If you're looking for the best Christmas horror movies to watch over the winter break, you are definitely in the right place. This list is not for the faint-hearted, with horror classics like Black Christmas and recent releases like Terrifier 3 providing copious amounts of blood and violence, and a nightmarish take on the holiday film.
Including some of the best Christmas movies of all time, these films reimagine classic elements of the festive season to scare us to death. A killer Santa Claus, an evil Snowman or a creepy Krampus can ruin someone's holidays as much as that annoying uncle who won't shut up about politics at the dinner table. Add some festive zombies, serial killers and satanic children, and your Christmas movie season is going to be positively spooky.
Not everything in this list is that terrifying, though — we are also including some horror comedies, family movies and musicals for those viewers looking for milder, but still exciting, options within the genre. There is something for everyone on this list, so grab your eggnog and choose your next Christmas watch.
From stone-cold classics like Gremlins, to underseen gems like Anna and the Apocalypse, here's the perfect antidote to the sugar rush of Hallmark and Netflix's Christmas movies.
30. It's a Wonderful Knife
Year: 2023
Director: Tyler MacIntyre
Let’s kick off this list of the best Christmas horror movies with a recent release that caught our attention from the get-go. How could it not, when it pays tribute to (or mocks, more like it) one of the most iconic Christmas movies ever? This is not a tearjerker like It's a Wonderful Life, but a horror comedy that takes a spin on a classic and refuses to take the holidays too seriously.
Yellowjackets star Jane Widdop plays Winnie Carruthers, a teenager who saved her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve. However, a year after becoming a local hero, her life is far from what she expected. Sad and frustrated, she wishes she'd never been born, and her wish is granted. Winnie steps into a parallel universe where she never existed only to discover things are much worse, and the killer she once helped catch is still on the loose.
The cast of this Christmas-themed slasher also includes Community star Joel McHale and Barbarian's Justin Long.
29. Christmas Bloody Christmas
Year: 2022
Director: Joe Begos
Christmas Bloody Christmas joins the many Santas on this list happily getting their slay on. Only this one is an animatronic and therefore much much harder to kill. This comes from brilliant indie filmmaker Joe Begos and follows a young woman as she hooks up with a co-worker over the holidays only to have to contend with a murderous mech St Nick.
The vibe and style is brilliantly scuzzy with neon colors and thumping synths, and there’s a pleasantly natural cadence to the first half. The only problem is in the latter half when the stakes don’t seem to get much higher, and things get a little repetitive. That’s not a reason to ignore this one though. Get some friends round and Christmas Bloody Christmas has some fun moments, even if it’s not the murderous neon synthy delight that the first half promises.
28. Terrifier 3
Year: 2024
Director: Damien Leone
Art the Clown has quickly become a horror icon for a new generation of fans, and now he has his own Christmas special too! The killer clown is back in Terrifier 3, a deliciously disgusting gore fest set in the festive season. Santa is bringing unhinged violence to the table this Christmas, with Art making use of all kinds of weapons to make sure we have a bloody good time.
Following the unexpected box-office hit that was Terrifier 2, the threequel focuses on the saga's final girl, Sienna, as she struggles to rebuild her life after Art's latest attacks. Can she embrace the Christmas spirit and forget about her traumatic past? Sadly, she won't have a chance to do so, as Art the Clown returns to wreak havoc.
Read our review of Terrifier 3 for more details.
27. Await Further Instructions
Year: 2018
Director: Johnny Kevorkian
If there’s one theme running through this list of the best Christmas horror movies like blood from a candy cane, it’s that family is hell during the festive season. The forced camaraderie of set traditions… The matriarch desperately trying to keep the peace while peeling potatoes… The melancholy quest to rekindle happier, simpler times… And it’s all here in full grim British form in Await Further Instructions.
When Nick brings his new girlfriend Annji home for Christmas, his racist family’s response is already horrible enough. And that’s before the TV starts sending them messages and a strange black material has sealed the doors and windows. It doesn’t quite keep its tension all the way to the conclusion but this apocalyptic family drama plays out like the best bottle episodes. Claustrophobic and tense despite the hideousness of most of its characters, Await Further Instructions is bleak anti-Christmas fare.
26. Dead of Night
Year: 1945
Director: Alberto Cavalcanti, Robert Hamer, Basil Dearden, Charles Crichton
Everyone loves a good Christmas party. Fun and games for the kiddos and a generous spread of fancy finger foods and Prosecco for the adults. But what if your hostess fails to mention that their glorious abode, decked out for the season, is also the site of a horrific murder?
That's the hidden twist at the heart of the Christmas vignette in Dead of Night. One of the first horror anthology flicks, this '40s chiller is most well-known for its terrifying ventriloquist segment - and it is truly horrific - but the Christmas sequence is just as likely to make you soil yourself. Dripping with shadows and an eerie feeling that the abode is haunted, the big reveal is one of slow, dawning terror that'll make the hairs on the back of your arms stand up. It's might be older than anything you own but Dead of Night is a worthy entry to our best Christmas horror movie list.
25. The Lodge
Year: 2019
Director: Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala
Riley Keough and Fool Me Once star Richard Armitage star in this spine-chilling Christmas horror movie that will have you questioning what is real and what is not until the very end. Set in a remote winter cabin during the holiday season, the story follows the attempts of a separated father to create a bond between his children and his new girlfriend Grace. When the kids are left in her care after a blizzard isolates them from the world, Grace will struggle to reconcile her new life with her past as a member of a religious cult.
The building tension inside of the cabin is seriously creepy, and Keough's performance is outstanding. A perfect horror treat for the Christmas season, the movie is directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, the Austrian filmmaker duo responsible for horror gems like Goodnight Mommy, and 2024's The Devil's Bath.
24. Deadly Games
Year: 1989
Director: René Manzor
If we were the moral panic sort, we’d probably blame this 1989 French horror for the, let’s face it, totally pre-meditated murderous behaviour of a certain Kevin McCallister. Game Over, also known as Deadly Games and its original title 3615 Père Noël, is distinctly Home Alone-flavoured as young Thomas has his home invaded by a psychopathic Santa and he sets festive traps accordingly. Oh, and we’re not the only ones to see similarities. At the time, director Rene Manzor threatened legal action against Fox who he said "remade his movie."
While the holiday cosiness of Chris Columbus’ robber torture ‘em up is all (Christmas) present and correct, Game Over takes the tone in a significantly darker direction. This murderous psychopath is just that. While Thomas thinks he is the real Santa, punishing him for still being awake, this man is a cold-blooded killer and doesn’t care who knows it. There’s a genuine sense of threat as Thomas’ sick grandfather remains in the house, unable to defend himself. Dark and satisfying, Game Over is Home Alone with the stabilisers off.
23. The Day of the Beast
Year: 1995
Director: Álex de la Iglesia
This Spanish gem brings a good amount of Satanic panic to the Christmas holidays with a delirious blend of horror, comedy and action. It's a '90s classic for a reason, and now it's time to (re)discover it just in time for the festive season.
The deliciously blasphemous The Day of the Beast follows a Basque priest attempting to stop the Apocalypse after discovering exactly where and when the Antichrist is set to be born: December 25, 1995, in Madrid. Teaming up with a satanist metalhead and a drug dealer, he must find the demonic baby's exact place of birth in order to destroy it. This movie is pure fun, deeply wild and entirely satirical, standing as a refreshing and irreverent take on the Christmas film tradition.
22. Better Watch Out
Year: 2016
Director: Chris Peckover
Don't get me wrong, a whole season of classic Christmas movies is great. All that seasonal goodwill can sometimes leave one hankering for... well, trashier fare. There's only so much It's A Wonderful Life a person can take, after all. Better Watch Out is the perfect holiday antidote for when the family's out and you fancy some gore and schlock. It is one of the best Christmas horror movies ever too.
With a simple premise, you won't be too taxed. Like all of us, Ashley just hopes to spend an evening getting paid to eat pizza but gets far more than she bargained for when an uninvited guest arrives. It's a little grim occasionally, but Better Watch Out plays like a slasher version of Adventures in Babysitting set at Christmas. You're getting a cheesy serial-killer yarn mixed up with a teenager's worst night at work ever. The flick's winning B-movie formula of blood and silliness works well with its plethora of over-the-top scenarios that'll likely have you rolling your eyes and/or shouting at the screen. Hey, that's half the fun, right?
21. The Nightmare Before Christmas
Year: 1993
Director: Henry Selick
What do you mean, Henry Selick and Tim Burton's stop motion gothic masterpiece isn’t a horror movie? We're here to tell you that one of the best Christmas movies on Disney Plus is also a Christmas horror movie. Children are terrorised by evil dolls and murderous ducks, a shrunken head arrives in a box, and in one, particularly memorable, sequence an entire silver Christmas tree is eaten by a giant snake while a child looks on, shrieking. If that isn’t the true meaning of the festive season, we really don’t know what is.
OK, fine, it’s only a PG, and certainly not Treevenge levels of gore, but The Nightmare Before Christmas makes a perfect creepier, darker tale that doesn’t need you to wait until the kids have gone to bed. Jack Skellington’s love of Christmas and his ensuing destruction of the holiday can be enjoyed and sung along by all. And it might look terrifying on the surface but beneath the ghastly creatures and removable heads, there’s a heart of absolute gold and a love story that will melt even the frostiest of evil-looking snowmen. Let's live like Jack and Sally, shall we?
How to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas online this festive season
20. The Leech
Year: 2022
Director: Eric Pennycoff
Father David isn’t having the best time of it. Regardless of how sincere or devout he is, he’s losing his congregation and things are getting desperate. When he meets a man called Terry who turns out to be homeless after an argument with his girlfriend, he does the thing anyone with love in their heart would do. He lets him stay the night. The only problem is that Terry’s girlfriend quickly follows and one night turns into the entire holiday season…
The Leech balances painful social comedy with fascinating horror and just doesn’t let up. This isn’t like any of the other festive terror on this list which makes things simple with killer Santas. Instead, exceptional performances and a wickedly fiendish sense of humour make The Leech a must watch for a very different reason.
19. Inside
Year: 2007
Director: Julien Maury, Alexandre Bustillo
Recent movies like Terrifier 2 and The Substance have received extreme reactions from viewers, from leaving the theater in a hurry to vomiting or even fainting. In that list we have to include Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo's critically-acclaimed home invasion horror film Inside (À l'intérieur), which back in 2017 challenged audiences with its graphic violence and breathtaking tension.
A pregnant woman, who is still grieving the sudden death of her boyfriend, receives an unexpected visit on Christmas eve. A woman is knocking on her door, a psychopath who will stop at nothing to steal her unborn child. This movie is past-paced and shocking, definitely not for the faint of heart.
18. Wind Chill
Year: 2007
Director: Gregory Jacobs
Is it wise to get a lift home for Christmas with a stranger? is a question that no-one asks in Wind Chill. Presumably because the alternative – staying at school alone – is worse.
This neat thriller features an early turn from A Quiet Place's Emily Blunt as a college girl who takes a rideshare back home with a fellow student. Their route is invariably fraught with hideous weather that leads them onto a mysterious back road. Throw in a supernatural sheriff who threatens their safe passage and a ghastly case of frostbite and it makes you wonder if it hadn't been better to fly home. This is snow joke.
17. A Christmas Horror Story
Year: 2015
Director: Grant Harvey
The most horrifying thing about the villain of this piece is his impressive physique. Look at it. How does this Krampus find time for evil when he's down the gym kicking out crunches 24/7?
He's not the only vessel of terror in this anthology film that spans the course of a night – and features William Shatner as a DJ in the wraparound story. There's a killer Santa, a changeling, and a pregnant ghost of a nun. The sting in the tail comes in the fourth vignette, as Santa prepares to battle the evil Krampus after discovering his wife and elves have been turned into zombies. They're not members of the undead, and the Krampus is just a figment of his distorted imagination.
16. Silent Night, Bloody Night
Year: 1972
Director: Theodore Gershuny
The Christmas in question for this Giallo-inspired horror takes place 40 years before the events of the movie, when a series of strange happenings at an asylum turn into a total bloodbath. With no survivors, the building is inherited by the grandson of Wilfred Butler, the last man to make it out before burning to death. Yep, it definitely sounds like it belongs on our list of the best Christmas horror movies.
The plot twists and turns before delivering a bit of a surprise ending, after everyone in the mansion gets offed by a killer seeking revenge. It's a moody little chiller that foresaw the oncoming slasher craze by a few years and delivered the goods on a remarkably low budget.
15. Santa's Slay
Year: 2005
Director: David Steiman
Treading the line between horror and comedy, Santa's Slay sees Santa not being the jolly rotund chappie we've come to know and love. He's the result of a Satanic virgin birth that's somewhat soured him. Instead of being content with his lot in life, this Santa acts on his frustration after being forced to deliver presents for a thousand years. Figures.
A spate of killings ensues as Santa's way of letting off steam. His first victims are the Masons, a wealthy family who falls foul of his murderous rage on Christmas Eve. No sooner is he down the chimney than they're getting drowned in eggnog, choked on turkey legs and stabbed with tree ornaments. It's one hell of an opening sequence that's got a ton of recognisable faces; James Caan, Fran Drescher, Chris Kattan, and Rebecca Gayheart all meet their ends in the first ten minutes.
14. P-2
Year: 2007
Director: Franck Khalfoun
"The only thing more terrifying than being alone, is discovering that you're not," reads the tagline to P-2. No, the only thing more terrifying than either is realizing that it's Wes Bentley who won't let you go home for Christmas. Why, Wes, why?
Well, because he's a stalker. If movies have taught us anything about underground parking garages it's that the less time you spend in them, the more likely your chance for survival. Here, Bentley's psychopathic security guard Thomas refuses to let Angela (Rachel Nichols) go home for the holidays because he's got a crush on her. Everyone knows that a surefire way to a girl's heart is by denying her a day off work. And trying to kill her. What a charmer.
13. Sint
Year: 2010
Director: Dick Maas
This Dutch film harks back to the origins of Saint Nick and reimagines him as a scarier version of Sinterklaas. He's not remotely bothered about what you've jotted on your Christmas list, unless you'd like to suffer a grisly end at the hands of a vengeful, seasonal ghost.
Armed with a razor-bladed staff, Sint is a "murder bishop" who visits children whenever there's a full moon on December 5th. As mentioned above, and insinuated by his title, he's all about making Christmas as unbearable as possible by kidnapping and murdering those he encounters. The fact that he's a repugnant mush of Santa and Freddy Krueger adds another level of evil to his regime.
12. Silent Night
Year: 2021
Director: Steven C. Miller
Remakes are, on the whole, never as good as the original. Silent Night is far from a mere retread of the eighties classic but it still stands as a decent entry in the list of the best horror remakes. It takes the 'serial killer in a Santa outfit' idea and spins out an entirely new story, which makes it entirely deserving of a spot on your best Christmas horror movies list. Have you checked it twice?
This version finds a small Wisconsin town in peril, as every Christmas the same killer takes to the streets and goes on a murderous rampage. His disguise allows him to blend in with all the other people dressed up in that iconic costume, which proves tough for the deputy assigned to take him down. The gore quotient is pretty high and no one is safe from Santa's wrath that he acts out with an axe and a flamethrower. Not very Christmassy, is it?
11. The Children
Year: 2008
Director: Tom Shankland
Christmas tends to be a time when children get to cut loose more than usual. Behaviour that might be considered "bad" is overlooked a little, because, c'mon, it's Christmas. That might have been the inspiration for this noughties horror that brings to life a scary scenario that doesn't involve any evil Santas, but asks: what if all the children turned into pint-sized killing machines right around December 25th?
The snow-covered locale amps up the Christmas vibe as two families come together to see in the season. Shortly thereafter, the kids start to come down with a strange virus that makes them want to slice and dice their parents. Their manipulation is downright eerie as they prey on the anxieties of the adults to horrific effect.
10. Dead End
Year: 2003
Director: Fabrice Canepa, Jean-Baptiste Andrea
Similar to Wind Chill in that it takes place almost exclusively inside a car. A family heading home for the holidays engages in the usual car-ride antics: they bicker and banter until a mysterious pram appears in the middle of the road. It's hardly a surprise as their entire journey has taken place down a dark, spooky highway.
A black hearse starts pursuing them and one by one the family is carted off by its unknown driver. What the hell? There's a Twilight Zone feel to this corking flick that packs in plenty of scares and chuckles, and even if you do spot the nifty twist it won't spoil the performances or denouement. It will, however, prove once again that Christmas is not a time to be taking shortcuts, especially when you've no idea where you're going.
9. Anna and the Apocalypse
Year: 2017
Director: John McPhail
Zombies. Scotland. Christmas. Show tunes. It turns out that Anna and the Apocalypse has it all. Gorily embracing the background of the festive season for some viscera-packed horror, this musical follows Anna as she and her friends try and save themselves from becoming Christmas lunch for a horde of hungry zombies who have invaded their small Scottish town. Now probably isn’t the time to say that the undead might deserve a roast potato or two, is it?
And if all the bloodied candy canes and zombies weren’t enough, there’s that other Christmas staple: music. Every song here is a true delight guaranteed to make you smile. Fans of Dr Horrible’s Singalong Blog and Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s musical masterpiece Once More With Feeling can’t afford to miss this. This is one of your new favorite Christmas horror movies.
8. The Advent Calendar
Year: 2021
Director: Patrick Ridremont
First things first, The Advent Calendar is one of the best horror movies on Shudder from 2021, as well as also being one of the best Christmas horror movies. This is one of those rare festive treats that works beautifully as a scary movie by making the most of a simple high concept.
In this case, an advent calendar that doesn’t just have cheap chocolate or overly expensive tiny bottles of gin inside. Instead, Eva is gifted a traditional wooden calendar that comes with a very specific set of instructions. Each door must be opened and the contents consumed or things will go very, very wrong. And of course, it wouldn’t be on this list if things went to plan. An absolute Christmas classic. Don’t miss. Or skip a day of your advent calendar…
7. Jack Frost
Year: 1997
Director: Troy Miller
A darker alternative to the reincarnated Michael Keaton schmaltz-fest. The Jack Frost of this film is brought to life via a shady government experiment. When a convicted killer on his way to the execution chamber is catapulted from his police transport and tossed into a bizarre substance, he returns to life as a homicidal snowman. Kind of like Chucky, if Charles Lee Ray had been in a blizzard instead of a toy store.
Desperate to wreak havoc on his old neighborhood, Jack plies his victims with terrible seasonal gags before offing them. Hardly the film to put you in the festive mood, it's nevertheless worth watching for the endless torrent of Christmas puns. You'll never look at a snowman in the same way again.
6. Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale
Year: 2010
Director: Jalmari Helander
This Finnish story on Santa Claus spins him a new, fiendish origin. It takes a chilling view on Christmas lore by presenting a hideous wild beast who'd rather eat children and steal their presents than have them sit on his lap.
All is revealed when a group of scientists excavate a site in the mountains of northern Finland. What they find is a burial site with one occupant still alive: a naked, bedraggled old-timer who immediately starts killing all the local reindeer. Old Father Christmas is a supernatural entity whose appetite for young flesh is a rather unique slant on his typically gruff merriment. There's comedy here, but so much darkness that it's time to grab yourself an eggnog and settle down. You won't want to miss it.
5. Christmas Evil
Year: 1980
Director: Lewis Jackson
Deliciously camp and surprisingly insightful, the murderous tendencies of Christmas Evil are a result of someone's mommy having more than a quick kiss with Santa Claus. For Harry, the sight of that seasonal union scars him for life, and leads him to become obsessed with the holiday into adulthood.
What's still fresh about Lewis Jackson's film is how it makes itself stand apart from other killer Santa movies. Harry's rage at the world isn't blindly directed at anyone: he takes on the duty of conducting a year-round "naughty or nice" assessment, so by the time Christmas arrives he's ready. He's still an unhinged whackjob, though, glueing on a fake beard and muttering to himself in the mirror. But he only targets those who've been naughty, like his boss who doesn't make it to Christmas Day. As for the kiddies, they all receive toys! They're stolen, mind.
4. Krampus
Year: 2015
Director: Michael Dougherty
If you want to see Toni Collette as part of a dysfunctional family but perhaps don't feel brave enough to cram Hereditary into your eyes, then Krampus is the perfect Christmas horror movie for you. The good news is that it's still scary, but Michael Dougherty's festive frolic won't leave you with actual psychological trauma. Unless, y'know, you have specific phobias of living gingerbread men trying to murder you, in which case, you might be left whispering, err, 'crumbs.'
Krampus follows a family who it seems has lost all meaning of Christmas. No one is kind, the extended relatives are mean, everyone is stressed, and no one seems to believe in true festive spirit anymore. When the youngest of the family ends up ripping up his well-intentioned letter to Santa, a demonic presence arrives to punish those who no longer believe in happy holidays anymore. The result is surprisingly terrifying as a blizzard rages outside and the family attempt to barricade themselves in against some seriously dark forces. As you might have guessed from the aforementioned gingerbread men, it doesn't take itself entirely seriously, but the switches from comedy to true horror are deft, making this a far smarter Christmas horror movie than you would first expect.
3. Silent Night, Deadly Night
Year: 1984
Director: Charles E. Sellier
The movie that started the killer Santa craze preyed on the success of John Carpenter's seminal 1978 slasher in its marketing materials – "You've made it through Halloween, now try to survive Christmas." Parallels would have been inevitably drawn without that cheeky nod, because this is essentially Michael Myers going apeshit in a Santa outfit. And it's still a riot.
One major difference is that this killer has a motive. Andy witnesses his parents' brutal murders and spends his childhood in an abusive Catholic orphanage. He grows up and takes out his pent-up psychopathic rage in a Santa costume, choosing to kill anyone who he deems naughty. Which is everyone. He does manage to untangle Christmas lights long enough to strangle someone with them, so he deserves a bit of praise for that thankless task.
2. Gremlins
Year: 1984
Director: Joe Dante
The original and best, Joe Dante's monster movie is the blackest of comedies, taking potshots at the commercialism of Christmas and apple-pie Americana. The mischievous little critters savage the town of Kingston Falls after young Billy accidentally gets his ludicrously adorable pet mogwai, Gizmo, wet. With the 'burg overrun and the townsfolk terrified, the fun takes a dark turn.
The Gremlins themselves are the source of both the film's hilarity and terror, thanks to Chris Columbus' sharp script, and that's why we love Gremlins so much. Turns out they're quite good at scaring the life out of pensioners, as evidenced by their treatment of poor Mrs. Deagle. And if you're after true holiday horror then wait for Phoebe Cates' macabre anecdote about her worst-ever Christmas. Yeah... Aaaand onto the next one...
1. Black Christmas
Year: 1974
Director: Bob Clark
And finally, here it is. The much-coveted number-one spot on our list of the best Christmas horror movies. You know the urban legend about the babysitter who after a night of harassing phone calls, discovers that they were coming from inside the house all along? You can thank Black Christmas for that eerie-as-hell predicament, one of its many contributions to the slasher genre. And no we're not talking about the 2006 remake Black Christmas.
Released in 1974, Black Christmas is up there with the best horror movies of all time, it cuts in front of John Carpenter's Halloween as the start of a new brand of horror. It also predates When A Stranger Calls which nabbed the "call coming from inside the house!" schtick five years later.
It's not just novelty that makes Black Christmas such an effective piece of Christmas horror. At its core, it's a brutal, concise study of voyeurism that's made all the more chilling by using the POV shot whenever the killer is about to strike. For the girls of this sorority, he makes Christmas a living hell. Well, except for Margot Kidder as the drunken sister who won't let a little blood dampen her holiday spirit.
Those are the best Christmas horror movies. Click through that link to find out, or check out our piece on the best Christmas TV episodes.
