-comedy musicals, although I'll never forgive them for changing the sensational ending of man-eating plants taking over the world. (You can find the original ending in black & white on youtube)
Secondly I found it a rather restless movie. The pacing just isn't right.
Although I can see it all took a look of work, the cinematography is just suitable, but never really outstanding.
An animation picture in the "black comedy" vain that I like very much is: "Mary and Max" (tt0978762)
47. Krampus (I) (2015)
PG-13 | 98 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
A boy who has a bad Christmas accidentally summons a festive demon to his family home.
Director: Michael Dougherty | Stars: Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, Allison Tolman
Votes: 84,067 | Gross: $42.59M
I've already watched this film thrice. Nonetheless I don't think it's very good. Too much dark shots, too much close-ups, too much camera movement. Rather mediocre direction & camera work. Still a real Christmas horror film, with a rare - at least for this subgenre - budget of $15,000,000
48. A Christmas Horror Story (2015)
Not Rated | 99 min | Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
Interwoven stories that take place on Christmas Eve, as told by one festive radio host: A family brings home more than a Christmas tree, a student documentary becomes a living nightmare, a Christmas spirit terrorizes, Santa slays evil.
Directors: Grant Harvey, Steven Hoban, Brett Sullivan | Stars: William Shatner, George Buza, Rob Archer, Zoé De Grand Maison
Votes: 12,481
49. Deadly Games (1989)
Not Rated | 92 min | Action, Horror, Thriller
On Christmas Eve, a resourceful young boy has to defend himself and his grandfather from a killer dressed as Santa Claus.
Director: René Manzor | Stars: Brigitte Fossey, Louis Ducreux, Patrick Floersheim, Alain Lalanne
Votes: 2,782
Seen
50. Silent Night, Zombie Night (2009)
R | 83 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
A week before Christmas, a viral outbreak turns the citizens of Los Angeles into the walking dead. With characters named Santa Zombie, Raccoon, Fingers and Little Daddy, who can resist this horrific holiday gift.
Director: Sean Cain | Stars: Jack Forcinito, Andy Hopper, Nadine Stenovitch, Lew Temple
Votes: 831
51. A Christmas Carol (2000 TV Movie)
75 min | Drama, Fantasy
An unscrupulous loan shark who makes excuses for his uncaring nature learns real compassion when three ghosts visit him on Christmas Eve.
Director: Catherine Morshead | Stars: Ray Fearon, Ross Kemp, Shezwae Powell, Bill Thomas
Votes: 630
52. Kind Lady (1935)
Approved | 76 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Henry, a homeless artist, is invited in from the cold by Mary. Her kindness is exploited as Henry, his family and friends manipulate their way into living in her home. Mary tries to get rid of them, but they have their own scheme in mind.
Director: George B. Seitz | Stars: Aline MacMahon, Basil Rathbone, Mary Carlisle, Frank Albertson
Votes: 652
I was very impressed by this movie from 1935. (The same year as James Whale made his "Bride".) 'Kind Lady' seemed to me as a very modern film for its time. It was very well made. The camera work, the lighting techniques, the black&white photography. And the score too was very good. Just a year before a lot movies didn't even had a score.
It's more a thriller then a horror film. Rather unsettling and tense (a bit like 'Pacific Heights'). Someone is brutally murdered, but of course you're not getting to see much of it.
The films starts on Christmas Eve and ends exactly a year later - again on Christmas Eve. Christmas music is nicely interwoven with the score.
53. Blast of Silence (1961)
Approved | 77 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A hired killer from Cleveland has a job to do on a second-string mob boss in New York, but a special girl from his past and a gun dealer with pet rats get in his way.
Director: Allen Baron | Stars: Allen Baron, Molly McCarthy, Larry Tucker, Peter Clune
Votes: 5,667
Outstandingly appropriate. Not a horror movie, but some sort of thriller/crime noir. Christmas was never so rough and bleak at the same time.
Highly recommended.
54. Christmas Holiday (1944)
Not Rated | 93 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A young femme fatale-type woman realizes that the man she married is an incorrigible wastrel.
Director: Robert Siodmak | Stars: Deanna Durbin, Gene Kelly, Richard Whorf, Dean Harens
Votes: 1,646
No horror - but a rather black drama/crime/thriller.
Some reasons why I liked it:
- the odd choice of Durbin and Kelly for these type of dramatic roles.
- the odd choice of the Christmas setting
- while the 1940s brought more "evil husband" flicks such as Gaslight (1940)Gaslight (1940)
- The use of the song "Always". Deanna sings it beautifully - but in the context of the movie, it's a very creepy song.
- the twisted Hitchcockian mother/son relation between Gale SondergaardGale Sondergaard
I had first rated it a 10/10 - but after re-watching it in December 2016 I decided to tone it down to 8/10
55. Lady in the Lake (1946)
Passed | 105 min | Crime, Film-Noir, Mystery
The lady editor of a crime magazine hires Phillip Marlowe to find the wife of her boss. The private detective soon finds himself involved in murder.
Director: Robert Montgomery | Stars: Robert Montgomery, Audrey Totter, Lloyd Nolan, Tom Tully
Votes: 6,364
I'll add a review later. Excellent movie - but more a noir thriller than horror.
56. Psycho (1960)
R | 109 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin
Votes: 718,187 | Gross: $32.00M
The story takes place from Friday 11 to Sunday 20 December. The movie is very clear about that. So technically it isn't a Christmas horror film, however Christmas decorations are visible in downtown Phoenix in an early scene. It is therefore somewhat suitable for the Christmas season.
One of the best horror movies ever.
57. The Legend of Hell House (1973)
PG | 95 min | Horror
A physicist, his wife and two mediums are hired to investigate the Belasco House, where 27 guests had inexplicably died in 1927, along with most of a team of paranormal investigators that was sent in the early 1950s.
Director: John Hough | Stars: Roddy McDowall, Gayle Hunnicutt, Pamela Franklin, Clive Revill
Votes: 14,039
Although nothing in this movie reminds of Christmas, the story begins on December 17th and ends on December 24th, which is Christmas Eve.
58. Rare Exports (2010)
R | 84 min | Adventure, Fantasy, Horror
In the depths of the Korvatunturi mountains, 486 meters deep, lies the closest ever guarded secret of Christmas. The time has come to dig it up. This Christmas everyone will believe in Santa Claus.
Director: Jalmari Helander | Stars: Jorma Tommila, Onni Tommila, Peeter Jakobi, Tommi Korpela
Votes: 32,141 | Gross: $0.26M
59. Exte: Hair Extensions (2007)
R | 108 min | Comedy, Horror
About hair extensions that attack the women that wear them.
Director: Sion Sono | Stars: Chiaki Kuriyama, Megumi Satô, Tsugumi, Eri Machimoto
Votes: 3,352
A horror movie about alive cut-off hair. When it attacks it comes with a Christmas tune (Silent Night if I'm not mistaken) and little slay bells.
Weird but entertaining flick. Good cinematography.
60. Blood Beat (1983 Video)
R | 87 min | Horror
A young woman accompanies her boyfriend to his family's rural Wisconsin home for Christmas, where the spirit of a Japanese samurai begins wreaking havoc on them.
Director: Fabrice-Ange Zaphiratos | Stars: Helen Benton, Terry Brown, Dana Day, James Fitzgibbons
Votes: 1,510
A family's Christmas reunion gets off to a bad start when the son brings home his girlfriend, leading to an awkward feeling of deja-vu between her and the boy's psychic mother. Weird things begin happening, the weirdest of which happens to be the presence of a glowing samurai warrior who's murderous tendencies appear to be linked to the girlfriend's orgasms.
61. The Devil-Doll (1936)
Passed | 78 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
An escaped convict uses miniaturized humans to wreak vengeance on those who framed him.
Director: Tod Browning | Stars: Lionel Barrymore, Maureen O'Sullivan, Frank Lawton, Rafaela Ottiano
Votes: 4,957
62. The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1978)
73 min | Animation, Family, Fantasy
A young boy becomes an apprentice for a mysterious sorcerer, working at the sorcerer's strange and sinister mill where secretive black magic is being taught and performed at a very heavy price.
Director: Karel Zeman | Stars: Ludek Munzar, Jaroslav Moucka, Christian Brückner, Friedrich Schütter
Votes: 1,178
63. Tales from the Crypt (1972)
PG | 92 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
Five strangers get lost in a crypt and, after meeting the mysterious Crypt Keeper, receive visions of how they will die.
Director: Freddie Francis | Stars: Joan Collins, Peter Cushing, Ralph Richardson, Geoffrey Bayldon
Votes: 13,014 | Gross: $1.70M
Only the first (and best) part of this Amicus anthology is a real Christmas horror story. But the whole film is very enjoyable. It's very clear that Freddie Francis is a great cinematographer.
64. Dead of Night (1945)
Approved | 77 min | Drama, Horror
Guests invited to a weekend in the country share their supernatural stories, beginning with Walter Craig, who senses impending doom as his half-remembered recurring dream turns into reality.
Directors: Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden, Robert Hamer | Stars: Mervyn Johns, Michael Redgrave, Roland Culver, Mary Merrall
Votes: 14,210
Just one part of this anthology takes place on Christmas. Nevertheless a very good movie.
65. Night of the Comet (1984)
PG-13 | 95 min | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
A comet wipes out most of life on Earth, leaving two Valley Girls fighting against cannibal zombies and a sinister group of scientists.
Director: Thom Eberhardt | Stars: Catherine Mary Stewart, Kelli Maroney, Robert Beltran, Sharon Farrell
Votes: 24,136 | Gross: $14.42M
66. Don't Open Till Christmas (1984)
R | 86 min | Horror, Mystery
Somebody with very little Christmas spirit is killing anyone in a Santa suit one London holiday season, and Scotland Yard has to stop him before he makes his exploits an annual tradition.
Director: Edmund Purdom | Stars: Edmund Purdom, Alan Lake, Belinda Mayne, Mark Jones
Votes: 3,045
The only directing effort of actor Edmund Purdom who starred in about 92 movies. It's a very poor directing debut. It's even so obvious that it is impossible to spread the blame. When there's a scene with two people talking, while sitting on a couch, and you choose to film it all in one long shot (a minute or something) from a distance, then you can't blame the cameraman, the editor or the actors for the result.
Nevertheless, I'm with some of the imdb users who commented the movie favorable. Her are some quotes from these reviews:
Quote1:
"Now this is what I'm talking about! I love an unabashedly terrible slasher film that revels in its own sleaziness and stupidity. From the crappy synth score to the iffy performances, I was eating Don't Open 'Til Christmas up by the shovelful. I'm not even going to begin explaining the plot -- why should the plot even matter when drunk shopping mall Santa Clauses are getting their faces burned off, eyes slashed out, and penises castrated (YES!) all around you?!"
Quote2:
One of my all time favourite movies. Purely for it's one of a kindness. There will never be another film made like this. Though i can understand that it's not to everyones taste, but most films aren't to my taste. This film is inept, badly acted, poorly directed and a bit of a mess, but for my personal tastes, these things all work in it's favour. The DVD is cut and doesn't include the Santa that gets shot in the head. The sequences have also been rearranged for the DVD release.
Quote3
The film is basically a bit of a turkey, but I couldn't help but find it often highly watchable and enjoyable. It's ludicrous, tasteless, sometimes nasty, often inane or insane, with a truly fetid feel to it that makes it almost the perfect corrective to Christmas cheer. One for exploitation fans and lovers of the grimier side of cinema mostly.
67. Jack Frost (1997 Video)
R | 89 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
After an accident that left murderer Jack Frost dead in genetic material the vengeful killer returns as a murderous snowman to exact his revenge on the man who sent him to be executed
Director: Michael Cooney | Stars: Scott MacDonald, Christopher Allport, Stephen Mendel, F. William Parker
Votes: 10,762
Definitely not as bad as its sequel. Although not very good I though it was rather entertaining.
68. Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022)
Not Rated | 86 min | Horror
It's Christmas Eve and Tori just wants to get drunk and party, but when a robotic Santa Claus at a nearby toy store goes haywire and begins a rampant killing spree through her small town, she's forced into a battle for survival.
Director: Joe Begos | Stars: Riley Dandy, Sam Delich, Jonah Ray, Dora Madison
Votes: 5,645
69. Secret Santa (I) (2018)
89 min | Action, Comedy, Horror
Christmas dinner brings tidings of death when someone enacts revenge, and out of the bloody madness rises a hero who must face all odds to stop an outbreak before it's too late.
Director: Adam Marcus | Stars: Michael Rady, Drew Lynch, Debra Sullivan, A Leslie Kies
Votes: 1,019
70. Lurking Fear (1994)
R | 76 min | Action, Horror
The town of Leffert's Corners has been plagued by unearthly beings for decades, and now there is only a few people left... what everyone is not aware of are the humanoid creatures lurking underneath the holy grounds.
Director: C. Courtney Joyner | Stars: Jon Finch, Blake Adams, Ashley Laurence, Jeffrey Combs
Votes: 1,817
An Overlooked Christmas Horror Movie. Didn't find it on any Christmas Horror List.
5/10
71.
Tales from the Crypt (1989–1996)
Episode:
And All Through the House
(1989)
Not Rated | 22 min | Comedy, Crime, Fantasy
A greedy woman makes the mistake of murdering her husband while an escaped mental patient dressed in a Santa Claus outfit is on the loose.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: John Kassir, Mary Ellen Trainor, Larry Drake, Marshall Bell
Votes: 2,190
72. Elves (1989)
PG-13 | 89 min | Horror
A woman finds she is part of a Nazi breeding experiment with elves to create supermen. She and friends are trapped in a store with an elf. Only a renegade Santa Claus can save them.
Director: Jeffrey Mandel | Stars: Dan Haggerty, Julie Austin, Deanna Lund, Borah Silver
Votes: 1,800
73.
The Twilight Zone (1959–1964)
Episode:
The Night of the Meek
(1960)
TV-PG | 25 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
After a derelict Santa Claus is fired on Christmas Eve, he finds a mysterious bag that gives out presents. With this bag he sets out to fulfill his one wish - to see the less fortunate inherit the bounties of Christmas.
Director: Jack Smight | Stars: Art Carney, John Fiedler, Robert P. Lieb, Val Avery
Votes: 3,612
A nice episode, but it doesn't contain much horror...
74.
The Twilight Zone (1959–1964)
Episode:
The Changing of the Guard
(1962)
TV-PG | 25 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
After being forced to retire, Professor Fowler contemplates suicide when he doesn't feel he's made a difference in the world.
Director: Robert Ellis Miller | Stars: Donald Pleasence, Liam Sullivan, Philippa Bevans, Tom Lowell
Votes: 2,780
75.
Tales from the Darkside (1983–1988)
Episode:
Seasons of Belief
(1986)
TV-14 | 22 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
On Christmas Eve, a father ends his two children's boredom by holding them spellbound with a scary story about a fearsome beast known as the Grither.
Director: Michael McDowell | Stars: E.G. Marshall, Margaret Klenck, Sky Berdahl, Jenna von Oÿ
Votes: 408
76.
Tales from the Darkside (1983–1988)
Episode:
The Yattering and Jack
(1987)
TV-14 | 22 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Happy-go-lucky salesman Jack Polo receives a yuletide visit from the 3.5-foot-tall Yattering, a snarling horned demon that wants to claim Jack's soul.
Director: David Odell | Stars: Phil Fondacaro, Antony Carbone, Tom Newman, Danielle Brisebois
Votes: 247
77.
Tales of the Unexpected (1979–1988)
Episode:
The Party
(1980)
TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy, Drama, Horror
Henry Knox, manager of Peckham's toys, is concerned the staff Christmas party will not be the hottest night out.
Director: Giles Foster | Stars: Robert Morley, Joyce Redman, Raymond Francis, Leonard Preston
Votes: 223
78.
Dragnet (1951–1959)
Episode:
The Big .22 Rifle for Christmas
(1952)
Not Rated | 26 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Friday and Smith search for a missing boy. The first sign that the case is serious is when blood is found. Further probing reveals the boy's parents had purchased him a .22-caliber rifle ... See full summary »
Director: Jack Webb | Stars: Jack Webb, Herbert Ellis, William Johnstone, June Whitley Taylor
Votes: 104
--> Contains some spoilers!!!!
You have to see this one, to believe it. It's a public domain video, and can be found on archive.org (where it is called "A Gun For Christmas")
I really wonder what audiences thought while watching this one. There aren't many (tv) movies from the fifties without a happy ending, where kids actually get killed and grown up men cry passionately.
I think it must have been very unsettling. (Horrific even - so it stays in my list. Furthermore the first part is rather suspenseful)
79.
Poirot (1989–2013)
Episode:
Hercule Poirot's Christmas
(1994)
TV-14 | 100 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The tyrannical patriarch of a dysfunctional but wealthy family summons his adult children for a Christmas reunion, but prior to the holiday his throat is slashed apparently by one of them.
Director: Edward Bennett | Stars: David Suchet, Philip Jackson, Vernon Dobtcheff, Simon Roberts
Votes: 2,577
A nice episode. A lot of effort was put into the Christmas scenery. Snow, Christmas decorations, songs. I thought it was rather suspenseful as well.
80.
American Horror Story (2011– )
Episode:
Unholy Night
(2012)
TV-MA | 40 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
A murderous Santa wreaks havoc on the asylum. Sister Jude faces off with the Devil. Arden has a shocking encounter in the Death Chute.
Director: Michael Lehmann | Stars: Zachary Quinto, Joseph Fiennes, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters
Votes: 5,155
81.
Night Gallery (1969–1973)
Episode:
The Messiah on Mott Street/The Painted Mirror
(1971)
TV-PG | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Mikey Goldman searches for the Messiah to comfort his dying grandfather Abe. / Removing paint from an antique mirror, shop owner Frank Standish sees an alien landscape that is used to rid himself of his unwanted partner.
Directors: Gene R. Kearney, Don Taylor | Stars: Edward G. Robinson, Yaphet Kotto, Tony Roberts, Joseph Ruskin
Votes: 370
82.
The X-Files (1993–2018)
Episode:
How the Ghosts Stole Christmas
(1998)
TV-14 | 44 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
On Christmas Eve, Mulder and Scully find themselves trapped in a haunted house with two ghosts who are determined to prove just how lonely the holiday can be.
Director: Chris Carter | Stars: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Lily Tomlin, Edward Asner
Votes: 4,463
83.
Ghost Whisperer (2005–2010)
Episode:
Holiday Spirit
(2007)
TV-PG | 60 min | Drama, Fantasy
At Christmas, Melinda deals with the ghost of a man with a white beard, a round belly, and a jolly laugh.
Director: Steven Robman | Stars: Jennifer Love Hewitt, David Conrad, Jay Mohr, Camryn Manheim
Votes: 246
84.
Supernatural (2005–2020)
Episode:
A Very Supernatural Christmas
(2007)
TV-14 | 42 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
In this Christmas-themed episode, Sam and Dean follow the trail of an "anti-Santa" that abducts its victims by using their chimneys. Dean tries to get Sam to celebrate Christmas like they ... See full summary »
Director: J. Miller Tobin | Stars: Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Ridge Canipe, Colin Ford
Votes: 6,463
85.
Big Wolf on Campus (1999–2002)
Episode:
Anti-Claus Is Coming to Town
(2001)
TV-Y7 | Action, Comedy, Horror
Tommy, Merton, and Lori must help Santa Claus defeat an evil impersonator out to ruin Christmas.
Director: Erik Canuel | Stars: Brandon Quinn, Danny Smith, Aimée Castle, Domenic Di Rosa
Votes: 15
Big Wolf on Campus is Canadian 'horror'/teen television series. There isn't much horror in this rather lame episode (the only ep. I've seen). But since "Santa Claus" (a very funny-because-it-so-bad children's movie from 1959) can be found in some horror/Christmas lists on the internet, I think I can put it here.
86. March of the Wooden Soldiers (1934)
Passed | 77 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Opposing the evil Barnaby, Ollie Dee and Stanley Dum try and fail to pay-off Mother Peep's mortgage and mislead his attempts to marry Little Bo. Enraged, Barnaby's Bogeymen are set on Toyland.
Directors: Gus Meins, Charley Rogers | Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Virginia Karns, Charlotte Henry
Votes: 7,558
For kids this movie may still be very scary.
Tom-Tom, the Piper's Son has been accused of 'pignapping' Walt Disney's three little pigs and making sausages of them. So he's banished to Bogey Land, a prey to the cannibalistic inhabitants there.
Perhaps even more frightening :-) is the fact that Stan and Olie are hired to make christmas presents for Santa. The Christmas gifts will have been a bit disappointing that year, I guess.
87. Saloon Bar (1940)
76 min | Comedy, Thriller
Against a background of Christmas and the pending arrival of another baby for the landlord, a group of pub locals lead by bookie Joe Harris set out to prove that former customer Eddie ... See full summary »
Director: Walter Forde | Stars: Gordon Harker, Elizabeth Allan, Mervyn Johns, Joyce Barbour
Votes: 293
88. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
Not Rated | 92 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A self-proclaimed preacher marries a gullible widow whose young children are reluctant to tell him where their real dad hid the $10,000 he'd stolen in a robbery.
Director: Charles Laughton | Stars: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, James Gleason
Votes: 97,336 | Gross: $0.65M
89. The Day Mars Invaded Earth (1962)
Not Rated | 70 min | Sci-Fi
Martians replace a scientist and his family to pave the way for their invasion of Earth.
Director: Maury Dexter | Stars: Kent Taylor, Marie Windsor, William Mims, Betty Beall
Votes: 1,138
One of Joe Dante's favourite Christmas Horror movies. It actually takes place short after new year's day, but 'little Johnny' won't let his parents take down the Christmas Tree. Unlike "Mystery of Wax Museum" (see above on my list ) the story almost plays entirely in daytime, with al lot of sun and no hint of winter at all. But all right - there's a tree and the unwrapping of Christmas presents.
It's a nice picture, which deserves a slightly better IMDB rating than it has at the moment. Everyone immediately compares it with "The Invasion of the Body Snatcher", easily ignoring predecessors like 'Invaders from Mars', 'It Came From Outer Space' and so forth.
And that only concerns the doppelgänger plot. The atmosphere and suspense actually bare more resemblance with a Tourneur/Lewton film. (But of course not as nicely done as they would have).
However, as stated, I thought it was an entertaining movie.
90. Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933)
Passed | 77 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
The disappearance of people and corpses leads a reporter to a wax museum and a sinister sculptor.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Glenda Farrell, Frank McHugh
Votes: 6,832
This film starts more or less on New Year's Eve. But the Christmas 'spirit' is still sensible (Christmas tree in a police station etc). Furthermore the whole movie is reddish greenish, because it's a two-strip technicolor film, so that's very suitable for Christmas.
91. Ghost Stories for Christmas (2000)
30 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
"Ghost Stories for Christmas" was a UK horror anthology mini series where horror legend Christopher Lee hosts and narrates a series of four half hour ghost stories all based on stories by M.R. James.
Stars: Logan Crawford, Christopher Lee, Peter White, Matthew Wheatley
Votes: 274
92. The Stalls of Barchester (1971 TV Movie)
45 min | Horror
While cataloging the library of Barchester Cathedral, a scholar finds a diary detailing the events surrounding the mysterious death of an Archdeacon some 50 years earlier. The first of the BBC's famed 'A Ghost Story for Christmas'.
Director: Lawrence Gordon Clark | Stars: Robert Hardy, Clive Swift, Thelma Barlow, Will Leighton
Votes: 913
93. Lost Hearts (1973 TV Movie)
35 min | Horror, Mystery
A young orphan, Stephen, is sent to go and live with his strange, much older cousin at his remote country house. Once there, Stephen experiences terrible dreams in which he sees a young girl and boy who are missing their hearts.
Director: Lawrence Gordon Clark | Stars: Simon Gipps-Kent, Joseph O'Conor, James Mellor, Susan Richards
Votes: 957
This TV Movie is part of a strand of annual British short television films called A Ghost Story for Christmas. Not all off them really take place during Christmas (for instance: A Warning to the Curious has nothing to do with it). I haven't seen this one yet.
94. The Signalman (1976 TV Movie)
38 min | Drama, Horror
A lonely Signalman is visited by a stranger.
Director: Lawrence Gordon Clark | Stars: Denholm Elliott, Bernard Lloyd, Reginald Jessup, Carina Wyeth
Votes: 1,753
95. Treevenge (2008)
16 min | Short, Comedy, Horror
Christmas trees ripped out of their forest plan revenge against people enjoying the holidays.
Director: Jason Eisener | Stars: Jonathan Torrens, Sarah Dunsworth, Maris Morgan, Jayden Taylor
Votes: 2,833
96. Hogfather (2006 TV Movie)
189 min | Comedy, Fantasy
It's Hogswatch (equivalent to Christmas) on the Discworld and the Hogfather has gone missing, requiring Death to take his place while his granddaughter Susan endeavors to find out what has happened.
Director: Vadim Jean | Stars: David Jason, Marc Warren, Michelle Dockery, David Warner
Votes: 11,036
It started just fine and I was looking forward to see this one, but as the minutes passed by, it became a very exhausting experience.
It ended with some very pretentious moralistic 'hog wash' about the importance of imagination, and the the need to believe it all.
In other words, if you didn't enjoy the picture you just saw, you probably have some serious problems with fantasy.
To me the movie was loaded with all kinds of stereotypes, often used in so-called fantasy movies. I don't mind that. But please leave out the patronizing morals.
The main problem was that the film lacked a structure and a shaping/design that could hold the attention.
And just a detail: The forward sloping skull of 'Death' (without the jaw moving ever) was very miserable made.
97. The Dorm That Dripped Blood (1982)
R | 88 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Four college students are stalked by an unknown assailant while staying on campus over the Christmas holidays to help clear out a dormitory which is to be demolished.
Directors: Stephen Carpenter, Jeffrey Obrow | Stars: Laurie Lapinski, Stephen Sachs, David Snow, Pamela Holland
Votes: 2,463
98. A Christmas Carol (1951)
TV-PG | 86 min | Drama, Family, Fantasy
Ebenezer Scrooge, a curmudgeonly, miserly businessman, has no time for sentimentality and largely views Christmas as a waste of time. However, this Christmas Eve, he will be visited by three spirits who will show him the error of his ways.
Director: Brian Desmond Hurst | Stars: Alastair Sim, Jack Warner, Kathleen Harrison, Mervyn Johns
Votes: 25,726
99. Scrooge (1935)
PG | 78 min | Drama, Family, Fantasy
Ebenezer Scrooge is a mean old miser who wants nothing to do with Christmas. The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come visit Scrooge on Christmas Eve, taking him on a journey into the very spirit and magic of Christmas itself.
Director: Henry Edwards | Stars: Seymour Hicks, Donald Calthrop, Robert Cochran, Mary Glynne
Votes: 2,643
100. A Christmas Carol (1910)
Not Rated | 11 min | Short, Drama, Fantasy
Based on the story by Charles Dickens: Ebenezer Scrooge is well known for his harsh, miserly ways, until he is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, and then by three other spirits.
Directors: J. Searle Dawley, Charles Kent, Ashley Miller | Stars: Marc McDermott, Charles Ogle, William Bechtel, Viola Dana
Votes: 828
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