Top Ten Christmas Horror Movies

For most people, the holidays evoke warm memories of family gatherings, gift exchanges, frolicking in the snow, and tales of jolly old St. Nick. Others, however, enjoy tales that involve an axe-wielding Santa and murderous merry mayhem - from the comfort of their living rooms, of course. Although they are an admittedly small sub-genre of the horror film industry, the following ten holiday horror films seem to rise to the top of the heap year after year, so dim the lights on the tree, stoke the fireplace, and enjoy these terror-filled frightfests.

10. P2 (2007) - From the minds of French horror auteurs Alexandre Aja and Gregory Levasseur (Haute Tension, The Hills Have Eyes (2006)) , P2 tells the story of Angela, a working girl who finds herself trapped inside a parking garage after working late on Christmas Eve. To make matters worse, she learns that she is a target for the only employee left in the building - a mentally deranged security guard who has no intentions of seeing her leave. P2 is your standard cat-and-mouse thriller, but offers enough thrills (and a few moments of shockingly graphic gore) to keep horror enthusiasts glued to the screen.

9. Gremlins (1984) - A staple of many horror fans in the 80's, Joe Dante's film introduced the masses to the cute, cuddly Mogwai, which remained cute and cuddly as long as you don't feed them after midnight, expose them to light, or spill water on them. Unfortunately our hero Billy (Zach Galligan) learns what happens when the directions for Mogwai aren't followed, and as a result, a horde of malicious Gremlins attempt to take over his quiet hometown and ruin Christmas. A "B-movie" at heart,Gremlins is a must see for anyone who enjoys twisted humor with their horror.

8. Tales From the Crypt "And All Through The House" (1989) - Although not a full length film, "And All Through The House" features Larry Drake (Darkman, Dr. Giggles) as a homicidal lunatic who, while dressed as Santa Claus, stalks and terrorizes a greedy woman on a snowy Christmas night shortly after she murders her husband for insurance money. A classic EC Comics twisted morality tale, this episode from the first season of Tales From The Crypt contains plenty of tension and chills and remains one of my favorite episodes ever.

7. Dead End (2003) - Recommended to me by a friend, this "Twilight Zone"-esque thriller centers around a man (Ray Wise) and his family who take an ill-advised detour on a seemingly never-ending road to madness while enroute to a family gathering on Christmas Eve. Well acted and heavy on psychological and supernatural chills, this film will appeal to those who enjoy an intelligent, thinking man's horror tale.

6. Jack Frost (1996) - Definitely not to be confused with the light-hearted family film of the same name starring Michael Keaton, Jack Frost (1996) features a homicidal snowman (yes, a homicidal snowman) formed from the genetic material of a recently executed serial killer who is out for revenge against the lawman who brought him to justice. This film is akin to Child's Play in it's tongue-in-cheek violence and campy humor, but it's worth the time if you can check your brain at the door and dig into some popcorn-flavored B-grade mayhem.

5. Christmas Evil (1980) - A young boy who loves Christmas observes that Santa is sometimes naughty himself, and his views of Christmas are shattered. Later on, as an adult, this sets him off on a killing spree against those who don't truly observe the Christmas spirit. Christmas Evil aka You Better Watch Out is best known as a black comedy with a truly bizarre ending that will leave you scratching your head.

4. Santa Claws (1996) - In a plot familiar to more than a few Christmas-themed horror movies, a young man finds his mother engaging in a tryst with a man dressed in a Santa hat and guns them both down - triggering his obsession later in life to dress up as St. Nick and stalk an erotic horror film star. You just can't make this up.

3. Santa's Slay (2005) - Proof that professional wrestling and homicidal Santa films can mingle, this B-movie features popular wrestler Bill Goldberg as the evil old elf (and coincidentally, the devil's son) who is out for a bloody revenge after losing a bet with an angel that required him to deliver presents to the kiddies for 1000 years.
2. Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) - Perhaps the most well-known film out of the small batch of Holiday horrors (as well as a contemporary cult favorite), this nasty little offering created an intense firestorm of controversy from protesting parents and film critics due to it's depiction of Santa Claus as a brutal killer who is out to "punish" the naughty ones by dispatching them in several gruesome ways. Atlhough several sequels were inevitably spawned, they are generally not worth your time.

1. Black Christmas (1974) - Widely hailed as a cult classic horror film, Black Christmas is the spirtual predecessor of John Carpenter's Halloween and centers around a psychopathic killer and obscene caller who stalks a sorority house on Christmas Eve. Taut, terrifying, and clever, Black Christmas will have you guessing at the killer's identity all the way to the twist ending. Although dated, this film comes highly recommended and deserves it's #1 ranking on this list of the top ten Christmas horror films.