Ten chilling horror movies set at Christmastime

Christmastime may be “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” according to one famous song, but it’s also been a rather frequent setting for horror films. So why set stories of murder and mayhem during a period generally thought of as happy and cheerful? Well, there’s the allure of the innate dichotomy: taking something meant to be joyous and comforting and making it anything but that. But it’s also worth noting that there is something about the iconography of Christmas, from a cascading snowfall to Christmas lights in an otherwise dark room to even Santa himself as a stranger in your home. All of these things can so easily feel ominous with just a slight tilt. 

Here’s a look at ten standout Christmas horror films that you should watch. 

Tales From the Crypt (1972)

We’re starting out with a slight cheat. Tales from the Crypt—yes, this was the first-ever adaptation of the classic horror comic book—is an anthology film with multiple stories. And only one of them is set at Christmas. But that story, “…And All Through the House,” is a strong one, focusing on a woman (Joan Collins) who murders her husband on Christmas Eve to get the insurance money from his death, only to then be terrorized by a killer dressed as Santa Claus trying to break into her house. 

As you’ll see as this list continues, Santa-clad killers have become a perennial aspect of Christmas-set horror movies, but it’s worth noting that Tales from the Crypt did it first. Thanks, Crypt Keeper!

Black Christmas (1974)

Black Christmas’ reputation has grown over the years. More horror fans began realize it’s an oft-overlooked early example of a slasher movie, containing many elements we’d come to associate with those films several years before John Carpenter’s Halloween crystallized the subgenre. But that aside, it’s also a really well crafted Christmastime horror film. The last few girls still remaining at a sorority house as their college goes into its holiday break (including Olivia Hussey, Margot Kidder and Andrea Martin) are stalked by an obscene caller-turned-killer who is hiding in their attic.

The fact that this film’s director, Bob Clark, would go on to once more tackle this same holiday in an incredibly different manner with the beloved A Christmas Story adds an additional amusing element to Black Christmas, which has since been remade twice. 

Christmas Evil (1980)

If you ask some fans to name the movie where Santa Claus is seen holding an axe on the poster, they might blurt out Silent Night, Deadly Night. However, it’s worth noting that Christmas Evil beat them to the punch by four years with a similar marketing campaign. And the actual movie’s story is broadly reminiscent of the more famous Silent Night. The film follows Harry (Brandon Maggart), who saw a disturbing incident as a child involving his parents and someone dressed as Santa. He then grows up to kill people while he dresses up as Santa.

Christmas Evil is rather slow-paced but it does have some interesting ideas throughout. It also boasts a notable superfan in filmmaker John Waters, who loves it so much he recorded an audio commentary for the film’s 2018 Blu-ray and has declared it to be the only movie worth watching at Christmas.

Gremlins (1984)

Gremlins was a big summertime hit but it is a Christmas movie through and through. The Steven Spielberg-produced, Joe Dante-directed classic depicts a Norman Rockwell-esque small town besieged by the title characters. They maliciously rampage—and also hysterically rampage in this horror-comedy—through lovely Kingston Falls on Christmas Eve. Their attack includes all sorts of property damage, maimings, and a body count. The creatures even gleefully swarm and attack a local dressed as Santa Claus at one point. 

Plus we get Phoebe Cates’ all-time classic monologue, as she reveals the amazingly grim reason her character, Kate, doesn’t celebrate Christmas. And though none of the Gremlins dress as Santa, despite a clear love of dress-up, their sweet-natured Mogwai nemesis, Gizmo, does rock a Santa hat at one point. 

Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)

As noted above, Silent Night, Deadly Night might owe a debt to Christmas Evil, especially given their (suspiciously?) similar setups. But the 1984 film is by far the more famous and—apologies to John Waters—the more entertaining of the two, cementing itself as a cult classic with its depiction of Billy (Robert Brian Wilson). He’s a young man who saw a Santa-suited assailant murder his parents as a boy. The now-adult Billy then snaps when he’s forced to wear a Santa suit himself at his toy store job. He ends up going on a killing spree through his small town on Christmas Eve, naturally. 

Silent Night, Deadly Night was quite controversial during its initial release. The film was pulled from theaters after just a week following widespread complaints about commercials depicting its homicidal Santa. But Silent Night, Deadly Night would find a big audience on home video, where many embraced its bloody and campy vibes. Though released within a few years of multiple other Killer Santa movies, this movie’s larger success would lead to multiple sequels and a remake. It eventually received the mark of true modern horror icon status via a Billy action figure from NECA. 

Krampus (2015)

There have been a few movies about Krampus, a creature from German folklore who’s essentially Santa’s evil counterpart. But the biggest and best is the 2015 comedy-horror film from director Michael Dougherty. Krampus is not as strong a holiday-themed horror film as Dougherty’s Trick ‘r Treat , but it still is pretty fun and entertaining in its own right. It helps that it boasts a very game cast, including Adam Scott and Toni Collette as the parents of a family who find their home and neighborhood terrorized by Krampus and his minions, thanks to their distinct lack of Christmas spirit. 

Better Watch Out (2017) 

This amusingly twisted horror movie finds teenage Ashley (Olivia DeJonge) babysitting 12-year-old Luke (Levi Miller) while his parents are at a Christmas party. The duo are terrorized by someone outside the house. But what’s really occurring is a more complex game that eventually involves a few other participants and various twists and turns. Though the movie uses Christmas as more of a backdrop, it’s filled to the brim with Luke’s family’s holiday decorations and music, providing a winking tone to the dark events that occur as the night progresses. 

Anna and the Apocalypse (2017) 

Quick, what’s your favorite Christmas zombie musical film?! If you’re not saying Anna and the Apocalypse, well… What the hell else are you saying?! Feeling like the wacky offspring of Shaun of the Dead and Glee, this British movie focuses on teenage Anna (Ella Hunt) and her friends as they discover a zombie outbreak has begun on the night of their school’s Christmas show. And yes, this is a full blown musical, with all the characters breaking into song throughout (when they’re not being killed and/or zombified). This all happens while Ella channels her inner Buffy to fight back. 

It’s the kind of wild mashup that isn’t for everyone. Anna and the Apocalypse follows in the tradition of Rocky Horror Picture Show and Little Shop of Horrors by proving that horror and musicals can mix. The Christmas setting adds yet another layer to the proceedings, including giving Anna the blood-soaked, candy cane-shaped weapon she uses to take out her undead enemies. 

Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022)

As we’ve established, there have now been many movies about people dressed as Santa Claus who go on killing sprees. But what about a robot dressed as Santa Claus who goes on a killing spree?! That’s the different spin provided by the tongue-in-cheek Christmas Bloody Christmas. In it, a human-sized Santa robot is available for sale except, whoops, it’s original programming by the US Defense Department and a glitch makes one robot (Abraham Benrubi) turn homicidal. 

The horror film essentially turns into a darkly fun, Christmas-themed take on The Terminator. Tori (Riley Dandy) tries to escape the Santa robot as it pursues her and kills everyone who gets in its way. Oh, and this all takes place on Christmas Eve, because while not a must, it’s an always-appreciated addition in these movies.

Terrifier 3 (2024) 

After setting the first two Terrifier films at Halloween, writer-director Damien Leone moves the setting to Christmas for the third chapter of his ultra-violent, graphic and gory horror series. (For those who aren’t familiar, the franchise follows a demented, mysteriously supernatural killer clown named Art, played by David Howard Thornton.) This time, the ever-silent Art decides he loves the Santa outfit he sees a local (Daniel Roebuck) wearing, taking it for himself. He then continues his oh-so graphic kills, naturally, but now mixes in eating (bloody) milk and cookies and giving away (bloody) presents, among other (bloody) Santa trappings in this go around. 

In an appreciated touch, there’s even a special “A Terrifier Christmas” theme song played along the way, first heard in a sequence in which Santa Art shows us what he can do with a chainsaw and a couple getting it on in a shower. Hint: It ain’t pretty. But it’s very red. 

Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.