It’s that time of year again. Tired of having to socialise at various parties, you and your loved ones are more than ready to snuggle up with a movie and get into all the festive faves. There’s that one where Cameron Diaz wears a cable knit sweater, the sluttiest of all winterwear, and falls in love with Jude Law because he’s British, hot and a widowed dad. That underrated flick about the forbidden sapphic romance between a photographer and her sexy elder lover (let it be known that Carol was robbed of that Oscar!). Oh, and that one about a horned goat, jack-in-the-box and gingerbread men trying to drag a screaming Toni Collette into the pits of hell because she no longer believes in Santa. Cute!!
There are of course some famed creepy but nostalgic holiday offerings such as Gremlins and Eyes Wide Shut, but if you’re looking for some extra blood and gore with your eggnog and mince pies (to prepare yourself for the horrors of the new King’s Speech), here are some fucked up movies with festive vibes to check out this Christmas.
Black Christmas (1974)
This story of a sorority being terrorised by a serial killer dressed as Santa not only gave us a terrible (yet iconic) Michelle Trachtenberg-starring remake in 2006, it also acted as a pioneer of the slasher genre, having influenced John Carpenter’s Halloween. There was controversy around the films release though, as its TV premiere was cancelled in some states due to a similar murder spree happening at a sorority house in Tallahassee just two weeks prior… with the culprit later revealed to be none-other than Ted Bundy. It also received a lukewarm response from critics, but in subsequent years has been re-evaluated as one of the greatest horror movies of all time. Golden Globe winner Olivia Hussey ran from evil Santa so a Juicy Couture-clad Paris Hilton could run from a wax-obsessed murderer.
Jack Frost (1997)
A year before Michael Keaton was brought back to life as a snowman thanks to a magic harmonica in the family-friendly Jack Frost (1998), a serial killer was exposed to toxic chemicals that made him dissolve into the snow and re-form as a murderous, vengeful and horny snowman — slitting throats with axes and decapitating heads with sledges. Is this low-budget horror movie by any means good? Absolutely not. But between batshit death scenes and the concept of a carrot lying in snow as an ominous calling card, the movie has melted the hearts of even the most sceptical of watchers and grown to become a cult classic.
P2 (2007)
This cat-and-mouse horror from filmmaker duo Alexandre Aja and Grégory Levasseur (The Hills Have Eyes, Piranha 3-D) follows Angela (Rachel Nichols), a business woman working late in an abandoned office on Christmas Eve. When she is finally able to leave, she discovers that her car won’t start, she’s locked in the car park and has no cell service. Cue the panic. But it’s not long until she realises she’s not actually alone, and that the creepy incel security guard (Wes Bentley of American Horror Story) that has been harbouring a crush on her for some time, has been conducting a plan to finally spend some alone time with her. But the true villain of the story is, of course, the capitalism that had her working late on Christmas Eve in the first place.
Krampus (2015)
Fans of Toni Collette’s screams will enjoy Krampus: a movie where a constantly bickering family are visited by the demonic presence of Krampus, a goat-like creature, and his bag of malevolent toys, who are ready to drag them all to hell for their lack of Christmas spirit. It’s based on the alpine folklore of a horned figure who assists Saint Nicholas by scaring the children who are on the naughty list. Alongside Toni as the family’s matriarch is Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation) and David Koechner (The Office) as her husband and brother-in-law respectively, as well as Emjay Anthony as her son, Stefania LaVie Owen as her daughter and Two And A Half Men’s Conchata Ferrell as her aunt.
Better Watch Out (2016)
This twisty psychological babysitter horror stars Olivia DeJonge (who slayed as Priscilla Presley in Elvis) as Ashley who is looking after the precocious preteen Garrett (Levi Miller) while his parents are at a Christmas party. Like all good babysitter horrors, Ashley receives an unwanted phone call before strange happenings occur and a menacing figure starts trying to get through the door. But it soon becomes clear that the real danger is coming from inside the house. The movie also stars Dacre Montgomery of Stranger Things and Dune’s Virginia Madsen.
The Lodge (2019)
Riley Keough (Zola) plays Grace, a suicide cult survivor who has been having an affair with Richard (Richard Armitage), the revelation of which causes his estranged ex-wife to commit suicide. Six months later, deciding Grace and his grieving kids (Jaeden Martel of Knives Out and Lia McHugh of Eternals) need to bond, Richard brings the family down to the remote snow-covered lodge Grace once lived in. But the past comes back to haunt them all, putting Grace and her new family in grave danger. The chilling, slowburn psychological horror has been described as a “truly unsettling movie” that will “rattle you on almost subconscious level”.
Silent Night (2021)
This apocalyptic horror comedy has a stellar British ensemble cast that includes Keira Knightley, The Idol star Lily-Rose Depp, Matthew Goode (The Crown), Annabelle Wallis (Annabelle), Kirby Howell-Baptiste (Killing Eve), Lucy Punch (Ella Enchanted), Sope Dirisu (Black Mirror) and the Golden Globe-nominated teen actor Roman Griffin Davis (Jojo Rabbit). As a poisonous, fatalistic gas cloud makes its way across the country and tornadoes wreak havoc, a family and their close friends gather to have one last Christmas celebration and decide how they will spend their final moments knowing most, if not all of them, will not survive the night.