Although they’re generally not considered the most common types of film that people watch during Christmas time, there are still plenty of Christmas themed horror films out there. As such, genre fans tend to watch these films over more traditional Christmas classics. It’s definitely one of the more interesting perks of being a horror fan, and now some fans online are debating just what the greatest Christmas horror movie is. With so many choices, ranging from those that are relatively kid-friendly to those that definitely aren’t, it really is an exciting debate.
This particular debate began on Reddit, where one use opened the conversation by calling Gremlins their favorite Christmas horror film. They also listed several other genre titles such as the original Black Christmas and also Michael Dougherty’s modern classic Krampus.
As you can see below:
In your opinion what is the greatest Christmas horror film of all time?
byu/suzaman inhorror
His list definitely shows how far the spectrum for a Christmas horror movie can reach. After all, both Gremlins and Krampus tend to be suitable for kids, albeit they stretch the horror elements quite a bit. In fact, the 1984 film Gremlins is one of the reasons that the PG-13 rating was even created. But because they can usually be watched by entire families, they are more obvious picks. The original Black Christmas, on the other hand, is much darker. It’s actually a prototype slasher film and one that arguably inspired John Carpenter’s Halloween. If dread and tension are on your list for Christmas, then Black Christmas is most definitely the perfect pick.
There are quite a few other choices listed throughout the Reddit thread. Some users have suggested films like the anthology movie Christmas Horror Story, as well as Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale. Another great mention is Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2, a very strange sequel to a much darker and subversive slasher classic. And of course, there are actually several other Silent Night, Deadly Night films you could choose from as well.
It goes to show that horror films are fitting for any holiday season, or any time of year. As such, horror fans arguably have it best when it comes to Christmas time.