With the holiday season just around the corner, here are top ten Christmas films to get horror fans in the holiday spirit, spoiler free of course.

1. Terrifier 3 (2024)

Set during both the days leading up to Christmas, and Christmas Eve night itself, the silent charismatic killer, Art the Clown, shows what it takes to truly get into the holiday spirit. With unique storytelling and intense gruesome kills, Terriffer 3 is for anyone who’s brave enough to explore the darker side of cinema. 

2. Krampus (2015)

When a dysfunctional family’s Christmas toxicity causes a young boy to lose his holiday spirit, something ancient answers his despair. Accidentally summoning Krampus, the long horned, European folklore who punishes the faithless without any remorse. As the Engel household is hunted by this sinister beast and its twisted minions, the family is forced to do the one thing they’re terrible at, coming together.

3. Silent Night Deadly Night (1984)

After witnessing his parents’ brutal Christmas Eve murder at the hands of a killer dressed as Santa, a young boy grows up traumatized. Years later, forced into a Santa suit himself, his buried trauma and years of abuse at a Catholic orphanage transform him, unleashing a violent holiday rampage where no one is safe. 

4. Tales of the Crypt: And All Through The House (1989)

With a mentally insane escapee on a killing spree and a wife with evil intentions for a lump sum of money, this episode follows a mothers worst nightmare. Faced to witness what could be the last Christmas with her daughter, this short unsettling 22 minute episode leaves viewers not only feeling frightened but appalled at what might happen on a quite snowy Christmas Eve night. 

5. Gremlins (1984)

After receiving what looked to be a cute warm fuzzy pet on the outside changed drastically when strict instructions weren’t properly followed, turning what was supposed to be a beautiful gift, into a never ending nightmare. This ‘80s classic horror film leaves viewers experiencing true nostalgia with every minute. But viewers must remember, unlike Santa making pitstops for cookie fuel, the Mogwai must never be fed after midnight. 

6. A Christmas Horror Story (2015)

With four Christmas horror stories in one, this film’s twists and turns leaves viewers on the edge of their seats unable to predict what happens next as they have no other choice but to embrace old sinister European folklore, tortured spirits, deranged zombie elves, and a monstrous long horned half-goat and half-demon figure known as Krampus. This film is for anyone needing a smorgasbord of different horror entities in one. 

7. Black Christmas (1974)

Following a group of sorority sisters during Christmas break, their holiday spirit is cut short when a series of disturbing, threatening phone calls shatters the silence. As the calls escalate and sisters begin to vanish without a trace, the police are left with nothing, except one chilling truth. The answers aren’t outside the house…but right where it all started.

8. Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)

For horror fans who don’t get scared easily when it comes to subtitles, this dark Finnish Christmas film is a must watch. Children disappearing, animals mutilated, and something ancient stirring beneath the ice after an excavation crew digs too deep-this horror film doesn’t just blend myth and atmosphere, but puts pure dread into a Christmas story that will never be forgotten.

9. Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022)

Unlike other Santa’s in films, this one isn’t magical—he’s mechanical. A robotic Santa from a nearby toy store with a malfunctioning hard drive turns it into an unstoppable killing machine. With no flesh, no feelings, and no pain to slow it down, this rampaging Santa leaves nothing but destruction in its path. For the first time in her life, a record-store owner with relationship problems finds herself facing something far worse than bad online dating. The question is… can she survive a Santa that never stops coming?

10. The Gingerdead Man (2005)

Ever wonder what happens when a killer’s ashes gets mixed into a batch of freshly baked gingerbread cookies? Similar to the corny 1993 film “Leprechaun” with its comedic approach and unique on screen kills, The Gingerdead Man is for anyone who has a strong enough sweet tooth to enjoy.