A countdown list of the scariest and spookiest Christmas films I’ve ever watched.
It is the Christmas season, and part of the celebrations is having quality time with the family. Put some classics like It’s a Wonderful Life or National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (depending on the family and mood) and be merrily together. Some freaks want to be scared and live the spooky side of the holidays.
For those freaks like me, this list is for you. From those spooky films for the whole family to enjoy. To the goriest and sleaziest. These are the top Christmas horror films to watch on these cold Holiday nights.
Do you wanna enjoy some traditional Christmas films? Here’s our overall Top Christmas Films List.
Honorable Mentions
- Silent Night (2012 remake)
- Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)
- Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)
- Dial Code Santa Claus (1989)
- Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022)
10 Silent Night, Deadly Night
The first of a franchise that spawned 4 sequels, a remake, and a cult following, it disguises itself as a mindless film about Santa Claus killing people to hit you with themes about childhood trauma and clerical abuse. This is a Christmas horror classic.
9 Inside
If Silent Night is about childhood drama, Inside is about pre-birth drama. In another brutal French movie, Sarah Scarangelo must survive a late-night visitor. Sometimes, we use the word “brutal” lightly. Not to describe this movie. This is some bloody, violent shit.
8 Krampus
No Christmas horror article should be complete without mentioning the Krampus figure. This film does a great job bringing Central and Eastern Alpine folklore to the American suburbs. It’s not as gory as others, but it is still a fun holiday season watch.
7 Adult Swim Yule Log
Expecting most of my 20s falling asleep on my couch at 3:00 am with Adult Swim on the TV, I’m used to their brand of weirdness and zany humor. Casper Kelly’s Yule Log is one of the best produced by the late-night brand. A feature-length holiday film about a cabin’s fireplace: let’s leave it at that and watch it.
6 Christmas Evil
Released before Silent Night, Deadly Night, Christmas Evil is also about a traumatized dude dressing as Santa Claus and killing people. Here, childhood trauma is not violence. It is sexual. It looks even more traumatic, considering the stigma behind sexuality. This is a brilliant gem that’s weirdly touching.
5 The Day of the Beast
An occult TV show host and a metalhead from a record store team up with a priest who commits every single sin possible to prevent the reincarnation of the Antichrist in Alex de la Iglesia’s international hit. For those who love religion-themed horror, this dark comedy is funny and irreverent as hell.
4 Terrifier 3
Released 3 months ago, the third installment in the Terrifier saga is already a holiday modern classic, and Art the Clown is this generation’s slasher monster. What makes these immensely gory movies different than the mindless torture porn of the 2000s are two things. We care about the characters, and Art the Clown is good at getting our attention. I stand with what I said in my Letterboxd review; “…he (Art the Clown) is also today’s Charlie Chaplin.”
3 Black Christmas
Following “Home Alone With a Pregnant Woman,” 1974’s Black Christmas kicked off the holiday horror and the slasher subgenre in general. The killings’ looks are not flashy or exaggerated in this early slasher or proto-slasher, but those creepy phone calls. Listening to the most psychotic old-school prank caller ever does take a psychological toll. And that is the horror in this pioneering classic.
2 The Nightmare Before Christmas
Regardless of how much merch can be bought on Hot Topic and Spencers, I’ll love this movie as much as I did when I watched it when it came out in 1993. The stop-motion animation will always be impressive, the songs are catchy, and the character design is pretty cool. This is a great Christmas film, after all. Or a great Halloween film—whatever you want it to be.
1 Gremlins
Directed by cult horror filmmaker Joe Dante, everything from the Gremlin’s design to the soundtrack is close to perfect for me. This film is my favorite Christmas horror film because of its chimney monologue. It is one of the most darkly comedic dialogues ever. The way it appears with Gizmo’s cute face in the scene sums up what this movie is about. To be a wicked Christmas tale and get away with it.
