Even as Fall fades and the cold sets in, horror fans wouldn’t dream of taking a break from their favorite genre. Quite the opposite, they simply switch from Halloween horrors to festive frights. And for most of them, they turn to the exemplars of Christmas carnage all throughout December; it’s common to see Black Christmas, Silent Night Deadly Night, Gremlins, and Krampus top many seasonal watchlists.
Yet for those looking for even more holiday horror to occupy their Winter and keep that chill inside, might I suggest these lesser observed movies and television shows.
12 Deadly Days (2016)
If you have the time and access, do yourself a favor and watch the entirety of YouTube’s 12 Deadly Days. This quasi-anthology series from Blumhouse (Happy Death Day 2 U, The Black Phone, M3GAN) is decked in holiday horror from front to end, and it is definitely an effective way of getting into the spirit of Christmas… Or have the spirit of Christmas get into you.
Set in the fictional small town of Saturn, California, the weird and uncanny occur in the days leading up to Christmas. Witches, vampires, were-deer, and masked killers are just some of the not-so-merry menaces in this 12-episode show. And despite the usually-accurate advice of anthology viewing — not every story will be as good as the next — 12 Deadly Days is a fairly consistent collection of Christmas horror, albeit one with a sense of humor about itself.
Where to watch: YouTube Premium
While She Was Out (2008)
In While She Was Out, Kim Basinger plays a routinely intimidated and abused woman whose already awful Christmas Eve is only about to get worse. Susan Montford‘s only directed movie, which is based on a short story by late author Edward Bryant, is neither subtle nor novel, but the idea of Basinger’s character taking her frustrations out on a gang of young a-holes is hard to pass up.
In what feels like an over-belittled programmer, While She Was Out admittedly doesn’t care much for refinement. Yet it’s a brutal revenger where the violence becomes the substance. The bullied protagonist growing a backbone as she slays a handful of mall hoodlums — the phrase “toolbox-fu” came up in one colorful review — is grossly enjoyable. Does this say or do anything profound? Is it a bit beneath Basinger as an actor? No and yes, respectively. But is it also entertaining schlock? Hell yes.
Where to watch: Starz
Home for the Holidays (1972)
Home for the Holidays hails from the heyday of made-for-TV American movies. That’s right, the 1970s, that certain era of tele-filmmaking that actually cast skilled actors and took the craft seriously. In all openness, though, director John Llewellyn Moxey (The City of the Dead) delivered a gothic melodrama, so don’t go into this with the notion that it’s pure horror. Still and all, there is no denying the creepiness of this one wretched family gathering.
Sally Field and the late Jessica Walter are just a few of the familiar faces in this moody mystery; the roster also includes Jill Haworth, Eleanor Parker, Julie Harris, and Walter Brennan. The talent pool here is, in a word, superb, so regardless of the detectable feel of soapiness in the story, Home for the Holidays is well acted. Then there is the surprising genre element that gives this lost TV treasure its modern appeal; Joseph Stefano (Psycho) wrote a whodunit that predates the slasher boom of the 1980s. Hell, this TV-movie even beat the more renowned Black Christmas by two years. It may not be the slashiest slasher, but Home for the Holidays predicted several popular tropes to come (and stay) in the horror genre. Read more about it in my lengthier retrospective at Bloody Disgusting.
Where to watch: YouTube
A Ghost Story for Christmas (1971–)
For a more elegant and disquieted delivery of Christmas horror, BBC’s continuing strand of infrequent holiday specials, collectively called A Ghost Story for Christmas, doesn’t disappoint. What began as an annual ode to the works of author M. R. James has ultimately varied its sources of inspiration, however, all these tales promise to induce a tingle.
The classic span of these adaptations, the one running between 1971 and 1978, is deemed the best, but don’t discount the newer entries from 2005 and onward. There are worthwhile tales there, waiting to be uncovered.
Where to watch: Shudder
ATM (2012)
David Brooks‘ ATM chose a singular setting for his only directed movie so far; Brian Geraghty, Alice Eve and Josh Peck get trapped inside an ATM kiosk after fleeing their office’s Christmas party. If you can look past certain contrivances in the story, such as the characters parking so far away from the ATM for no good reason, this rather over-hated, one-location thriller is very watchable.
What brings the in-group tension to a boil, of course, is the tangible threat circling outside the ATM. There in the parking lot is a masked man who viciously kills anyone who dares to walk by or assist the main characters. So the movie is like Jaws in that sense. Ultimately, we are left with more questions than answers, but if plot-logic isn’t a must in your horror viewings, then don’t hesitate to press PLAY on ATM.
Where to watch: Roku
Inside No. 9: The Devil of Christmas (2016)
It’s not an understatement when I say Inside No. 9 is one of the most well-written anthology shows of all time. Multi-hyphenates Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith did not phone it in as either storytellers or performers. And one of the jewels in their heavily festooned crown is the winter special “The Devil of Christmas.“
Fans of ’70s and ’80s ITV anthologies will eat up “The Devil of Christmas,” a glaring love letter to the likes of Tales of the Unexpected and Beasts. Shot with period-accurate equipment and a wardrobe to match, this story of an Austrian getaway ends with the rudest surprise. This episode goes from twee to terror in one fell swoop, and if you’re like me, you’re still recovering from that nasty twist in the tail. Brilliant stuff.
Where to watch: BritBox
Kazuo Umezu’s Horror Theater: Present (2005)
Earlier this year, whether or not you realize it, we lost one of the greatest minds in Japanese horror. Artist Kazuo “Umezz” Umezu was best known for what he put on paper, but the manga-world icon also had a hand in several on-screen productions, one of which was the low-budget gathering of standalones: Kazuo Umezu’s Horror Theater. This anthology was made in honor of its namesake, who at the time was celebrating fifty years in the industry.
The holiday entry “Present” is a gory gift waiting to be unwrapped. And at a brisk 40-something minutes, Yūdai Yamaguchi‘s contribution does what other similar movies do — a feral Santa Claus laying waste to unsuspecting Christmas celebrants — in less time but also without sacrificing the gory thrills.
Where to watch: YouTube (or DVD)
Hansel and Gretel (2007)
For something incredibly oddball yet also aesthetically striking, then this South Korean adaptation of a Grimm Brothers classic is strongly recommended. As a caveat, Yim Pil-sung‘s Hansel and Gretel is more a dark fantasy than a horror movie, however, the line between the two labels is a thin one. There are enough goosebumps-raising moments here to warrant a mention.
Something else to be forewarned about is how gloomy this movie becomes; it’s not an easy watch, particularly when it comes to the child characters. That being said, Hansel and Gretel is a visually stunning genre gem that I praised over at Bloody Disgusting.
Where to watch: Tubi
Tales from the Darkside (1983–1988) & Monsters (1988–1991)
While this entry is a bit of a cheat, it was also difficult to recommend just one episode from either of these ’80s-born anthology shows. And because Tales from the Darkside and Monsters have a lot of common behind the scenes, they can be considered siblings.
Darkside boasts three Christmas-set episodes, although “Seasons of Belief” comes up the most in conversation. That one, of course, entails a horrific outcome for a pair of naughty parents and their gullible children. The Grither remains a piece of kindertrauma for many millennials. Then there are the Clive Barker adaptation “The Yattering and the Jack” and the Seth Green-starring “Monsters in My Room.” The former is silly in a way that only Darkside could get away with, however, the latter is a neglected episode from the entire run.
As for Monsters, we have two episodes to choose from: the bleak “Glim-Glim” and a reimagining of A Christmas Carol called “A New Woman.” Your best bet is the first, if you want to be bummed out and watch a cute actor-in-a-suit creature star alongside Jenna von Oÿ (who’s also in “Seasons of Belief”). For those who seek to see all Scrooge adaptations, then the second episode is solid, especially if you view it as a parody.
Where to watch: See above
The Stone Tape (1972)
Aired on Christmas Day, Peter Sasdy‘s The Stone Tape has only a marginal connection to the holiday, but nevertheless, it still feels appropriate. British TV genius Nigel Kneale (The Quatermass Xperiment) turned in one of his best stories here, which centers around a research group’s uncanny discovery inside an old Victorian home.
This scientific approach to a ghost sighting is marvelous, if not unresolved. Yet as I wrote in my retrospective at Bloody Disgusting, “Other genre narratives with overdrawn explanations run the risk of lacking in wonder, yet Kneale composed a creative, thoughtful, and intimate tale rich in the same bitterly cold anxiety inherent to all Christmas horror.”
Where to watch: Shudder
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