Christmas and horror have always been linked, from the early pagan traditions from which Christmas ultimately springs to Victorian ghost stories and finally to today, where Christmas slasher films are their own subgenre. Here are five underseen Christmas horror movies to add some darkness to the lights.
A Christmas Horror Story (2015)
I first saw this years ago on Netflix, but it’s now available as a $0.99 rental on Apple TV. A Canadian effort anchored by that most Canadian actor, William Shatner, as a radio DJ, this anthology film depicts four interconnected scary stories that take place on Christmas Eve, culminating in the ultimate showdown between Santa and Krampus.
Rent on VOD.
Pooka! (2018)
Hulu’s Into the Dark series is a combination of the good, the bad, and the mediocre, but Pooka! definitely ranks among the better entries (as does its sequel, Pooka Lives!). An unemployed actor becomes the face of a new Christmas toy (a mix between a Furby and Satan), dressing up in a bizarre “Pooka” costume that gradually begins to take over his consciousness. Creepy, humorous, and even a bit sentimental, this is a fun one to revisit.
Stream on Hulu.
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)
As Karen mentioned on our last episode, Rare Exports has become better known in recent years, for which I take sole credit. It’s a darkly humorous Christmas tale about a father and son in Lapland (that’s where Santa comes from, you know) beset by evil elves egged on by the accidental awakening of the dreaded Santa Claus. Rare Exports reaches back into those nightmarish elements of Christmas, reminding us that beneath all the lights and tinsel there is a thread of darkness.
Stream on Hulu, Tubi, and Redbox
Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (1972)
The plot description for this film is a little misdirecting, but I don’t want to spoil anything. Suffice to say that this is a version of Hansel and Gretel, with Shelley Winters as a lonely widow obsessed with her dead daughter and determined to give a bunch of orphan children a Christmas they’ll never forget. A weird, slightly mean-spirited slice of hagsploitation that’s nevertheless buoyed by Winter’s performance.
Stream on Prime and Paramount Plus.
Black Christmas (2019)
Despite boys being very upset by this 2019 update of the (also excellent) 1974 slasher, Black Christmas is one for the ages. An angry, occasionally funny, and deeply satisfying feminist restructuring of the Christmas slasher subgenre, one almost balks at calling this a reboot. Black Christmas 2019 is its own animal and should be treated as such.
Rent on VOD.
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