It’s Christmas! You know what bad, holiday-themed movie you’re going to watch after you finish tearing through your presents? Horror streamer Shudder has a great selection, so it’s our go-to for the year when we decide on horrors to fill those long, cold winter nights.
io9 has made an exception to this list a few years ago, which you can read here. There’s some overlap in the list below—especially among the classics—but no brand lends itself more to year-round viewing than seasonal favorites, especially those that mix candy with big-bodied glittery lights.
Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) and Silent Night, Deadly Night 2 (1987)
The reboot of this classic slasher series from Mike P. Nelson has just hit theaters, but nothing new can replace what came before: a movie about a kid so traumatized by seeing his parents killed by a thug dressed as Santa that he himself takes on the mantle of the deadly Claus when he’s old enough to lift an ax on his own. The sequel includes a ridiculous amount of flashbacks, but also has its own catchphrase (“Trash Day!”) to go along with the original’s immortal “Punish!”
Black Christmas (1974)
Bob Clark directed again in 1983 A Christmas storywith its still-degrading features, but its main attraction is this proto-slasher that helps pave the way Halloween, Friday the 13th, Shout outmany more. Just before the holiday break, the mischievous sisters start wandering around a house that has been receiving obscenity calls—a first for an incredibly disturbing film that lives up to its tagline: “If this movie doesn’t make your skin crawl, It’s too tight!”
Advent Calendar (2021)
Low-key in the best way, this 2021 French-Belgian release surprised us when it first arrived on Shudder, and there’s still plenty we’re looking forward to watching again this season. A woman whose dancing career was cut short by a tragic car accident receives an unusual gift: an old wooden advent calendar with a sinister but fascinating secret. Clever writing and a tense, confusing atmosphere do Advent Calendar a truly awful holiday treat—the equivalent of a Christmas cookie with its head cut off.
The Game of Sacrifice (2023)
“Boarding school where a few kids have to hang out for the holidays” is pretty much done, no offense, Paul Giamatti. Also, “a cult that performs ritual murder to raise a demon” is nothing new. But who would ever think of combining the two? The Game of Sacrifice he does, and the result is a gruesome and gruesome series (still in season).
Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022)
An animatronic Santa malfunctions, breaks out of a small town toy store, and proceeds to kill. That’s already a fun setup even without the introduction of Christmas Bloody Christmas‘ An unusual heroine, who would like to go drinking at the bar on Christmas Eve but will surely fight for her life using every trick in the book when the robot Kris Kringle locks on to her as the Terminator.
The Haunted Season (2024, 2025)
Shudder’s ongoing holiday horror series celebrates the tradition of Christmas horror storytelling, even though the short films themselves aren’t actually Christmas themed. They are cooling, however, and this year’s entry, Roommatedirected by series creator Kier-La Janisse, takes place at the end of December. Last year, by Sean Hogan The Burning Comes Finallyit might make you think twice about going home in the dark after the festivities are over.
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