It might be Friday the 13th, but Jason Vorhees and Camp Crystal Lake are likely far from mind, mainly because it’s mid-December, deep into the holiday season where gift buying, tree decorating and cookie baking occupy free time.
But luckily for horror hounds, tinsel hung with care doesn’t mean the absence of scares.
When it comes to serial-killing snowmen (Jack Frost), criminal Christmas trees (Treevenge), killer cookies (The Gingerbread Man) and sadistic Santas (Saint), there are enough holiday-themed horror movies to fill all 12 days of Christmas, 25 days of advent and beyond. Even kid-friendly options exist (The Nightmare Before Christmas).
On this Friday the 13th, consider grabbing a glass of eggnog or mug of hot chocolate, settling in under a warm blanket and tuning into one the following chilling tales available on both big and small screens.
Warning: Many of the movies included in this article are R-rated and not suitable for younger or sensitive viewers. The trailers below also may contain disturbing images and subject matters.
If you’re looking for a night out at the cinema, a remake of the horror classic Black Christmas is scheduled to premier this Friday the 13th at theaters in the Harrisburg region and across the country.
This year’s Black Christmas stars Imogen Poots (Green Room) and Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride) and will feature a cast of young women playing sorority sisters, who are trying to survive a night on campus where a serial killer skulks, likely delivering at least some holiday-themed violence and seasonal scares.
From the officials synopsis:
“Hawthorne College is quieting down for the holidays. But as Riley Stone and her Mu Kappa Epsilon sisters — athlete Marty, rebel Kris, and foodie Jesse — prepare to deck the halls with a series of seasonal parties, a black-masked stalker begins killing sorority women one by one.”
Watch the trailer below:
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Whether it’s due to winter weather, a seasonal cold or plummeting temperatures, maybe not everyone will be up for a night out on the town, and thanks to internet access and high-definition TV’s they won’t have to leave home to partake in macabre merriment.
That’s true with seasonal scares streaming on services like Amazon Prime, Hulu and Netflix and many of them also available on Blu-ray and DVD.
Below is a list of holiday horror flicks worthy of a watch, as well as information about where they can be streamed:
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Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)
In what could be described as High School Musical meets Shaun of the Dead, Anna and the Apocalypse is a Christmas-set horror-comedy, which takes place in the small English town of Little Haven.
There, townspeople, including teenager Anna, must contend with both a zombie apocalypse and the pressures of high school.
That includes battling ghouls gussied up in holiday garb while breaking occasionally for song and dance numbers.
Rating: R
Where to watch: Amazon Prime, Hulu
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Red Christmas (2016)
A Christmas-set slasher film, Red Christmas takes place in the rural Australian countryside, where a dysfunctional family gathers to celebrate the holiday.
But their gathering ends up being anything but celebratory. Amid the bickering and personal attacks the family members inflict upon one another, a cloaked stranger arrives at their home’s front door.
Originally believed to be nothing more than a poor vagabond, he is invited inside, but that proves to be a fatal decision as the man’s true identity is revealed.
This movie deals heavily with abortion, so if that’s a topic you’re sensitive to, you may want to skip it.
Rating: R
Where to watch: Netflix
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Krampus (2015)
Krampus also employs the dysfunctional family trope, but this time, the setting is suburban America. It’s there that a Christmas-loving son of suburban parents loses his holiday spirit after a scuffle with visiting out-of-town relatives.
That loss of spirit triggers a blizzard and, with it, a visit from Krampus, the demon of European folklore, a foil to Santa Claus who deals out punishments instead of presents.
And by the horned demon’s side is a collection of minions — evil elves, a murderous Jack-in-the-box and even killer gingerbread men.
Rating: PG-13
Where to watch: Rent on YouTube
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Christmas Evil (1980)
In yet another yuletide slasher flick, Christmas-loving Harry, only a child, sneaks downstairs on Christmas Eve to get a peak at Santa working beneath the tree. Instead, he’s greeted with a reality that’s hard for him to accept, one that traumatizes him, warping his sense of naughty or nice.
It’s a warped reality that comes back into play as adult Harry, a foreman at a toy manufacturing company, loses his cool when he is disrespected by coworkers.
That’s when he dons a Santa costumes, and takes to the streets meting out punishments to those on his naughty list with and ax and other sharp objects in hand.
Rating: R
Where to watch: Shudder
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A Christmas Horror Story (2015)
Krampus makes an appearance in this one, too, but this time the horned demon is doing battle with a weapon-wielding Santa, who’s working to rid the North Pole of evil on Christmas Eve, encountering zombie elves and an undead Mrs. Claus along the way.
That’s just one of four tales included in this horror anthology, which also features a ghost story, more European folklore and a rude and unappreciative family punished for their misdeeds.
All of those tales are connected with a through-line: Star Trek’s William Shatner in the role of Christmas-loving radio personality Dangerous Dan, who is left broadcasting as the terror unfolds.
Rating: Not rated
Where to watch: Shudder
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Black Christmas (1974)
One of the earliest — if not the first — Christmas-themed horror films to make it to the mainstream, the original Black Christmas takes viewers to a sorority house, where a group of college-aged woman are preparing for their winter break.
Amid drinking parties, foul-mouthed antics and holiday celebration, the young women begin receiving disturbing calls from a man, who they initially blow off as a harmless prankster just looking to get his kicks.
However, when women start to go missing, the sorority sisters quickly learn they are dealing with a serial killer, one that is much closer to home than they’d like to believe.
Rating: R
Where to watch: Amazon Prime, Shudder
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Rare Exports (2010)
As an English research group conducts experimental drilling in rural Finland, they make a once-in-a-life-time discovery, but it’s not one of science. It’s the stuff of folklore — the real Santa Claus, who is anything but holly-jolly.
This foreign-language film unfolds as the rural residents, who live near the drilling site, attempt to protect their reindeer herds, and themselves, while fending off the hoards of evil elves.
No spoilers, but this horror-fantasy culminates with one of the great twist endings of all time.
Rating: R
Where to watch: Amazon Prime, Hulu
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Gremlins (1984)
At the center of this semi-frightful fable is a father’s early Christmas gift to his son. The small box, wrapped with festive paper and tied with a bow, may seem ordinary, but what’s inside is far from normal. It’s a cute, furry pet called a mogwai.
And it comes with a set of rules — rules that the son, Billy, fails to follow despite good intentions.
This morality tale about responsibility, eventually devolves into a struggle for survival, as residents of an American suburb are left to fend off a group of murderous, scaly, reptilian gremlins amid holiday lights.
Rating: PG
Where to watch: Rent on YouTube
And if you’re planning an evening at home and happen to be a subscriber to the all-horror streaming service Shudder, you can tune in at 9 p.m. Friday to watch as celebrated horror host Joe Bob Briggs presents a triple feature of festive frights in this year’s The Last Drive-In Red Christmas special.
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