Holiday Horror - Christmas Themed Movies

Back in 1984 a movie called Silent Night, Deadly Night was released and controversy followed it everywhere. Backlash from outraged parents and religious groups plagued the film from day one and, inevitably, the studio pulled the film from theaters. Scenes involving abuse by nuns, the killer dressed in a Santa Claus suit and a rape scene by a different person dressed in a Santa outfit were among the more extreme. Unphased by the controversy, the film went on to gain a cult following and spawn four sequels.

When the Christmas season rolls around many fans will dust off their DVD's and watch SNDN and many other holiday horror movies. Here's a list of some of the favorites of myself and others.

Black Christmas

The original slasher that would serve as the inspiration for the original Halloween. The director, Bob Clark, also directed the holiday favorite A Christmas Story.

Silent Night Deadly Night 1-5

Part 1 was overrated and predictable but it at least had some decent death scenes. The rest of the series is just plain awful. Part 2 is one of my picks for the worst movies of all time.

Christmas Evil

Released prior to SNDN and featuring a killer in a Santa Claus suit that didn't generate the same controversy.

Tales From the Crypt

The segment from the 1972 anthology film called And All Through the House features the first ever killer Santa.

Gremlins

If you feed them after midnight your Christmas isn't going to be merry.

Black Christmas (remake)

Not nearly as good as the original, the remake is more of a straight forward teen horror slasher in the vein of Scream.

Silent Night, Bloody Night

An average mystery weighed down by an overly complicated plot. It's in the public domain so you'll probably be able to find it cheap.

Don't Open Till Christmas

We've covered movies with killer Santas and now we have a movie where the Santa's are being killed. It's sleazy, it's British, what else do you need to know?

Santa's Slay

So apparently Santa is the spawn of Satan played by a former professional wrestler. And you thought Silent Night, Deadly Night was offensive.

Santa Claws

So bad it's worth seeing just to make fun of it. Just make sure it's a rental.

Two Front Teeth

Vampire Santa and zombie elves? That was enough to get me to watch it.

These are the movies that I've seen personally. Other horror movies with a Christmas theme include Night Train Murders and a three-movie box set called "Silent Night, Gory Night" including the films The Christmas Season Massacre, Satan Claws and Psycho Santa.