We wish you a scary Christmas (and a gory New Year)! Horror fans enjoy a new bevy of Halloween-themed horror movies every October. When November rolls around, many of us aren't ready for our morbid form of merriment to end; and it's this void, perhaps, that's created a market for Christmas-themed horror movies. Sure, we've been seeing them sporadically since 1972's Black Christmas, but there's definitely been a surge in recent years. Whereas there used to be a few Christmas-themed genre flicks to pick from every year, there are now dozens of options for the holiday horror-seeker. These are 10 of our favorites.

10 Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022)

While it may have gotten overshadowed by the contemporaneous release of David Harbour's Violent Night, Joe Begos' Christmas Bloody Christmas is the much more fun and seasonal film, and the real horror movie. Before Five Nights at Freddy's hit the box office, this film featured a truly nasty animatronic Santa Claus that goes on a brutal rampage through a small town, and the only one who can stop it is a kickass record store owner. Well, kinda.

Riley Dandy Deserves an Incredible Career

Riley Dandy stars as Tori Tooms, the profane and fun record store owner whose dating life gets interrupted by evil robot Santa. She's perfect here as a funny, rather random woman who becomes the Laurie Strode to Robot Santa's Michael Myers. It's a great performance in a truly colorful, downright psychotic Christmas movie. Stream with AMC+ or rent or buy through Prime Video and purchase on other digital platforms.

9 Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)

Michael Dougherty's Krampus isn't the first big-budget film to feature the titular folkloric Anti-Santa; that honor goes to 2010's Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale. The fact that it's a foreign-language movie out of Finland explains why it never hit many horror fans' radars, but it's worth noting that Krampus is never actually named in Rare Exports, so American audiences will actually benefit from having seen Dougherty's Krampus first. The movie follows a father and son and their local community after the drilling of a research expedition unleashes an ancient Christmas evil.

While both this film and Krampus address family conflict through the fantastical and comedic lense of a Christmas story, Rare Exports is a much darker exploration of dysfunction and depression. But it is A Christmas Tale, after all, so expect to be left smiling with demented Christmas cheer after watching legions of old-man-demon-elves try to kill our protagonists. Rare Exports will also change the way you look at every Mall Santa moving forward. Watch Rare Exports for free on Tubi, Peacock, Pluto TV, or Redbox, and stream on AMC+, or rent or buy on digital platforms. And if you love the action in this film, check out our video list of great Christmas-themed action movies:

8 The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

The only entry on this list suitable for the entire family is The Nightmare Before Christmas. There's a chance extremely sensitive tykes might get spooked by the Oogie Boogie, but the jovial spirit of the film, not to mention the fact that it's a musical, makes it nearly universal. And the amazing thing is, The Nightmare Before Christmas gets love from even the most black-hearted of horror fans. There's something for everyone with this madcap ensemble of far-out characters, from the familiar to the outlandish, in a story about the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town and his desire to take over Christmas.

A Stop-Motion Animated Classic

The Nightmare Before Christmas has become a cult classic with annual screenings, and even live orchestra events at The Hollywood Bowl. 50 years from now, kids will probably still be watching it the same way Gen Xers watched Snoopy and the Grinch. Henry Selick is a stop-motion animation genius, and this may be his best film. Stream this on Disney+ or rent or buy it on any other digital platform.

7 Better Watch Out (2017)

A 17-year-old babysitter (Olivia DeJonge) watches over 12-year-old Luke (Levi Miller) at Christmastime when they begin to suspect that someone is trying to get into the house and hurt them. Things turn very dark in Better Watch Out, a real nasty piece of work that's perfect for fans of dark horror thrillers.

This Is No Home Alone

The trailers for Better Watch Out made it look like a Home Alone rehash, but no. Those who flocked to Netflix when the film hit the streaming giant were probably, in many cases, unprepared for the depravity contained within. Firstly, this is not a Christmas rehash of Home Alone upgraded for the 21st Century; Better Watch Out takes a few truly unexpected turns, and our hearts sinks deeper every time. Don't be fooled by the teenage cast members or comic undertones. Eventually, the holiday backdrop becomes maudlin when juxtaposed against considerable, realistic-looking violence and intense suspense. Watch for free on Tubi, PLEX, or Pluto TV, stream through Peacock or Prime Video, or rent or buy on any digital platform.

6 The Children (2009)

The Children is possibly the only entry on this list more twisted than Better Watch Out. That's because children, parenthood, and everything between them can often be nightmarish or trigger anxiety. Especially when groups of hyperactive (and hyper-sensitive) youngsters congregate for family shindigs during the holidays. But this is more than just tummy-aches and tempter tantrums; something is seriously wrong with The Children. Not to be confused with the 1980 classic, this British film follows kids during Christmas vacation who develop a bacterial illness which makes them homicidal.

An Underrated and Mysterious Holiday Horror

This film is an amazing example of conveying maximum terror with limited reveals, but even though we don't see a lot in The Children, we're sickened by what unfolds. The ending hits like a gut punch, and you might even feel like you need to take a shower. You can stream The Children for free on Tubi, PLEX, Prime Video, and Vudu, or rent or buy it on any digital platform.

5 Slay Belles (2018)

We saw Santa engage in a violent battle royale with Krampus in A Christmas Horror Story (2015) and Mr. Claus (David Harbour) beat mercenaries to death in Violent Night (2022), but Slay Belles does something truly unique. Three YouTube starlets team up with Kris Kringle to battle Krampus in an abandoned amusement park. But this time, the mythological opposites are revealed to be two halves of the same being. In other words: You can't kill Krampus without killing Santa, a creative and entertaining conundrum that brings to mind yin-and-yang, or even Gnostic themes.

Redesigning the Santa Claus Mythology

Before it's over, Slay Belles completely re-writes and established Old World and New World folklore alike. Plus, it introduces "The Adventure Girls," a trio who deserve another film (whether Santa is involved or not). Plus, the film includes an incredible performance from Barry Bostwick (Brad from The Rocky Horror Picture Show), who absolutely elevates Slay Belles as a version of Santa you'll never forget. You can stream Slay Belles for free on Tubi, PLEX, Prime Video, and Vudu, or rent or buy it on any digital platform.

4 Krampus (2015)

In 2015, Michael Dougherty took centuries of European folklore, added a few creative innovations, and introduced Americans to Krampus. The dark horror comedy has an incredible cast (Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, Allison Tolman, Conchata Ferrell, Emjay Anthony, Stefania LaVie Owen) and does a wonderful job of linking an obnoxiously dysfunctional family with the mythical Anti-Santa, Krampus.

Krampus Craze!

We can thank the Godzilla: King of the Monsters director for the Krampus Craze that followed: Krampus wrapping paper, Krampus on a Shelf, Krampus Christmas tree ornaments, Ugly Krampus sweaters, etc. Now firmly entrenched in the zeitgeist, later filmmakers have benefited from Dougherty's crash course in Krampus, as the fiend has been a reoccurring character in Christmas-themed horror movies ever since. Krampus is streaming on Peacock and Hulu, and you can rent or buy it on other digital platforms. If you're looking for other great Christmas movies with excellent casts, check out our video list below:

3 Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)

That the events of Black Christmas transpired during the holiday is almost incidental (though the fact that the sorority house was mostly empty during the school break definitely made it easier for the killer to maneuver undetected). It was Silent Night, Deadly Night that first turned Santa Claus into a psychopathic villain, leaving permanent bloodstains on St. Nick's squeaky-clean image.

Low-Budget, Historically Important

Production-wise, Silent Night, Deadly Night doesn't hold up as well as other entries on this list, but in terms of historically relevant Christmas-themed horror movies, it's a must-watch. It's not to be confused with Silent Night, Bloody Night from 1972, which likely is the first Christmas horror film, predating Black Christmas by two years. The movie is streaming for free on Sling TV and you can rent or buy it on other digital platforms.

Related: The Darkest Depictions of Santa Claus in Film

2 Gremlins (1984)

Who doesn't love Gremlins? Released the same year as Silent Night, Deadly Night, it's definitely a superior film with creature effects that still hold up to scrutiny in the 21st Century. The Amblin-style fantasy horror comedy inspired a generation to be sure and carefully read directions... The film follows a young man who receives a Mogwai Christmas present but doesn't realize the horror which will ensue from this pet if he doesn't follow instructions.

A Christmas Horror Comedy That Shouldn't Have Been PG

Just before the PG-13 rating was invented, Gremlins literally scared the hell out of hordes of youngsters who were lured into theaters by images of a cute little Mogwai. In case you don't remember how hardcore it was (or perhaps suppressed the traumatic memories), people quite literally die in Gremlins. Sure, we had moments of comic relief (a theater full of hideous homunculi enchanted by the Seven Dwarves, singing "High Ho," is cinematic gold)2, but Gremlins was seriously suspenseful and pretty damn violent to boot. The best thing about Gremlins, though, is that it can be enjoyed any time of year! Gremlins is streaming on Max and you can rent or buy it on any digital platform.

1 Black Christmas (1974)

1974's Black Christmas doesn't just deserve credit for triggering the torrent of holiday-themed horror movies that have become commonplace; it actually established many prominent slasher tropes that would dominate the 1980s. If you've never seen Black Christmas, you might be surprised to see many of the techniques John Carpenter would later employ in Halloween: The long tracking shots, the use of light and shadow, and the opaque nature of a mentally unhinged psychopath are just some examples.

The Classic Is Coming from Inside the House

The film about a serial killer stalking a sorority house invented a lot of other tropes as well, including 'the call is coming from inside the house' cliché, which is used to brilliant cinematic effect here. Black Christmas faced intense backlash when it was release, so if the fact Bob Clark would go on to direct the family-friendly staple A Christmas Story isn't an example of irony, we don't know what is. Black Christmas is streaming free pretty much everywhere, including Tubi, Prime Video, Pluto TV, Peacock, and YouTube. And if you're looking for more winter-themed horror films, check out our video list below: