HAIMING, AUSTRIA – DECEMBER 01: A member of the Haiminger Krampusgruppe dressed as the Krampus creature hits a fire to release sparks on the town square during their annual Krampus night in Tyrol on December 1, 2013 in Haiming, Austria. Krampus, in Tyrol also called Tuifl, is a demon-like creature represented by a fearsome, hand-carved wooden mask with animal horns, a suit made from sheep or goat skin and large cow bells attached to the waist that the wearer rings by running or shaking his hips up and down. Krampus has been a part of Central European, alpine folklore going back at least a millennium.. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Sometimes, you need a break from the holiday cheer. Before you return, take a cathartic break and watch one of these holiday horror movies.
Has holiday cheer finally gotten to you? Have you felt yourself move beyond a standard Grinch-esque grumpiness and into something sourer? Perhaps, before you return to family times and joyful carols, you may need to take the edge off with a good holiday-themed horror movie.
This is not to say that you should interrupt your next cookie-decorating party with an ax. Not at all, really. In fact, I’m advocating for more holiday cheer, when you think about it. It’s quite likely that, after the catharsis of something like Black Christmas or Santa’s Slay, you’ll be ready to head back to holiday-land with renewed vigor.
Nothing reinvigorates your interest in something quite like a terrifying, netherworld option. After all, wouldn’t you rather spend time with friends and family instead of a demonic Krampus?
It’s important to note that these movies may or may not be “good”, depending on your own definition of the term. I mean, when you pitch the “killer snowman” idea to a studio, do you think its executives are going to be pouring dollars into production like they would for the latest Oscar bait? Perhaps you should temper your expectations.
What about non-Christmas movies?
As you read through, you will likely notice that the majority of films listed are Christmas films. While I did my honest best to find holiday movies that encompass other traditions, the dominance of Christmas in much of the Western imagination proved to be just as prominent here.
There is the rumor of Hanukkah horror movie floating around out there, but little more has surfaced apart from a teaser trailer and some poster art. One day, perhaps, we’ll have a little more equity in terms of frightening and gross holiday films.
Before you begin, a warning: some of these listings contain spoilers. Quite a few entries also describe or show gore, intense situations and NSFW language. If that makes you queasy, please proceed with caution.