My Favorite Christmas Horror Movies

Everything You Need to Have a Scary Christmas

The older I get, the more Christmas loses its magic.

Don't get me wrong, I recognize how lucky I am to be given the privileged upbringing that I had. My siblings and I always had a pile of gifts waiting for us under the tree. We always had food to eat and family to celebrate with. This is more than many people get and I am very aware of that.

But even so, I find it hard to like Christmas as much as I did when I was younger.

As is the case with many autistic people, I struggle with all the added social expectations and niceties that come with the holiday season. Things like how to act politely when receiving gifts, knowing how much talk about my special interests is appropriate during family gatherings, and the anxiety I feel around correctly reading social cues.

Not only that, but my toxic habit of comparing myself to others seems to be at its strongest around the holidays. I see my cousins who are infinitely more successful than I am and I start to get down on myself, exasperating my feelings of being hopelessly behind in life.

Because of all of these factors, Christmas is far from my favorite time of year. This is why I tend to forgo traditional Christmas movies in favor of Christmas-themed horror movies.

I don't care much for sugary sweet, feel-good movies, I like my media to have a little bit of an edge to it, which is one of the reasons why traditional Christmas movies do not land with me.

In place of Elf and Frosty the Snowman, this is the time of year I spend revisiting my favorite Christmas-themed horror movies. Here are a few of my favorites,

Await Further Instructions (2018)

Await Further Instruction is a horror movie set during Christmas that ventures heavily into Sci-Fi territory.

It's difficult to describe the plot of this movie without giving away spoilers, so I will have to keep things vague.

On Christmas day, a dysfunctional family wakes up to find themself trapped indoors by a mysterious black substance that has encased their house. The only thing they have to guide them is a single glowing message on their TV screen: stay indoors and await further instructions.

If you are a fan of the Alien franchise or enjoy Lovecraft-type cosmic horror, I think this is one you will really enjoy

I Trapped The Devil (2019)

If you are looking for a demonic, psychological Christmas horror movie that will leave you guessing until the very end, I Trapped the Devil may be for you.

The story follows a paranoid man who has trapped what he believes to be The Devil Himself in his basement. When his family unexpectedly arrives to spend Christmas Eve with him, things take a dark turn.

This movie gives off such strong A24 vibes that I was legitimately surprised to find out that A24 had nothing to do with its production. So if you enjoy A24 horror movies such as Hereditary and The Witch, I would highly recommend giving I Trapped The Devil a Watch.

Misery (1990)

I'm cheating a bit here. Misery is not a Christmas movie nor is it explicitly set during Christmas, but given the snowy isolated setting, I think it is a perfect movie to watch during the Christmas season.

Adapted from the Stephen King novel of the same name, Misery follows a famed novelist who crashes his car in a blizzard while driving through Colorado. He is taken in by a fan of his books who tends to his injuries, But the care he receives quickly turns sinister.

This is one of my favorite Stephen King film adaptations, in no small part due to the phenomenal acting of Kathy Bates. Her portrayal of Annie Wikes sends a chill up my spine even after multiple viewings. If you are snowed in and want something to watch, I highly recommend Misery.

Black Christmas (1974)

There have been many squeals, remakes, and reboots of this classic slasher movie, But at least in my opinion, nothing compares to the original.

During their winter break, a group of college sorority girls begin to receive ominous phone calls from a mysterious stranger. When one of the sorority girls goes missing and a local teen is found murdered. It becomes clear that there is a serial killer in their mits

If you want a bit of classic slasher fun with a Christmas-themed twist, I highly recommend the original Black Christmas.

The Lodge (2019)

Another winter, isolation, heavily psychological horror. The Lodge is another great movie to watch on a cold winter night.

The Lodge follows a woman named Grace as she is left alone with her fiance's children in a snow-bound cabin in a remote mountain town. As time goes on, pieces of Grace's cult past come back to haunt both her and the children.

Yet another gem from A24, The Lodge is full of twists and turns and an absolutely unpredictable ending. It's the perfect Christmas watch for those who love thrillers and psychological horror.

If you are feeling cynical this holiday season, if the traditional sugary sweet Christmas movies don't land with you, you may want to make your Christmas a little spookier with some of the horror movies listed above.

Christmas is far from a joyous time for many people. Some people have no friends or family to spend their Christmas with. Some people can't afford gifts or even food during the Holiday season. Some people just find the holiday season more stressful and overwhelming than joyous.

If you are going through any of these things this year, it can be difficult to be surrounded by things that are meant to invoke joy and cheer if your circumstances prevent you from fully enjoying them.

If that is something that you are going through this year, know that I see you and I empathize with you.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Visit my website graceandersonauthor,com

Purchase my books here

Buy Me a Coffee link here

Consider becoming a paid subscriber to support the publication and gain access to exclusive content.