Content warning: This article discusses extreme fictional violence.
With Halloween just recently coming to a close and Christmas decorations already spreading through stores, we’re back in that weird sweet spot between the holidays. Bags of candy on sale, Frank Sinatra wishing listeners Merry Christmas while it’s still eighty degrees, skulls coming down while lights go up, and we’re left twiddling our thumbs. To combat that idle Christmas dread, here’s a list of slashers, thrillers, and dark comedies that take from both holidays! These Christmas horror movies will leave you craving hot cocoa while still holding onto the thrill of watching Spirit Halloweens pop up overnight. It’s the best of both worlds, and like department stores everywhere, it completely ignores Thanksgiving!
- It’s a Wonderful Knife (2023)
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Starting silly, It’s a Wonderful Knife gets its title from the much more darling It’s a Wonderful Life, a story about the wonders of the beautiful world we live in. There are some connections to the original film: an angel, a bridge, and taking place during Christmas. It is far from the most serious slasher on this list; moreover, just a fun, flashy blend of creative kills and alternate realities to get you excited for chill air and Christmas trees!
‘It’s a Wonderful Knife’ Official Trailer via YouTube - The Advent Calendar (2021)
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Also titled Le Calendrier, this French horror flick follows a paralyzed woman coping with life after having to leave behind her career as a dancer. For fans of haunted objects that cause destruction and despair, this one’s for you. When she receives an Advent calendar from a friend and begins consuming its treats, her life begins to take a turn for the worse. While not as tongue-in-cheek as some of the other listed movies, this thriller will have you scared of Advent calendars the way Psycho had people scared of showers.
‘The Advent Calendar’ Official Trailer via YouTube - Black Christmas (1974)
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A freaky Christmas horror classic, Black Christmas has a delightfully horrifying premise with the chilling antagonist delivering the kills. The most frightening thing about this film is how grounded in reality it remains, even as the violence ramps up. Contained in a sorority house, a killer stalks and murders the inhabitants of the home one after another. This film has the appeal of a classic slasher with creative kills and some Scream-esque phone action. As is the case with many older films, a remake premiered in 2019, but it pales in comparison to the original. Personally, Black Christmas is an all-time favorite and an annual watch.
‘Black Christmas’ Trailer via YouTube - Silent Night (2021)
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If asked to describe this film in one word, the answer would have to be “clever.” With less gore and more humor, Silent Night is an apocalyptic dark comedy that focuses on a Christmas dinner party hosted by a lovely couple, which soon turns into the end of the world. A large cast of memorable characters are confronted with tough decisions while all being stuck in the isolated English countryside, and it is a wild ride. The cast is an easy sell for this film, with Keira Knightley in the lead and featuring Lily-Rose Depp, Matthew Goode, and Roman Griffin Davis. Dry British humor at its finest, and directorial debut, be sure to give this movie a try this season!
‘Silent Night’ Trailer via YouTube - New Year’s Evil (1980)
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Falling a bit outside the purview of Christmas, New Year’s Evil, as the title suggests, takes place at the end of December during a New Year’s Eve celebration. Another slasher using a phone to make a threat, this guy calls DJ Diane Sullivan to say he will be killing as midnight hits each U.S. time zone. The threat is written off, but soon, corpses begin to pile up in line with the initial threat. It’s tacky, cheesy, and very ’80s, but a fun watch nonetheless. And, most importantly, the soundtrack is great.
‘New Year’s Evil’ Official Trailer via YouTube - Deep Red (1975)
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While many know Italian director Dario Argento for Suspiria, a tale of professional dancing witches, the Italian director also made a Christmas-themed film, Deep Red (Profondo Rosso). The film falls into the giallo genre, an artistic area that Argento specializes in. Giallos pull from slashers, thrillers, and crime dramas while featuring a killer whose identity is revealed at the end of the film. Deep Red does not deviate from the genre’s conventions, but is a classic in Italian horror, and is fantastic for film fanatics everywhere. While the events just happen to take place during Christmas, the proximity to the holiday gives it plenty of yuletide spirit.
‘Deep Red’ Official Trailer via YouTube - Carnage for Christmas (2024)
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To end on a high note, Carnage for Christmas is not only a great slasher but also features a transgender final girl and debuted at the 48th Frameline San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival. The premise is simple: a young trans woman returns to her hometown post-transition, and violence soon follows. Queerness and horror have always existed side by side, and now Christmas has been pulled into the mix! One can only hope that the positive reviews of this film will lead to an increase in LGBTQ+ Christmas horror after having such a strong start with this indie gem.
‘Carnage for Christmas’ Official Trailer via YouTube
Christmas can be just as blue as it is jolly, and just as eerie as it is nostalgic. This list touches on both the classics and the new releases, but the world of horror movies is an incredibly vast one! Between studying for finals and Thanksgiving family jitters, getting scared is a great way to both blow off some steam and get hype for the holiday season. Hopefully, you’ll both love and hate whichever movies you choose to try!