45 Best Christmas Horror Movies To Spread That Holiday Fear

Rohit Bhattacharya

Christmas is generally all about warmth, love, and spreading joy. But how about spicing things up this time? Instead of just the usual festive cheer, add in some chilling horror movies. Forget the cozy scenes, go for the adrenaline rush with brutal, bloody Christmas horror movies. So this holiday season, try something different and add a dose of horror to your celebrations with our list of scary Christmas movies.

S. No.Movie & YearIMDb Rating
1.Black Christmas (1974)7.1
2.Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)5.8
3.Gremlins (1984)7.3
4.Christmas Evil (1980)5.5
5.Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)6.6
6. Krampus (2015)6.2
7.Better Watch Out (2016)6.5
8. A Christmas Horror Story (2015)5.8
9.Sint (2010)5.6
10.Red Christmas (2016)4.3
11. Jack Frost (1997)4.7
12. Dead End (2003)6.5
13.Elves (1989)4.1
14.Don’t Open Till Christmas (1984)4.7
15.The Children (2008)5.9
16.P2 (2007)5.9
17.Wind Chill (2007)5.8
18.Black Christmas (2006)4.7
19.Silent Night (2012)5.2
20.All Through the House (2015)4.4
21.Anna & The Apocalypse (2017)6.1
22.Mercy Christmas (2017)5.3
23.The Advent Calendar (2021)6.3
24.A Cadaver Christmas (2011)4.6
25.Inside (2007)6.7
26.Tales from the Crypt (1972)6.9
27.Christmas Blood (2017)4.2
28.Gingerdead Man (2005)3.4
29.To All a Goodnight (1980)4.6
30.Santa’s Slay (2005)5.3
31.The Children (1980)5.4
32.Holidays (2016)5.1
33.The Day of the Beast (1995)7.3
34.Secret Santa (2018)5
35.Christmas with the Dead (2012)6.1
36.Deadly Little Christmas (2009)2.5
37.A Christmas to Dismember (2016)3.2
38.Black Christmas (2019)3.5
39.Mother Krampus (2017)3.2
40.Christmas with the Dead (2012)6.1
41.Santa Claws (1996)2.9
42.The Elf (2017)2.4
43.Elves (2018)1.9
44.Slay Belles (2018)4.3
45.Christmas Cruelty! (2013)4.6

1. Black Christmas (1974)

IMDb

A group of sorority girls is stalked by a stranger who is a serial killer of Christmas. But no one realises that the person is someone they know.

2. Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)

IMDb

A little boy Billy witnesses his parents getting murdered by Santa. He becomes orphaned and is raised by nuns in an orphanage. However, after growing up he goes on a killing spree, dressed as Santa himself. This is one of the scary Christmas movies.

3. Gremlins (1984)

IMDb

In these funny Christmas movies, a man inadvertently breaks three important rules around his new pet. His mistakes unleash mischievous monsters in a small town.

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4. Christmas Evil (1980)

IMDb

A young man, working at a toy factory, dresses up as Santa Claus and goes on a killing spree as a result of his abusive past and other occurrences.

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5. Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)

IMDb

This Finnish movie follows two young boys who believe the tomb of Santa Claus has been uncovered during a mountain drilling project. What emerges isn’t a benevolent and jolly old man but a monstrous creature that terrorises the land.

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6. Krampus (2015)

IMDb

The name of this film is based on the demon goat from Austrian folklore – a creature who comes and scares children who have misbehaved during Christmas. This film revolves around a kid who loses interest in the holiday due to his dysfunctional family, in turn awakening the monster.

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7. Better Watch Out (2016)

IMDb

This 2016 psychological Christmas horror movie stars Olivia DeJonge, Levi Miller, and Ed Oxenbould. The story follows a young boy and his babysitter who are forced to defend themselves against some very unwelcome guests on Christmas.

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8. A Christmas Horror Story (2015)

IMDb

This Canadian anthology film tells 4 interwoven short stories about some truly terrible creatures who descend on the town of Bailey Downs during Christmas. The worst part is that even Santa himself isn’t safe from the worst of these monsters – Krampus himself. 

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9. Sint (2010)

IMDb

A notorious gang led by bishop Niklas is killed by the villagers who get tired of them. However, the gang returns as an evil ghost every year on a date that coincides with the full moon.

10. Red Christmas (2016)

IMDb

A widow and her family gather at a remote resort on Christmas Eve. She then has to do everything she can to protect her family from a crazy stranger.

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11. Jack Frost (1997)

IMDb

A notorious serial killer Jack Frost is taken for execution. However, the truck carrying him meets with a bizarre accident, transforming him into a mutant snowman. He returns as a murderous evil seeking revenge.

12. Dead End (2003)

IMDb

Frank and his family are on their way to his in-law’s home for Christmas. On their way, they offer a lift to a woman dressed in white. However, they soon start witnessing grisly roadside accidents.

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13. Elves (1989)

IMDb

A young woman discovers that she is in the middle of an evil Nazi experiment where they want her to mate with an elf. Now the only person who can save her is a departmental store Santa Claus.

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14. Don’t Open Till Christmas (1984)

IMDb

A Scotland Yard inspector hunts down a murderer who is going around and killing people dressed up as Santa Claus during Christmas.

15. The Children (2008)

IMDb

Elaine, along with her children and husband, travels to her sister’s isolated country house to celebrate Christmas. Soon her children get infected by bacteria that turn them violent.

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16. P2 (2007)

IMDb

A businesswoman who leaves late from work gets stuck in a hellish Christmas Eve nightmare when a psychopathic security guard locks her in the underground parking garage. She must do everything she can to escape.

17. Wind Chill (2007)

IMDb

Two students heading home meet with a horrific accident. They find themselves stranded in the snow but soon realise that they are surrounded by supernatural entities.

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18. Black Christmas (2006)

IMDb

A murdering sociopath escapes prison and returns to his childhood home only to discover that it has now been turned into a sorority house. He then begins killing students who are living there.

19. Silent Night (2012)

IMDb

A small town’s Christmas festivities are cut short by the presence of a ruthless killer hiding in plain sight thanks to a Santa costume. The film stars Malcolm McDowell, of Clockwork Orange fame.

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20. All Through the House (2015)

IMDb

A deranged Santa slayer leaves behind a trail of mutilated dead bodies as he makes his way to a town’s most feared house.

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21. Anna & The Apocalypse (2017)

IMDb

Little Haven, a small-time, gets hit by a zombie apocalypse. Anna and her friends struggle to fight off these zombies to save the town.

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22. Mercy Christmas (2017)

IMDb

Man meets the perfect woman – they click immediately – she invites him over for her family’s Christmas dinner. All going according to plan, right? Wrong – there’s a pretty gruesome twist to exactly what’s on the menu for this twisted tale. Hint, it’s him.

23. The Advent Calendar (2021)

IMDb

Eva, a paraplegic, is gifted a weird advent calendar by one of her friends on her birthday. But it’s not sweet and fun like the average advent calendar. It comes with a set of rules and the promise of wish fulfillment for those who follow it.

24. A Cadaver Christmas (2011)

IMDb

When a dark force takes over a morgue, a group of guys come together to save humanity from the growing army of walking dead.

25. Inside (2007)

IMDb

Four months after her husband’s death, a woman who’s about to become a mother is tormented by a strange woman who wants her unborn child.

26. Tales from the Crypt (1972)

IMDb

Five strangers wander into a crypt after they get separated from the main group. Then they meet a crypt keeper who predicts how each of them is going to die.

27. Christmas Blood (2017)

IMDb

A murderer gets caught after terrorising the residents of a small village every Christmas Eve.

28. Gingerdead Man (2005)

IMDb

A witch brings in trouble when she revives her dead serial killer son as a giant gingerbread man. He then goes on a spree to kill the girl who had him executed.

29. To All a Goodnight (1980)

IMDb

A group of teenagers find themselves being stalked by by a maniacal killer in a Santa Claus costume at a party.

30. Santa’s Slay (2005)

IMDb

After losing a bet to an angel, a demon spends years spreading joy on Christmas by giving out gifts like Santa Claus. But he finally goes back to his old ways. This is one of the scariest horror Xmas movies you will see.

31. The Children (1980)

IMDb

If we talk about horror Xmas movies, this movie comes on top. A busload of school children are driven through a cloud of nuclear waste which transforms them into atomic zombies.

32. Holidays (2016)

IMDb

Holidays is an anthropology film of eight bone-chilling stories that show the dark side of popular holidays and their iconic traditions, including Christmas. This movie also comes in the list of horror Christmas movies.

33. The Day of the Beast (1995)

IMDb

A heavy-metal fan and a psychic help a priest seek the infant Antichrist in Madrid at Christmas by committing as many sins as possible to avert his birth.

34. Secret Santa (2018)

IMDb

This is one of the best horror Christmas movies you will see so far. An unknown assailant spikes a family’s Christmas punch with a military-grade drug. This leaves them all fighting for their lives and to survive the night.

35. Christmas with the Dead (2012)

IMDb

Calvin, indifferent to the fact that it’s June and his family have transformed into zombies, is determined to fulfill his last wish by hosting the best Christmas ever, complete with the thrill of Best Christmas Horror Movies.

Have a freaky Christmas, everyone!

Featured Image: IMDb

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