The 23 Best Christmas Horror Movies to Completely Demolish Your Holiday Spirit

Cosmopolitan said Sure, kids are cute and all, but how do we realllly know what their imaginative lil brains are up to? They could turn on you during Christmas vacation in an ~isolated~ country home and try to kill you, like in this freaky horror flick from 2008.

Cosmopolitan said A zombie apocalypse...on Christmas...honestly, at the rate 2020 is going, I wouldn't be surprised if this were on the docket for us this year.

Cosmopolitan said If you're in the mood for some '80s goodness, then queue up this masterpiece about a toy-factory employee who has a nervous breakdown and starts murdering people—on Christmas, duh—thanks in part because learning that Santa isn't real scarred him as a child.

Cosmopolitan said Originally a Dutch film entitled Sint, this movie is based on the real story of a 15th-century gang led by former bishop Niklas.

Cosmopolitan said Legit real-life cookie monster (made from the ashes of a serial killer, natch) seeks revenge in a small Texas town. Half slasher, half comedy, 100% bizarre.

Cosmopolitan said A classic father-asks-his-daughters-to-kill-his-new-wife-because-he-thinks-she's-poisoning-him tale. Nothing like going home for the holidays in the '70s, amirite?

Cosmopolitan said I've always wondered what kind of phone calls the police receive on Christmas Eve—if I were to guess, probs a lot of family drama. But I've never really considered what would happen if someone walked into a police station the night before Christmas to confess to multiple murders...

Cosmopolitan said Riffing on the classic Clement Clarke Moore poem, this movie delivers a major plot twist―what if, on Christmas Eve, all the most terrifying creatures were let loose to make one hell of a bloody stir?!

Cosmopolitan said Obviously, a freaky goat is way worse than receiving a useful-if-environmentally-unsustainable source of fuel in your stocking, so they made a horror movie about it.

Cosmopolitan said The moral of the story here is that you should never buy a gift that comes with the warning "don't feed after midnight."

Cosmopolitan said Black Christmas has the impressive distinction of being both a holiday horror movie and a sorority horror movie.

Cosmopolitan said Fine, fine, this is not technically a horror movie, but I'm sure a vast number of '90s children can vouch for getting dragged out of the movie theater screaming because their parents underestimated the fright factor of a talking skeleton.

Cosmopolitan said There are at least four movies called Jack Frost, but for the purposes of getting scared on Christmas, you'll want the 1997 edition. That one is about a serial killer named Jack Frost who turns into a snowman and goes on a murder spree in a town called Snowmonton.

Cosmopolitan said The most recent movie on this list, Better Watch Out stars Stranger Things actor Dacre Montgomery, so if you're not sure if this tale of Christmas babysitting gone wrong is right for you, allow Billy's mullet to convince you.

Cosmopolitan said The tagline here should be enough to sell this one: "They're not working for Santa...anymore."

Cosmopolitan said This movie asks the simple question: What would happen if Santa Claus was actually the spawn of Satan? The answer—spoiler alert—is, ya know, lots of awful death and stuff.

Cosmopolitan said Not be confused with the 2014 Santa Claws, which has something to do with Father Christmas being allergic to cats, the 1996 movie is about a guy who dresses up as Santa and murders people with a claw, as ya do.

Cosmopolitan said Released in 2015, A Christmas Horror Story is actually made up of four separate stories, including one where all of Santa's elves turn into zombies and another where Krampus (him again!) goes on a killing spree. Don't you wish you were still worried about the coal?

Cosmopolitan said repare to be haunted by Brenda Lee’s classic, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” well after the credits roll.

Cosmopolitan said Due to the controversial premise of the film, Silent Night, Deadly Night was pulled just one week after its release. The movie has since gained a cult following. If you must, there are four sequels in the franchise.

Cosmopolitan said In his review of the film, Roger Ebert called Rare Exports “a rather brilliant lump of coal for your stocking hung by the fireside with care.”

Cosmopolitan said Ray Wise, best known for playing Leland Palmer on Twin Peaks, is Frank, a father who has the nightmare of drives on Christmas Eve in this French-made movie.

Cosmopolitan said Feel free to watch this 87-minute movie while folding laundry and declining texts to the next Zoom Christmas party.