Top Christmas Horror List – Ten More Movies to Add to Your Holiday Horror Watchlist

Posted on by Liz Griffiths

As the holiday season approaches, many people look forward to cozy evenings by the fireplace dipping into the eggnog, and singing the Christmas classics. But holiday-themed horror movies offer a delightfully chilling alternative for those who crave a darker twist to their seasonal celebrations. These films take the joy and nostalgia of the holidays and flip them into spine-tingling tales of terror, blending festive traditions with suspense, thrills, and sometimes a splash of dark humor. From sinister Santas to gruesome Grinches, we bring you tidings of terror with ten more movies to add to your holiday horror watchlist. To see our previous list of Christmas horror films, check it out here. 

There’s Something in the Barn (2023)

An American family fulfills their dream of moving back to their roots after inheriting a remote cabin in the mountains of Norway, but there’s a surprise waiting for them.

Few things are as inherently Christmassy as elves, but the elves in Magnus Martens’ There’s Something in the Barn are anything but jolly. Preteen Lucas and his family’s sudden move to Norway causes major upheaval but offers them a fresh start and a simple, quiet life away from California. Lucas’ teenage sister, Nora, struggles with being so far from her friends. Their stepmother, Carol, is trying to be supportive of her husband while still unsure about how to live her best holistic-wellness-guru life in Norway, and Bill, Lucas and Nora’s father, is just excited about his new life and mostly oblivious to the angst within his family. Their new life seems fairly uneventful other than a few awkward encounters with the locals. Still, when Lucas finds a Norwegian Barn Elf living in the old barn on their property, he has to learn to live by the Barn Elf’s rules and convince his family to do the same before they learn what happens when you don’t. While it’s more hilarious than horror, There’s Something in the Barn still has its share of jumpscares and gruesome deaths and is a great film for those looking for something a little lighter for the holidays.

For our full review of There’s Something in the Barn, click here.

Terrifier 3 (2024)

Art the Clown is set to unleash chaos on the unsuspecting residents of Miles County as they peacefully drift off to sleep on Christmas Eve.

Of course, we had to include the newest installment in Damien Leone’s Terrifier series. Taking place several years after the events of Terrifier 2, the film follows Sienna (Lauren LaVera) and her family as they try to move past the trauma inflicted upon them by Art the Clown and embrace the holiday spirit, having defeated Art once and for all in a horrifying showdown that ended with the clown’s brutal decapitation. Of course, Art isn’t as far gone as they’d like to believe and soon he’s back to his usual clowny hijinx, this time in the guise of Santa Claus himself, with the help of a familiar character from the original Terrifier. Featuring the trademark blood and gore we’ve come to expect from the Terrifier films, as well as a few new and disturbing surprises, this film is a must-watch for fans of the series or for anyone who loves over-the-top gore. If that alone isn’t enough incentive to give it a watch, the fact thatTerrifier 3 currently holds the title of the highest-grossing unrated film of all time might just convince you.

The Lodge (2019)

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.

The Lodge is a 2019 psychological horror film that delves into the themes of isolation, trauma, and guilt. Directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, the film follows a blended family of four on their trip out to a remote cabin to spend Christmas together. When the children’s father is unexpectedly called into work, Aiden and Mia are forced to spend time alone at the lodge with their soon-to-be stepmother, Grace. When the children rebuff Grace’s attempts to create a connection with them, it becomes clear that Aiden and Mia do not approve of their father’s plan to marry Grace. The sole survivor of an extremist cult’s mass suicide, Grace is already struggling with her own demons and as her mental health quickly begins to decline, the trio find themselves engulfed in paranoia and distrust. As Grace unravels, the line between reality and delusion starts to blur, and things only get more strange and bleak at the lodge as time passes. While not the most merry film, The Lodge brings plenty of psychological torment and a gripping climax and is a film that will stay with you long after it ends.

Black Christmas (2019)

A group of female students is stalked by a stranger during their Christmas break. That is until the young sorority pledges discover that the killer is part of an underground college conspiracy.

Black Christmas is a film that’s premise was so popular, it has been remade several times. Originally made in 1974, the film was remade in 2006 and then again in 2019, though the 2019 version is more of a loose remake than a scene-for-scene recreation. 2019’s Black Christmas offers a modern twist on the classic slasher formula, blending horror with social commentary. Directed by Sophia Takal, the film is set at Hawthorne College during the holiday season, and follows a group of sorority sisters—Riley, Kris, Marty, and Jesse—who become the targets of a masked killer stalking their campus. As the women fight for survival, they uncover a sinister conspiracy tied to the college’s patriarchal traditions and most notorious fraternity. The film takes traditional slasher elements and adds themes of feminism and empowerment as the women are forced to confront both their attackers and the oppressive forces behind them.

The Mean One (2022)

In a sleepy mountain town, Cindy’s parents are murdered and her Christmas is stolen by a bloodthirsty green figure in a red Santa suit.

The Mean One (2022) is a satirical horror twist on the classic Dr. Seuss story How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The film follows Cindy You-Know-Who, who has returned to her hometown 20 years after a traumatic Christmas tragedy where her parents were murdered by a green-skinned, Santa-suit-wearing monster known as “The Mean One.” When the creature resumes its holiday reign of terror, Cindy opts to fight back, vowing to stop the sadistic and bloodthirsty Grinch-esque killer and save Christmas for the town of Newville. Fans of the Terrifier films might recognize David Howard Thornton, most known for his portrayal of Art the Clown, as the titular “Mean One,” starring opposite Krystle Martin as Cindy. Directed by Steven LaMorte, the film blends dark humor, gore, and festive-themed horror in a parody that subverts Dr. Seuss’ beloved holiday tale with something a bit more sinister.

Dead Snow (2009)

A ski vacation turns horrific for a group of medical students, as they find themselves confronted by an unimaginable menace: Nazi zombies.

While not technically a Christmas movie, Dead Snow has enough snow, skiing, and festivity to tick all the boxes. A Norwegian horror-comedy, the film follows a group of university students on their winter vacation at a remote cabin in the mountains, where they plan to ski, party, and let loose after a tough semester at medical school. However, their fun getaway quickly turns into a nightmare when they accidentally awaken a horde of angry Nazi zombies hellbent on bloodshed. That’s right, Nazi zombies. As the undead unearth themselves from their snowy graves and begin to brutalize the group, the students are forced to take action, fighting off the zombies with nothing more than improvised weapons, cunning, and sheer determination. Filled with gore galore and plenty of dark humor, Dead Snow brings a fresh twist to the zombie genre and remains a cult classic among fans of the undead.

Just in case Dead Snow doesn’t fully quench your thirst for seeing Nazi zombies being absolutely obliterated, it has a sequel, Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead, released in 2014.

Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022)

It’s Christmas Eve and Tori just wants to get drunk and party, but when a robotic Santa Claus at a nearby toy store goes haywire and begins a rampant killing spree through her small town, she’s forced into a battle for survival.

If you’re looking for a holiday film that features an evil robotic Santa Claus, look no further, because 2022’s Christmas Bloody Christmas does just that. Tori, a record store owner in a stagnant small town, closes up her store on Christmas Eve and joins her coworker and several friends at a local bar for a few drinks. What starts as a fun night quickly turns into a nightmare when a rogue animatronic Santa from a nearby toy store begins slaying everyone in its path before setting its sights on Tori. As the robotic Santa wreaks havoc on the town, Tori must fight for her survival against the relentless machine. With a retro aesthetic, tons of sex and violence, and plenty of malfunctioning robot murder, this film has the feel of something straight out of the 1980s, when evil robots and grindhouse gore were at peak popularity. Heavy on nostalgia, festive chaos, and over-the-top brutality, Christmas Bloody Christmas delivers a bloody twist on holiday traditions and is sure to become a favorite in the Christmas rotation.

ATM (2012)

On a late-night visit to an ATM, three co-workers end up in a desperate fight for their lives when they become trapped by an unknown man.

ATM is a 2012 psychological horror film about three coworkers, David, Emily, and Corey, who make a late-night stop at an isolated ATM booth after their office’s Christmas party. This seemingly mundane errand turns into a terrifying ordeal when a mysterious hooded figure traps them inside the booth and begins to terrorize them. As minutes turn to hours trapped inside the booth, the three begin to get more and more desperate to escape, trying everything they can to get out or at least attract the attention of passersby. The hooded figure, meanwhile, becomes more and more brutal as the night goes on and, though his motive isn’t clear, it’s obvious that he doesn’t plan on letting his captives get away easily. While not as gory as many of the movies on this list, ATM finds more subtle ways to get inside viewers’ heads and leave them feeling unsettled. Tense and claustrophobic, the film explores the characters’ fear, paranoia, and isolation, and creates a feeling of true helplessness in watching the trio fight for their freedom and their lives.

The Advent Calendar (2021)

Eva is a paraplegic. On her birthday, her friend Sophie gives her a strange Advent calendar. It’s not the traditional treats you find when you open each drawer, but quirky gifts that are scary and get bloodier.

When sitting down to watch a movie about a cursed advent calendar, one might expect something cheesy, gimmicky, or altogether tacky, but this film is nothing of the sort. A highly rated French/Belgian horror film, The Advent Calendar mixes psychological horror with elements of dark fantasy to create something truly unique and grotesquely enchanting. When Eva, a paraplegic former dancer, is gifted a wooden advent calendar, she is thrust into something deeper and more terrifying than she could ever have imagined. Behind each door of the calendar lies either a treat or a task that comes with supernatural consequences. The calendar offers Eva the chance to walk again but at an increasingly devastating cost and as the sinister nature of the calendar unfolds, Eva must decide how far she’s willing to go to reclaim her old life. Shockingly violent yet visually beautiful, The Advent Calendar brings to light the heartbreaking difficulty that comes with being disabled in an ableist society and the drastic lengths one will go to regain their power. Bleak and unflinching, this film may not exactly be steeped in Christmas spirit, but it has a very real sense of horror that forces viewers to think about the world we live in and the things we would do to feel whole again. 

Better Watch Out (2016)

On a quiet suburban street, a babysitter must defend a twelve-year-old boy from intruders, only to discover it’s far from a normal home invasion.

2016’s Better Watch Out is a fast-paced blend of horror and absurdity, making it one of the most entertaining Christmas films in recent years. Set around Christmas, the film opens on preteen Luke and his 17-year-old babysitter Ashley home alone watching horror movies when an intruder breaks into the home and begins terrorizing them. Things quickly escalate and it isn’t long before someone winds up dead. Sound a bit tropey? While you may think you know exactly where this film is going, you absolutely don’t. The cinematography really gives the film a Christmassy feel despite the, at times, gratuitous bloodshed, and the acting hits just the right balance between intense and over-the-top. Levi Miller shines as the precocious and somewhat angsty Luke, and Ed Oxenbould’s Garrett creates a balance by offering much-needed comic relief. Equal parts brutal and hilarious, Better Watch Out is a great story that is brilliantly executed, no pun intended. 

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