The best Christmas horror movies
The top 3 according to 51 votes from people: Black Christmas (1974) · Gremlins (1984) · Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984). (Updated Feb 11, 2026.)
Killer Santas, Gremlins, Krampus and a sorority house terrorised by phone calls: the holiday horror films Collider and IndieWire rank highest.
Top 12
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1
Black Christmas (1974)
Bob Clark. Sorority sisters terrorised by an anonymous caller; one of the first slashers.
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2
Gremlins (1984)
Joe Dante. A Christmas present that must never get wet or eat after midnight.
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3
Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)
Charles E. Sellier Jr. A man traumatised as a child goes on a killing spree in a Santa suit.
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4
Terrifier 3 (2024)
Damien Leone. Art the Clown returns on Christmas Eve.
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5
Christmas Evil (1980)
Lewis Jackson. A toy factory worker obsessed with Santa takes judgement into his own hands.
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6
Krampus (2015)
Michael Dougherty. A family that has lost the Christmas spirit gets a visit from Santa's dark shadow.
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7
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)
Jalmari Helander. Finnish reindeer herders dig up the real Santa Claus.
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8
Anna and the Apocalypse (2018)
John McPhail. A zombie Christmas musical in a Scottish town.
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9
Dead End (2003)
Jean-Baptiste Andrea and Fabrice Canepa. A family takes a shortcut on Christmas Eve and the road never ends.
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10
Better Watch Out (2016)
Chris Peckover. A babysitting night that turns into a home invasion.
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11
Don't Open till Christmas (1984)
Edmund Purdom. A killer targets men dressed as Santa in London.
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12
The Advent Calendar (2021)
Patrick Ridremont. A woman in a wheelchair receives an advent calendar with sinister rules.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
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