
When people think about the holiday season, there are several things that immediately come to mind. Jingle bells, Christmas lights, snow, Rudolph, and Santa Claus, but the big man dressed in red as a vigilante probably isn’t high on that list.
In Violent Night, released in theaters on December 2nd, David Harbour stars as Santa Claus who comes to save the day when a group of mercenaries break into a wealthy estate and holds everyone inside hostage. What then follows is a dark comedic thrill ride filled with blood and gore letting viewers know this isn’t the Santa know of childhood lore.
For years, the holidays and horror have been combined to give the most wonderful time of the year a frightening spin. Many are straight slasher films, and some have a more subtle pace of being scary. As someone who loves horror films and the holiday season, these types of films are my favorite, so if you’re like me, below are 8 horror films with a holiday twist you can watch right now on streaming services to get you in a horrifying holiday spirit.
A Nasty Piece of Work (2019)
Who’s in it: Molly Hagan, Natalie Hall, Kyle Howard, Julian Sands, Dustin Milligan, Angela Sarafyan, Nico Greetham
Synopsis: “The boss of a private equity company invites a couple of his employees over to a Christmas party that turns out to be an intense competition for a promotion.”
Where to watch: Hulu
Black Christmas (2006)
Who’s in it: Michelle Trachtenberg, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Lacey Chabert, Kristen Cloke, Katie Cassidy, Andrea Martin, Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe, Oliver Hudson, Karin Konoval
Synopsis: “On Christmas Eve, an escaped maniac returns to his childhood home, which is now a sorority house, and begins to murder the sorority sisters one by one.”
Where to watch: Amazon Freevee, Hulu, Pluto TV, Starz, Tubi
Krampus (2015)
Who’s in it: Emjay Anthony, Adam Scott, Toni Collette, StefaniaLaVie Owen, Krista Stadler, Conchata Ferrell, Allison Tolman, David Koechner
Synopsis: “A boy who has a bad Christmas accidentally summons a festive demon to his family home.”
Where to watch: Peacock, Bravo Now
Silent Night (2021)
Who’s in it: Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Roman Griffin Davis, Annabelle Wallis, Lily-Rose Depp, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Sope Dirisu, Lucy Punch, Rufus Jones, Davida McKenzie
Synopsis: “Nell, Simon, and their son Art are ready to welcome friends and family for what promises to be a perfect Christmas gathering. Perfect except for one thing: everyone is going to die.”
Where to watch: AMC+
Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)
Who’s in it: Ella Hunt, Malcolm Cumming, Sarah Swire, Christopher Leveaux, Marli Siu, Ben Wiggins, Mark Benton, Paul Kaye
Synopsis: “A zombie apocalypse threatens the sleepy town of Little Haven – at Christmas – forcing Anna and her friends to fight, slash and sing their way to survival, facing the undead in a desperate race to reach their loved ones. But they soon discover that no one is safe in this new world, and with civilization falling apart around them, the only people they can truly rely on are each other.”
Where to watch: AMC+, Pluto TV, Tubi
The Lodge (2019)
Who’s in it: Riley Keough, Jaeden Martell, Lia McHugh, Richard Armitage, Alicia Silverstone, Danny Keough
Synopsis: “A soon-to-be stepmom is snowed in with her fiancé’s two children at a remote holiday village. Just as relations begin to thaw between the trio, some strange and frightening events take place.”
Where to watch: Hulu
Hosts (2020)
Who’s in it: Neal Ward, Frank Jakeman, Samantha Loxley, Jennifer K Preston, Lee Hunter, Nadia Lamin, Buddy Skelton
Synopsis: “A family invite their neighbours over for Christmas dinner with disastrous consequences.”
Where to watch: AMC+, Amazon Freevee, Plex, Tubi
Dead End (2003)
Who’s in it: Ray Wise, Lin Shaye, Mick Cain, Alexandra Holden, William Rosenfeld, Amber Smith
Synopsis: “Christmas Eve. On his way to his in-laws with his family, Frank Harrington decides to try a shortcut, for the first time in 20 years. It turns out to be the biggest mistake of his life.”
Where to watch: Amazon Freevee, Plex, Tubi
Which holiday horror films are your favorite?
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Amber Dover is a multimedia journalist with over a decade writing about pop culture. Cat mom with a deep love of horror, you can follow Amber at @Glambergirlblog on Instagram and Twitter.
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