I’ve always found Christmas creepy because it is predicated on one big lie: Santa Claus. That is why I have created this list of my top 10 films that have a dark take on the most wonderful time of the year.
10) Santa Claus (1959): this film is nightmare fuel, made on a shoestring budget. It is very weird and the best part about it is that it was meant for children https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVO4ZRpTiaw&t=3547s
9) Jack Frost (1997) and Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman (2000): These movies are based on a Freddy Krueger concept. #2 is a campy and embraces it, but #1 tries too hard and has an indefensible rape scene.
8) Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984): No list would be complete without this iconic experience of murder by a deranged killer, whose parents were killed by someone in a Santa suit when he was a kid.
7) Krampus (2015): This movie is fun, but director Michael Dougherty holds back in comparison to his 2007 classic Trick r’ Treat. I wish he had done more with this concept and budget. Still, it pioneered a new subgenre of Krampus films – Anti Santa – yet is not my favorite from said genre.
6) Santa’s Slay (2005): Once you hear the title you know the movie: Santa goes on a naughty killing spree. It knows what it is: a camp fest.
5) Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010): This film would be ruined for you if I try to explain it. Just know that it is a weird Finnish film about the discovery of a feral old Santa.
4) Better Watch Out (2017): This is a very weird and experimental HOME ALONe styled film, but the boy is not Kevin McCallister; he is a psychopath with the goal of committing the perfect crime.
3) Black Christmas (1974): This film inspired John Carpenter’s iconic game-changing slasher flick Halloween (1978), and it is very much styled in the same way: POV opening, holiday setting, unknown killer (not a whodunit), strong final girl (which was not very common at that time), and a chilling soundtrack. It has also inspired Wes Craven’s Scream (1996) because the concept of a killer using a phone to taunt their victims is originates here.
2) Gremlins (1984): For Christmas, Billy Peltzer receives a cute furry creature that becomes a havoc-wreaking monster if you disobey these three rules: 1) keep them out of the sunlight, 2) don’t get them wet, and 3) and never ever feed them after midnight. When little kids went to the theater to see this movie thinking it was a fun animal Christmas adventure, they came out mortified by what they had witnessed, and this is one of the reasons why the MPAA added PG-13 to the rating system.
1) Christmas Horror Story (2015): This is the Trick r’ treat (2007) of Christmas movies and confirms your worst fears of Santa with its warm imagery and its nihilistic twist.
Levi Jacobson Reviews 