5 Underrated Christmas Horror Movies

Scary Christmas Movies to Watch this Holiday Season!

Christmas and horror movies are a weird combination, right? Like oil and water, or donuts and seafood. There’s a dichotomy between the brightness of Christmas and the darkness of horror. Nevertheless, there’s a long tradition of Christmas-themed scary stories. Here are five underrated Christmas horror movies.

Why are there so many creepy Christmas films? Well, I think we can all agree that the holiday season has a dark side. The increased financial and social stress can cause real hardship at this time of year. There’s a somber tinge to the holiday cheer, which gives horror an angle to tackle during the holiday season.

I’m going to give a quick shoutout to a couple of other underrated Christmas horror movies, The Sacrifice Game (2023) and Anna and the Apocalypse (2017). I didn’t include them because I’ve already covered both previously. My review of The Sacrifice Game can be found here. Anna and the Apocalypse is covered in the “5 Christmas Horror Movies” article linked below.

The Advent Calendar (2021)

This bizarre French film is, as far as I know, the only horror movie about an advent calendar. It’s certainly an odd idea. I’ve never thought of advent calendars as scary, but a good horror movie can make anything seem frightening.

The Advent Calendar is about Eva (Eugenie Derouand), a young woman who is a paraplegic. Eva is lonely. She’s very pretty and athletic, but most guys lose interest in her after realizing that she can’t walk. Eva receives an old fashioned wooden advent calendar from a friend.

Of course, this is no ordinary Christmas calendar. There’s a lot more than chocolate inside its little boxes, including a possible miracle cure for her legs! Naturally, the calendar demands a heavy price in return. How desperately does Eva want to walk again? Enough to kill?

The Advent Calendar is an offbeat and innovative entry with a flawed and interesting protagonist. The tone is rather dour, and the pacing lags at times, but it’s one of the most original Christmas horror movies ever made.

A Christmas Horror Story (2015)

A Christmas Horror Story is the closest equivalent to a yuletide version of Trick ‘r Treat. Like that Halloween classic, this movie is an anthology set in a small town. It has several interlocking stories. A group of teens trapped in a school basement encounter a vengeful ghost, a kid disappears in a Christmas tree forest and is replaced by an evil changeling, and the notorious goat demon Krampus attacks a family traveling for the holidays. Meanwhile, up at the North Pole, Santa Claus battles zombie elves while preparing for Christmas.

The movie also has a wrap-around story featuring William Shatner as a radio DJ who warns his listeners about a violent incident occurring at a nearby mall. I’m not sure why Shatner took this role. The DJ is a generic character who could have been played by anyone. I guess Shatner is one of those actors who will say yes to anything!

Is this movie as good as Trick ‘r Treat? Nah, I wouldn’t go that far. The stories aren’t quite as interesting. Still, this is an entertaining Christmas thriller. Who can resist a movie that features Santa slaughtering zombie elves? That alone makes this movie worth your time! Sit back on the couch with some spiked egg nog and enjoy the insanity.

The Lodge (2019)

The Lodge is for viewers who want their Christmas horror to be cold, bleak, and utterly devoid of holiday cheer. Grace Marshall (Riley Keough) the only survivor of a fanatical cult, is engaged to Richard Marshall (Richard Armitage), who left his wife for her. Grace feels immense guilt because Richard’s ex-wife took her own life after Richard left her. Richard decides that he and his two kids will spend Christmas with Grace at the family’s remote lodge so they can bond with their future stepmother.

Circumstances escalate from awkward to downright weird after Richard is forced to leave the lodge due to a work issue. Grace and the kids are stuck in the snowy, bitterly cold area by themselves. Items begin to disappear, including Grace’s medication. Her pet dog also inexplicably vanishes.

The mystery deepens as the film progresses to its mercilessly cruel third act. This movie is about gaslighting, being haunted by your past, and the corrosive effects of severe untreated mental trauma. This is a well-made and effective film, but it’s not the type of movie you’d want to put on during a holiday party.

It’s A Wonderful Knife (2023)

It was inevitable, right? Somebody was going to make a horror version of It’s A Wonderful Life. The only surprise is that it took this long! It’s a Wonderful Knife stars Jane Widdop from Yellowjackets as Winnie, a teen who saves her small town from The Angel, a masked murderer who goes on a Christmas Eve killing spree. Unfortunately, her best friend is killed during the rampage.

A year later, Winnie is still mourning her friend and processing the trauma of that terrifying day. To make matters even worse, she discovers that her girlfriend is cheating on her. Depressed and borderline suicidal, Winnie goes to a bridge and ponders her existence. Suddenly she is whisked away to an alternate reality where she was never born. This new world is vastly different. One of the major changes is that The Angel is still alive and on the loose. Can she stop him again and return to her home world? Winnie also finds a new love interest, Bernie (Jess McCleod).

It’s A Wonderful Knife is a darkly comedic entry in the growing subgenre of horror movies that deal with time travel and/or alternate realities. Jane Widdop is awesome as usual. One thing missing is that we don’t have a supernatural character guiding Winnie. It’s A Wonderful Life has Clarence, the guardian angel. It would have been great for Winnie to have a Clarence. Since this is horror, maybe he would be a demon instead of an angel? That would have been fun!

Krampus (2015)

Yep, another Krampus movie! There are actually several horror films featuring this furry horned monstrosity who terrorizes naughty kids at Christmas. I haven’t seen them all, but it’s no surprise that Krampus is a popular character in scary Christmas movies. Historically, Krampus was not well-known in North America, but he has long been a notorious figure in some European countries. He is believed to have originated in German folklore.

This time, Krampus and his minions attack a dysfunctional family on Christmas Eve. The Engels, who live in the suburbs, invite their rural relatives, the Jacksons, over for Christmas. The two families don’t get along, and the atmosphere in the house soon gets tense. Circumstances worsen after young Max (Emjay Anthony) accidentally triggers the return of Krampus.

The family, including mother Sarah (Toni Colette), dad Tom (Adam Scott), and Max’s uncle Howard (David Koechner) must put their differences aside and unite to defeat the demon. Krampus brings reinforcements, including deadly gingerbread men, a menacing jack-in-the-box, and evil elves. The story is capped off with a bizarre twist reminiscent of the notorious conclusion of the ’80s TV series St. Elsewhere.

A major theme in Krampus is the cultural divide between urban and rural Americans, a topic that has become even more relevant in the years since this movie was released. Of course, Krampus doesn’t give a damn where people are from. He’s determined to snuff out anyone who doesn’t have the Christmas spirit.

Overlooked But Not Forgotten

These movies will never be as well known as The Nightmare Before Christmas or Gremlins or even Terrifier 3, but they’re worth a watch. If you’re looking for scary Christmas movies that deliver the gift of holiday fear, these will do the trick! Ho Ho Ho!