When December arrives, everybody goes crazy with the holiday frenzy. That’s why this is the ultimate season of Christmas movie marathons. People enjoy so much watching Home Alone, Miracle on 34th Street, The Holiday, The Polar Express, Michael Keaton’s Jack Frost, among many others. But me? I’m not very keen on that kind of movies. The most Christmas spirit I’ll ever get to show comes in the shape of The Nightmare Before Christmas and Edward Scissor Hands. Nevertheless, I do enjoy other kind of holiday movies, especially the creepy ones. The film industry has delivered amazing horror films that also happen to be Christmas-related. Killer Santas, horrific monsters, and tons of murders are among the popular topics in these movies. If by any chance, you happen to share the love of horror movies with me, I would recommend you to give your holiday spirit a twist and watch at least one of these:
A Christmas Horror Story (2015), Dir. Grant Harvey
A very peculiar radio host (William Shatner) narrates different stories that take place during holidays: a ghost that haunts teens at a school, a family that finds out their son is a changeling while looking for the perfect Christmas tree, Santa fighting zombie elves, and of course, people being chased by Krampus. A little cheesy, but all in all, a creepy choice for your Christmas Eve movie marathon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Z3ybMTpqFw
Krampus (2015), Dir. Michael Dougherty
Be careful not to turn your back on Christmas, or else, the frightening Krampus will come after you. Well, at least that’s what happened to Max, who was so overwhelmed by his family’s festiveness, he decided to stop believing in the values of Christmas and releases the darkest forces of this holiday’s evil. I know that in the previous movie I also mentioned this horrific creature, but it’s so creepy, I had to include a separate movie just for it.
Black Christmas (2006), Dir. Glen Morgan
Not all family reunions are as happy as one would think during the holidays. The story revolves around Billy’s tragic life. At a very young age, he was abused by his mother, who also killed his father and kept him hidden in the attic. He starts to build up so much resentment towards women that he ends up killing his mother and begins to retaliate his disturbing life on young teenagers.
Gremlins (1984), Dir. Joe Dante
A classic holiday movie for non-classic film buffs. The movie revolves around tiny and adorable creatures that can be kept as pets as long as you follow the three golden rules: don’t feed them after midnight, don’t let water touch them, and never expose them to bright light. Of course, all of these guidelines are violated, causing major chaos in town. An excellent recommendation if you want to laugh a little and don’t be too scared at night.
Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) Dir. Charles E. Seiller
The story revolves around Billy, a man whose past was beyond traumatizing. When he was a kid, he witnessed the murder of his parents during Christmas Eve and ended up in a religious orphanage, where he was abused. The holiday season becomes so difficult to cope with that he loses his mind and becomes a creepy killer dressed up in a Santa Claus costume.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkKLu_X7fKE
Jack Frost (1997), Dir. Michael Cooney
No, this is not Michael Keaton’s movie (although that one’s very creepy too). A murderer who wanders through the snowy landscapes of a small town during the holiday season ends up being transformed into a real snowman. The creature goes after the town’s sheriff and scares the hell out of everyone on his way.
A l’interieur (2007), Dir. Alexandre Bustillo
I would only recommend this movie if you’re a true gore fan. A young woman named Sara loses her husband in a car accident while being pregnant. Holiday season arrives, and the baby is about to be born, so she tries to have a relaxing night. Little does she know that another woman, who was also involved in the car crash, lost her baby and is willing to do anything to replace her child, even if that means bleeding people to death.
The good thing about these movies is that some are creepier than the others, so you can go as hardcore as you want. Some of them are even funny because they’re too cliché to be taken seriously. Now that Christmas is only a few days away, which one will you be watching to celebrate this jolly season?
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