Christmas horror -the good and the bad!

So, Christmas is coming once again and it is a time for some good seasonal horror films. I know that it is time for some heartwarming movies too, but I am going to concentrate on some festive scares. Now, I have my favourites and then there are others that I like but don't love. So, let me begin with these frightful holiday movies which might delight or make you cringe...

Black Christmas

I am referring to the 1974 version, of course. The remakes are not for me. This classic slasher film is a fantastic watch. It is atmospheric, creepy and fun. There is a great cast, including John Saxon and Margot Kidder. The kills are all good. The premise is great. A killer in the attic is downright creepy and the noises coming from him make you uneasy. His calls to the sorority girls are horrible and the fact that he is calling from inside the house is definitely unsettling. This film is THE best Christmas horror film, in my opinion. It is my favourite Christmas horror movie of all time. So, if you haven't seen it, do so immediately. It won't disappoint!

Silent Night, Deadly Night

This 1984 film was controversial when it was released because of the content. It seems funny to us now, but people didn't like the idea of a killer Santa Claus. This film is quite mean, really. The beginning has a weird grandpa who tells his grandson , Billy, that Christmas Eve is the scariest night of the year. That is enough to warp any child but there is even more to come. Billy's parents are murdered by a psycho dressed as Santa Claus. Then he is thrown into an orphanage run by a horrible nun. She warps poor Billy even more. He ends up working at a toy store and he seems to be getting along well, but when he has to dress up as Santa for work, he snaps. This prompts him to go on a rampage. He just kills everyone. He loses it and goes to the orphanage to get the evil nun. His brother Ricky is still living there and he sees his brother. Billy dies and his brother seems to take up his cause. This film is dark in tone and definitely not feelgood. You can understand why Billy is a bit unbalanced but when he snaps, then he is full on psycho. There are some good kills and some great scenes. I really recommend this one. There were sequels, but most of them aren't good. Part two is worth a look, though.

Christmas Evil

Christmas Evil is a 1980 horror movie and you can tell from the title that it is another seasonal frightfest. This one has a man who decides to become Santa Claus and punish those who are bad.

This man is not respected by his work colleagues. He is resentful. It all comes to a head and he decides that is going to go around town killing those who he considers bad. He becomes more and more unhinged as he goes along and he ends up in a bad way at the end. It is a good offering for this time of year and I recommend it.  You could read into everything and come up with all sorts of meanings in the film, but I just like it because it's fun. 

Don't Open till Christmas

This 1984 British film is an interesting one. It is about a Santa serial killer who is making his way 

through London killing those he meets. A woman called Kate sees her father murdered by the killer and she tries to figure out who did it. A cop is on the case and he talks to Kate and they investigate. The movie is about Harris trying to catch the guy, who murders lots of people dressed as Santa. There are some good kills here and it is an interesting murder mystery story with a Christmas twist. The ending is fun and this will satisfy any horror fan.

To All A Goodnight

This slasher film from 1980 is about a killer Santa Claus at a finishing school. A group of girls and their boyfriends are staying there over the Christmas holidays and someone wants to kill all of them. It is directed by David Hess who you might remember from Last House on the Left and House at the Edge of the Park. He is a bad guy in movies but he does a good job here. It is a decent film despite bad reviews. I enjoyed it and I include it in my Christmas watchlist. If you enjoy a Santa slasher, then give it a try.

Christmas Bloody Christmas

Christmas Bloody Christmas is a recent Christmas horror movie. It is from 2022. I wasn't sure about it at first, but it is a good film. I really liked the idea of a robotic Santa Claus killing people. It is a fun movie about a woman and her friend who are terrorised by a defective robot Santa Claus. There is a lot of gore in this and the kills are pretty good. It is a rarity - a newer movie that I like. I  had to include it here. I definitely recommend adding this to your Christmas list. 

Now, I don't want to make this post too long, so I am going to break it into two parts. There are some other titles that I want to include and I will do so in the next post. In the meantime, have a look at these movies. There is something for every horror fan.