Rachel Cooper: The Night of the Hunter (1955)
The Night of the Hunter isn’t just an American classic. It’s one of the top-two most frightening performances ever from Robert Mitchum. Rachel is played by the great Lilian Gish (who was considered an old lady when she appeared in this film in her 60s—she went on to act for a further 30 years!) as the lady who takes in stray children who need protecting. It’s she who scares away the bad guy and gives little Pearl and her brother their best Christmas in some time.
Sienna Shaw: Terrifier 3 (2024)
Not every Christmas movie is fun for the whole family. If you only know one thing about the Terrifier movies—it should be to not let children anywhere near it. I’m not sure I’m old enough to see some of these events. The third feature is the stuff of laughs, nightmares, and the continuing story of Sienna—the most famous and ferocious foil to Art the clown.