Here are ten must-see Christmas horror movies for festive weirdos like you and me.

10. A Christmas Horror Story (2015)

An anthology movie that's a bit of a mixed bag, but the good segments really hit it out of the park. The Krampus fight alone is worth the watch. Its the horror equivalent of a Christmas tree where half the bulbs are burned out but the ones that still work look beautiful.

9. Better Watch Out (2016)

Starts as one thing and turns into something way way nastier. It feels like the filmmakers went into December with some unresolved feelings. The performances are great and the sense of dread sneaks up on you. A highly recommended Christmas horror flick.

8. P2 (2007)

Not strictly a Christmas movie, but it uses the holiday atmosphere just enough, making the whole thing feel colder and meaner. Wes Bentley doing his quiet, polite psycho thing is honestly more unsettling than any ghost or monster. And it doesn't hurt that Rachel Nichols is pretty easy on the eyes.

7. Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)

The OG Santa slasher that every kid in the 80s saw on the shelf at the video rental store. It's messy and kindof goofy, but you can see the DNA of half the Christmas horror that came after it. The killer Santa design is top-tier, and the performance from Robert Brian Wilson is among the best in all of slasher-dom.

6. Krampus (2015)

This one works mostly because of its tone. The whole movie feels like a snow globe someone shook a little too hard and conjured up some nasty stuff. The creature design rules, the family is insanely believable and the ending has a perfect mix of bleak and playful. A highly recommended Christmas monster classic.

5. Gremlins (1984)

People argue about whether this counts as a horror movie, but the naysayers are wrong. Gremlins is a horror movie through and through. It just happens to have a very cute co-protagonist in Gizmo. It blends horror with dark humor delightfully. It understands that holiday cheer means nothing if gremlins are bulldozing houses and launching wheelchair-bound ladies out of windows.

4. Terrifier 3 (2024)

Say what you want about the Terrifier movies, but Art the Clown understands the assignment: Christmas lights, carnage, buckets of gore and a level of commitment that borders on athletic. This one is basically gory holiday chaos distilled into two hours. You watch it for the spectacle and stay for the moment you realize you are rooting against Christmas itself. It's one of the goriest movies ever made and the finest in the series (as of this writing: Terrifier 4 is yet to be released).

3. Rare Exports (2010)

The only movie where I genuinely felt bad for the elves. It runs on pure folklore energy and has the best creature logic of any Christmas horror film. It's cold, stylish, and a little mischievous. Finland knew what it was doing when it exported this gem.

2. Christmas Evil (1980)

You hear the title and expect generic slasher fodder, but what you get is this oddly tender, off-kilter psychological character study about a guy obsessed with Santa. If you want to see what a Christmas version of Taxi Driver would look like, here's your chance. It also happens to be John Waters' favorite Christmas movie, and it stars Fionna Apple's father! And the nutso final shot is something that must be seen to be believed.

1. Black Christmas (1974)

Here it is. The godfather of Christmas horror movies. It's grubby, mean, and insanely patient. Every modern slasher owes it something, even the ones that pretend they don't. The phone call conceit alone is legendary. You watch Black Christmas and immediately understand why the holidays are secretly terrifying.

Wrapping Up

Christmas horror hits differently It takes a season we are told is warm and safe and shows us its dark side. A little folklore here, a rogue Santa there, a few gremlins chewing through the lights. If you want to make December feel less like a heartmwarming commercial and more like a nasty winter nightmare, any one of these movies will do the trick.