12 best holiday horror movies
1. Black Christmas (1974)
The 1974 original Black Christmas was something of a controversy for its time, given that it’s one of the earliest released movies on this list (only 1972’s Silent Night, Bloody Night precedes it). Variety more or less panned it. The magazine’s reviewer used words and phrases like “senseless”, “unnecessary violence” and “implausibly alcoholic ex-hoofer”.
Others, however, called the film “innovative” and lauded the performances of lead actors Olivia Hussey and Margot Kidder. The film has since gained a cult following, not least because it’s one of the earliest slasher films in the genre. Even Steve Martin is a fan. He’s seen the film nearly 30 times and told Hussey that it’s one of his favorite movies ever.
The plot itself is fairly simple. A deranged person makes it into the attic of a sorority house while a Christmas party is going on below. During the party, Jess (played by Hussey) receives an obscene phone call from an unfortunately familiar dialer they’ve nicknamed “The Moaner”. When the other sorority sisters talk back, the caller promises to kill them and hangs up the phone.
Soon enough, the women in the house are murdered one by one. Jess begins to suspect that it’s her agitated boyfriend, Peter. He’s already nervous enough but becomes even more neurotic when Jess informs him that she is pregnant and wants an abortion.
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That’s bad enough, but more and more women are disappearing. A search party starts to find some of their remains within the house. Jess continues to receive the gross phone calls, but with more and more specific and frightening information. Will she survive this Christmas? Jess has the resolve of some of the best horror movie heroines, plus a fireplace poker.
However, you’ll have to watch this cult classic to find out for sure. Here’s hoping the holiday horror gives you a little catharsis.