In most cases, a list of great holiday movies would be incomplete without classics such as A Christmas Story, Die Hard, or Home Alone. This isn’t one of those cases. Those films, while certainly dramatic and excellent, are not quite genre movies. Nothing happens in them that couldn’t, hypothetically, happen in real life. So while each is among our favorite holiday movies on a larger scale, this list is a bit more specific.
This list is for the monsters. The horror. The magical. The movies where Christmas time sets off events that are impossible in reality but near and dear to our hearts anyway. There are some surprises, some classics, and lots to debate. So grab a cup of hot chocolate, curl up with a nice cozy blanket, and dive into our list of favorite holiday genre movies.
Image: Universal Pictures
16. Krampus
We don’t mean any disrespect to this 2015 Michael Dougherty film about a boy who unleashes the anti-Santa, Krampus. We enjoy many things about it and know that it has a ton of fans. Deservedly so. It’s just that, at this time of year, while we’ll give Krampus a look every once in a while, it’s not as much of a priority as the films above it on this list. It’s a perfect example of a genre holiday film, though.
15. The Christmas Chronicles (and The Christmas Chronicles 2)
If The Christmas Chronicles movies, a set of films about a cool Santa Claus played by Kurt Russell (and later joined by Mrs. Claus played by Goldie Hawn), had been released in theaters, they’d be beloved. Growing classics. Unfortunately, they were made for Netflix, which just somehow makes them feel a tiny bit less special. Even so, the two films are enjoyable and worth revisiting.
14. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Ron Howard’s Dr. Seuss adaptation starring Jim Carrey has experienced the kind of renaissance big, theatrical wonders sometimes have. It’s an insanely pretty movie that has fans young and old. Personally, though, it was just never a super favorite. That said, it’s hard to deny it a spot on the list.
13. The Polar Express
This is difficult, but try it for a second. Put aside that Robert Zemeckis used a very early form of performance capture in this movie, giving the characters an almost too creepy look. What you have left is Tom Hanks in a magical holiday story filled with timeless wonder. A potential classic. But, of course, it will always look like that. So it’s ranked here.
12. Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale
Rare Exports is a very weird, very watchable movie about a world where Santa and his elves are not quite what we imagine them to be. They’re bad and need to be handled. From there, things get gross and scary, and while it’s not quite as fantastic as you want it to be, it’s still a very unique and memorable holiday film.
Image: Jesse Korman/Dark Age Cinema
11. Terrifier 3
The instant Art the Clown put on a Santa costume, two things were certain. There was going to be a whole lot of blood, and he was going to become a Christmas mainstay. Terrifier 3 isn’t a great movie to watch with your family on Christmas, because it’s beyond disgusting. But, if you can stomach the intense gore, it’s got an odd amount of holiday cheer.
10. Anna and the Apocalypse
If this were a list of musicals or zombie movies, Anna and the Apocalypse would be a little higher on the list. It’s a film we absolutely adore, but, in terms of its genre mashup, the Christmas aspects feel a little left behind. So, while it’s certainly a Christmas movie that we love, it also falls just behind the rest of the list.
9. Miracle on 34th Street
Miracle on 34th Street is a wonderful movie that’s guaranteed to fill you with the magic of the holiday season. It’s almost tangentially genre, as is dictated by the plot, but that’s also the beauty of it. We’re ranking it slightly lower than it deserves just because we, personally, haven’t rewatched it nearly as much as we should.
8. Violent Night
Violent Night is awesome. David Harbour stars as Santa Claus, who has to kill a bunch of bad guys to save a family on Christmas. It’s become an annual rewatch, just as seemingly every other film from now on on this list has as well. But it’s also the newest of the bunch.
7. The Santa Clause
Anytime we rewatch The Santa Clause, we love remembering just how fun and imaginative it was and remains. The idea of a man becoming Santa due to some contractual loophole gives the film this oddly adult spin, which really helps it resonate with all ages. Also, it’s fun to look back and remember just how huge of a star Tim Allen was in 1994.
Image: Disney
6. The Muppet Christmas Carol
There are many versions of A Christmas Carol out there; many of them are good, and many probably deserve to be on this list. However, we’re only putting two on here, so one of those two has to be the incredible Muppet version. It’s perfect in every way.
5. Elf
For some people, Elf is not just their favorite Christmas movie; it’s their favorite movie, period. We’re not either of those people, so we’re ranking this slightly lower than others might. However, Will Ferrell’s performance, as well as the wonder, humor, and heart of the film, continue to make it a worthy favorite this time of year.
4. The Nightmare Before Christmas
It takes something special for a movie to be equally watchable during two holidays, but that’s exactly what this 1993 classic is. You can watch it at Halloween, and it’s perfect. Then you can watch it again at Christmas, and it’s perfect. We love the look, the songs, all of it. “What’s this?” An iconic film.
3. Gremlins
Sometimes you want your Christmas movies not to be explicitly about Christmas, just set around or during Christmas. And then, during the holiday, something completely crazy happens. That’s Gremlins, the iconic Joe Dante film about a man who is gifted an adorable creature with some very strict rules. What happens next could’ve happened and worked at any time of year, but that it’s Christmas just feels right.
2. Scrooged
Here’s that second A Christmas Carol adaptation and, for our money, the best of the bunch. Bill Murray as an evil TV executive putting on a production of the Charles Dickens classic gives a perfect, nostalgic, meta twist on the story, with plenty of big laughs and heart. “Niagara Falls, Frankie Angel,” indeed.
Image: Paramount
1. It’s a Wonderful Life
Wait. Why is It’s a Wonderful Life on this list? Isn’t that just some old Jimmy Stewart movie? Yes, it is, but don’t forget that Stewart’s character meets a guardian angel who shows him what life would’ve been like had he never been born. That can’t actually happen in reality. So, it’s a genre movie. And once that’s settled, this Frank Capra classic is simply one of the best films of all time, not just at Christmas time. Clearly, it’s the number one choice.
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