Christmas is coming in hot, and it’s time to pick out some movies. But after the same old carols and predictable Hallmark movies, sometimes you need a good scare to remind you that winter is the season of death.
We all know Black Christmas and Gremlins, but what about the truly obscure holiday horror flicks? The ones that make you say, “Wait, that exists?” Well, buckle up, because we’re diving into the bargain bin of Christmas carnage to unearth five lesser-known gems that are worth a watch. Or at least one that’s good for a few laughs
Jack Frost (1997): He’s a Killer Snowman!
Okay, this one is gloriously bad. Like, so bad it’s good. A serial killer is transformed into a snowman, and he goes on a murderous rampage in the next town over. Why does he do this? Who cares. He has snowman powers.
Jack Frost is perfect for a night when you want to laugh more than scream. It will keep you on your toes and thinking, “How did this get made?” I cannot believe someone wrote this, and the actors agreed. For those brave souls out there, there is a sequel set in the tropics that’s even worse than this one.
Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 (1987): Garbage Day!
Have you ever wanted to see a sequel that is just reordered cuts of the original film? I don’t know why you would want that, but it’s not my place to judge. Silent Night, Deadly NightPart 2 is a very strange film, to say the least. Even by bad Christmas horror standards. But it’s still worth a watch just for the memes.
Essentially, the film follows in the footsteps of the original. After a violent altercation with a Santa figure, a young man is driven to violence and murder. However, there wasn’t enough of a budget to shoot a whole new movie, so the filmmakers just used 70% flashback scenes from Silent Night, Deadly Night. It is the wonkiest film you will ever watch.
Santa’s Slay (2005): Wrestling Santa? Yes, Please!
WWE wrestler Bill Goldberg plays Santa Claus, but he is actually a demon who lost a bet with an angel and was forced to deliver presents for 1000 years. The 1000 years are up, and now he can seek revenge for what has happened. The premise alone makes this one worth a watch.
I know we have been covering a lot of comedies, but this one takes the cake. Watching a beefed-up Santa destroy a city for kicks is just awesome. There aren’t many scares in this one, but it is absolutely worth it for the one-liners alone.
Black Christmas (2019): A Modern Retelling That’s… Divisive
This is probably the most controversial retelling in modern horror history. While the original Black Christmas is still a celebrated piece of horror history, the sequel goes a little off the rails. The film focuses on a group of sorority sisters who are stalked and terrorized by a secret society on campus during Christmas break.
While that seems like a standard plot, the film uses the setting to make several points about living in a patriarchal society. Now, it is important to note that the original Black Christmas did this as well. However, the 2019 version wasn’t exactly subtle in this messaging. But hey, who doesn’t like a little bit of politics thrown in with their bloodshed?
Red Christmas (2017): Family, Faith, and a Whole Lotta Blood.
This one is more of a standard Christmas slasher. Red Christmas follows a family dealing with a mysterious man on Christmas. Also, Dee Wallace from E.T. stars in the movie. So, it gets bonus points for that.
The film has a few points to make about abortion and women’s rights, but the messaging gets kind of sidelined by all the blood and gore on screen. In traditional fashion, our mysterious guest begins to kill off our partygoers, and it’s up to the audience to figure out who he is and why he is doing this. Red Christmas is a solid Christmas slasher that doesn’t get the love it deserves.
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