14 Best Christmas Horror Movies That You Should Watching Update 04/2024

Best Christmas Horror Movies

‘Gremlins’ and ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ are two options for individuals who don’t enjoy watching movies in silence.

It’s time to admit that some Christmas customs are downright spooky. A bearded figure sneaking down everyone’s chimneys at night is enough to keep most people awake all night on Christmas Eve even if they haven’t been fed the Santa Claus fable since they were children. Is he keeping an eye on you at all hours of the day and night, and threatening to leave coal in your socks if he finds out if you’re being “naughty?” How do you know you’re being threatened by a chain email? To cap it all off, he expects to be greeted with free milk and cookies for his heist. That was a valiant effort on your part, you cruel sleigh-riding creep.

Fortunately, Krampus, Santa’s wicked sidekick, has not been heavily absorbed into the holiday folklore of the West. However, this hasn’t stopped a large number of us from finding terror in the season of giving. The Christmas season is an almost perfect setting for a horror novel, what with the power outages, fireside stories, late nights, and disturbingly obligatory “cheer” that characterize the season. And this has been noted by filmmakers.

Get cozy under a warm blanket with a mug of mulled wine this winter if you want an extra chill down your spine. The following are the top Christmas horror films to see this holiday season in our opinion.

1. A Christmas Horror Story

A Christmas Horror Story

An anthology of holiday horrors descends on the unprepared hamlet of Bailey Downs, where William Shatner stars as a local radio presenter.

2. Sint

Sinterklaas (Santa Claus) is reimagined in this Dutch dark comedy as a malignant spirit called by a Christmas full moon and accompanied by a homicidal gang of ghosts. It’s only investigator Goert, whose family was murdered during the last full moon, who is sick of the trend… and the only one who has the power to put an end to it!

3. Christmas Evil

Christmas Evil

When a toymaker has a breakdown, he intends to exact vengeance on Christmas cynics by dressing as Santa Claus and embarking on a murdering spree in the disguise.

4. Dead of Night

Walter Craig, the protagonist of this British anthology horror film, recalls each of the stories he tells as a dream he shared with a stranger. A haunting at a Christmas party is one of the accounts.

5. A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol

There is an undeniable supernatural element that will make you rethink your next viewing of A Christmas Carol, no matter how familiar it may appear at first glance. While Ebenezer Scrooge’s visits from Christmas Past, Present, and Future may be joyful in the end, they are nevertheless terrifying in their own right.

6. Gremlins (1984)

You’re well aware of the guidelines: Never feed them after midnight, keep them dry, and never leave them in the dark. When creator Randall Peltzer decides to give his teenage son Billy an adorable, but high-maintenance mogwai Gizmo as a Christmas present, the mini-monster mayhem begins. There is an epic battle to save the village from an evil hoard of animatronic creatures that begins as one charming little creature.

7. Krampus (2015)

Krampus (2015)

This family holiday horror comedy starring Parks and Recreation’s Adam Scott and Hereditary’s Toni Collette was released in 2015. On the other hand, a lot of these movies are based on the actual mythology of Krampus, a demonic satyr-like creature who’s basically a Bizarro Santa Claus. This one is the real deal. And he’s also brought along a slew of seasonal fiends, including a fanged teddy bear, a homicidal jack-in-the-box, and evil gingerbread cookies.

8. Better Watch Out (2017)

Throughout the horror genre’s long history, there have been numerous films about babysitters. In this Christmastime fright fest, 12-year-old Luke and his babysitter, Ashley, are battling horrific home invaders, and the call is still coming from within the house. However, one major twist sets Better Watch Out apart from the rest of the babysitter crowd.

9. The Children (2008)

The Children (2008)

This holiday-themed demon child adventure is part of a long line of “bad kid” films that include The Omen, The Bad Seed, and Children of the Corn. In the end, this is more of an eggnog-soaked haze than a Christmas movie, but December 24th through January 1th are just like any other time of the year. Casey, her dad, and her younger siblings go on a vacation to celebrate the holiday with her aunt, uncle, and their children in this British indie. But then the kids get sick with a mysterious sickness, and it’s only a matter of time until things start to get violent.

10. Dead End (2003)

Traveling over the holidays is the worst part of the season, even if you don’t like Christmas movies that feature murder. Lin Shaye and Ray Wise star in this English-language French horror thriller, which features a mystery woman in white and a scary hearse on a family road trip.

11. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

This is the movie that spawned a million Hot Topic t-shirts, and it’s a candidate for the best terrifying Christmas movie of all time. It’s a kid’s movie, therefore it doesn’t have the same level of suspense as some of the others on this list. Nevertheless, anyone who saw it as a kid knows that the story of Jack Skellington’s attempt to bring Christmas to Halloween Town is suitably frightening for its intended audience of children and teens.

12. Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)

British zombie musical has a bunch of teenagers struggling with the end of high school, zombie ambushes, and a penchant to burst into song. In case you thought The Nightmare Before Christmas was the only song-filled scary Christmas movie around. There’s little else to do when the holiday blues collide with a zombie apocalypse.

13. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

This one is viewed as more of a hot film than a scary one because of its discussion of temptation and infidelity. In spite of the fact that it’s known for its orgy scene, it was staged in front of a murder cult’s gathering. And what about those masks? They’re genuinely frightful. It may be Christmas time, but this movie is a lot darker than you might expect.

14. Black Christmas (1974)

Iconic as one of the first-ever horror films, this tale depicts a sorority home stalked by an unknown killer. A mysterious killer in an attic picking off Kappas and their binge-drinking house mother one by one is the perfect way to ring in the holiday season, right?