10 Best Christmas Horror Films
TEN
Saint, aka Sint (2010). “Saint” Nicholas (Sinterklaas) is a zombie bishop on a horse jumping from rooftop to rooftop and wreaking havoc in this horror comedy from the Netherlands. The Dutch certainly celebrate Christmas much differently than us, and in the best way. If you like this one, check out other Dick Maas films like The Lift (1983) about a killer elevator and Amsterdamned (1988).
NINE
Blood Beat (1983). A son brings his girlfriend home to rural Wisconsin for the holidays, and soon a Samurai (yes, you read that right) shows up and starts killing townspeople (and whenever it does kill someone, the girlfriend simultaneously has an orgasm). The first 30 minutes of this felt like 60 minutes and the sound mixing is also atrocious (at least on the version I watched on Prime), so if there was any explanation of how or why the Samurai is there, I missed it. The last 30 minutes or so are batshit crazy, with nonsensical coloring and fantastic 1980s synth music, so maybe just have this one on in the background until the Samurai finally shows up.
EIGHT
Feeders 2: Slay Bells (1998): This sequel follows essentially the same plot as its predecessor: small, menacing aliens invade, feeding upon earthlings. This time, however, they come during Christmas time, which means Santa is our hero battling the aliens. One could call Feeders “budget Critters.” The best thing about this movie is its length at just over one hour long, but it’s good for a few laughs.
SEVEN
Trancers (1984). “Security, we’ve got trouble at the North Pole.” Jack Deth (best hero name ever?) is a bounty hunter from the future, sent back to the 1980s during Christmas to track down and kill a cult leader who has been turning people into “Trancers” (think zombies, but more agile and...gurgly). Produced by Charles Band, one of the most prolific producers of B movies, Trancers packs together action, sci-fi, horror, and a score that will have you bopping your head along. Band followed this movie up with five sequels, however, the last one does not have Tim Thomerson reprising his role as Deth, which is the main appeal of the series.
SIX
Yule Die (2010). This is the most low-budget of any of the movies on this list and damn near impossible to find a copy due to its obscurity. Despite it being shot on a hand-held camera and cast with people with no acting skills whatsoever, there is a plot (protagonist Sally has a fear of Santa, there’s an escaped lunatic on the loose, and some other pointless filler) and some decent kills (most of this toward the end of the film). You’re not missing much unless you are a person who needs to see every movie in this genre. It’s a shame that this clever title didn’t have more to offer. The IMDB page for this movie is as bare as the movie itself.
FIVE
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010). Santa himself has been dug up in an archeological dig and soon after, children start disappearing. Packed with dark humor and a child protagonist who isn’t annoying, you’ll smile through this Finnish film with a new take on Christmas. There are actually two short film prequels to this which help give some context to the plot, so check those out before watching this one.
FOUR
Black Christmas (1974). John Carpenter took notes when he saw this Christmas movie, most notably the killer POV shots. This one may be over 40 years old, but it holds up well and has all the elements of a classic slasher film.
THREE
Alien Raiders (2008). This one isn’t technically a Christmas movie but takes place during the holiday season. A group of heavily-armed scientists takes over a grocery store where they have tracked a group of alien invaders disguised as humans. Given the low budget, this is a decent sci-fi/horror flick, with a dash of The Mist and The Thing.
TWO
The Day of the Beast, aka El Dia de la Bestia (1995). The plot to this one cannot be better described than IMDB: “A Catholic priest teams up with a Black Metal aficionado and an Italian connoisseur of the occult to avert the birth of the beast, and with it, the end of the world.” I was sold before I even watched it. The birth of the beast is set to take place on December 25th, hence its placement on this list. It loses some momentum toward the end, but overall this one is pure joy.
ONE
Elves (1989). Do not mistake this one for the 2018 Elves, a sequel to The Elf (2017). This one is an absolute gem. Nazis have a plan to breed a perfect female specimen with elves to create a master race, and a drunk ex-cop/mall Santa (Dan Haggerty) is trying to stop them. Most of the film takes place in a mall with the young female target of the experiment and her friends being chased by a single puppet elf (don’t let the plural movie title fool you; there’s only one). If you make any movie on this list a new holiday tradition in your house, make it this one.
If you have more time on your hands for movies during the holidays, also check out:
Silent Night, Deadly Night 2 (1984) (The sequel recaps most of the first one, so you only need to watch one or the other)
Treevenge (2008)P2 (2007) (warning: the dog dies)