FD’s best Xmas horrors to chill your veins

Christmas! A time for family, and also MURDER. Actually, maybe not. During the holiday season you might be packed full with all that turkey and gift indulgence. When you’re finished picking your teeth, you’re gonna wonder about what to put on the goofy box. Well we’ve got a few choices for you – but buckle up, as these aren’t for the faint of heart. What better way to wash down that Christmas festive feast than with a horror flick?

Violent Night (2022)

David Harbour’s Santa trades milk and cookies for a sledgehammer in this gory action-horror romp. The film pairs seasonal trappings with inventive kills and a surprisingly sincere streak of holiday sentiment. Its success has already cleared the path for a sequel slated for 2026, proving audiences still crave a blood-soaked Claus.

Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025)

Mike P. Nelson’s December 2025 remake brings the infamous killer-Santa saga back to theaters with fresh blood and updated trauma. A young man’s childhood scarring fuels a rampage that weaponizes every yuletide icon, from chimneys to candy canes. The result lands squarely in the same slasher lane as the 1974 original while feeling very much of the moment.

Terrifier 3 (2024)

Art the Clown swaps his usual get-up for a blood-red Santa suit and turns holiday cheer into a massacre. The installment leans harder into Christmas imagery than its predecessors, delivering the franchise’s signature extreme gore wrapped in tinsel. Fans of unfiltered holiday carnage found plenty to celebrate.

The Advent Calendar (2021)

This French psychological chiller uses a cursed advent calendar to dole out slow-burn dread one door at a time. Each gift exacts a grim price, turning the season’s rituals of giving into something far more sinister. The film stands out for its intimate scale and focus on tradition rather than body counts.

Black Christmas (1974)

Do you like DEATH? No? Oh, then stop reading this list. Anyway, Black Christmas is a watershed moment in the slasher genre. Filmed on the budget of a packet of potato flakes, this film can still put some chilly thrills in your central nervous-system stocking! Following a group of sorority sisters on what’s obvs the worst night of their lives, because, you know, death, Black Christmas is actually kind of charming. There’s an enthusiasm for the concept (Christmas plus serial killers) that makes the whole thing beam with festive joy!

Rare Exports (2010)

So it’s basically impossible to take this Santa-kidnapping story seriously. Regardless, it’s still a horror film, even with more laughs than scares. This story follows a company that entraps rare Santa Clauses from the wild and brings them to our world for fun. There might have been some kind of political message or something buried underneath, but it’s just soooo lovably absurd.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

A stop-motion story that’s just the most charming thing in the entire world. You can watch it on Halloween or Christmas, and it’s still one of the most gothic but wonderful films. Not a whole lot of scares, but the production work is so on point you’ll end up pausing it just to admire the handiwork of so many craftsmen. The film returned to theaters in 2024 and 2025, a 4K remaster arrived in 2023, and a new comic series is slated for 2026, keeping the spooky season evergreen.

Krampus (2015)

This one’s a bit naff as we say in old Blighty, but there’s something really unsettling going on underneath. Drawing on Austro-Bavarian folklore, this film manages to take left-field myth and put some serious scares in. Adam Scott (Step Brothers) is in the lead, and manages to anchor a pretty fantastical story. I mean, yeah, none of the characters’ actions make any sense and the ending is complete nonsense, but there’s enough Krampus-shaped spooks to give you a healthy nightmare or two. Director Michael Dougherty has floated story ideas for a sequel in recent interviews, so the horned holiday terror may yet return.

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

A Christmas classic that’s fun for all the family! Okay, definitely not. This erotic thrillride puts an absolute spell on you. Drawing you into this dreamworld of melodrama marriage breakdowns and weird cult stuff, you end up finding yourself, like Tom Cruise’s character, in way over your head. The scares levelled in this film are psychologically incising, with a constant uptick in how utterly uncomfortable it is to watch. But it a good way, we swear.

Gremlins (1984)

This horror flick takes small critter monsters and instead makes some cool jokes and neato scares. Gremlins is ultimately a comedy, but the way it builds its little world is so charming. There’s also some Christmas stuff in this, trust us. Gremlins 3 was officially greenlit in November 2025 with Chris Columbus directing and a planned November 2027 release; Steven Spielberg returns as executive producer, so the mogwai mischief is far from over.

Jack Frost (1998)

Michael Keaton (Beetlejuice) plays a hapless dad who gets brutally killed in a car accident. Even though this is a kids’ movie, it’s a lot more like a Charlie Kaufman (Anomalisa) flick. Keaton gets trapped inside the body of a snowman, who is always melting. Trapped on the knife edge of true existential pain, Jack Frost is one of the scariest films you’ll ever witness. It’s about the inevitability of decay, and also how creepy-looking snowmen can be. Spooky!

Beethoven’s Christmas Adventure (2011)

Okay, hear us out on this one. So in this happy family adventure involving everyone’s fav St. Bernard, there’s something deeply disturbing. In all other Beethoven films, the titular pup doesn’t speak – but here, he speaks. And it is terrifying. Can you imagine the implications a talking dog would have upon society? (Keep in mind Family Guy takes place in a fictional universe.) Even worse, just think of how much joy we humans are being robbed. When you tell your lil’ pooch how much you love him, imagine if he could talk back. It crushes the heart, because Christmas Adventure shows you that our world is a horror show in comparison to Beethoven’s. That’s why this is the scariest film of all time.

These titles prove the holiday season still has plenty of room for seasonal dread alongside the eggnog and tinsel. Whether you prefer vintage slashers, gory new arrivals, or quietly unsettling imports, the list keeps growing. Stream or rent a few, dim the lights, and let the season get under your skin in the best possible way. Merry viewing from Film Daily, and try not to check under the tree too late at night.