Christmas and horror may not naturally go hand in hand for some people. But horror movies are great at adding twists to everyday things to make us see them in a different, and terrifying, light. So, it’s no surprise that some of the best Christmas films are scary ones. Especially for those who are a bit ‘Bah, humbug’, here are our top picks to watch on Christmas Eve for a very scary Christmas.
Watch Krampus (2015) for a scary Christmas!
Austro-Bavarian folklore tells of a half-goat, half-demon who punishes naughty children during the festive season. In this film, Krampus is summoned when a young boy, Max, loses his Christmas spirit. It’s a tale of demon vs humans as the family try to keep their neighbourhood safe. Best described as a comedy/horror, the film is a fun mix of laughs and scares.
Black Christmas (1974)
If you love Scream, then this is definitely the scary Christmas film for you. Being haunted and harassed by creepy phone calls doesn’t sound like a very merry Christmas. In this slasher movie, a killer takes sorority sisters from their house one by one in a string of brutal murders. Don’t worry, we won’t go into the gory details.
A word of advice – lock all doors and windows and make sure the phone is unplugged before settling down to watch this one!
Related: 9 Romantic Christmas Films That Will Give You Warm Fuzzies
Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)
When a young boy, Billy, sees his parents murdered by a man dressed as Father Christmas and is left to be brought up by abusive nuns, you just know things aren’t going to end well. The movie follows Billy as he heads out on a murderous spree. His victims? Naughty children. And we thought a stocking full of coal was bad…
Gremlins (1984)
1984 was a big year for scary Christmas movies, it seems. This film has stood the test of time and remains a favourite of most 80’s teens today, grossing a profit of $142,083,102.
OK, so it’s hardly a film that’ll keep you up with fear as an adult, but as kids, we were terrified of these little green gremlins that wreaked havoc in the neighbourhood. Especially when we’d loved and wanted them as pets when they were mogwai. And let’s not forget about Kate’s story of when Santa got stuck up the chimney. Harrowing and horrifying.
Santa’s Slay (2005)
Santa or Satan? That’s the question to be asked when watching this film about the Antichrist who comes in the form of old St. Nick. You could call him the Santichrist. Sentenced to 1000 years of delivering gifts, our villain (who happens to be Satan’s only son) is now free to do as he pleases. So it’s no surprise that he chooses to deliver a scary Christmas instead, killing, harming and terrifying the general public.
Read more: Five Ways To Make Money While Having A Clear Out (just in time for Christmas!)
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)
With the trailer claiming ‘Forget everything you know about Santa Claus, it’s all lies’; this Finnish film shows Father Christmas as we’ve never seen him before. He’s excavated from his mountain tomb only to slaughter local children and reindeer.
Despite being almost entirely subtitled, you’ll still feel the horror and unease, especially when an army of naked, feral men start to attack the residents of the town. This wasn’t exactly a box office smash making only $1,926,933 profit (believe us, that’s not a lot for a movie!). However, worth a watch if you’re into foreign films.
So, snuggle up, get your new PJs and some mince pies and let the fear-fest commence for a very scary Christmas!
