Welcome to the home of holiday horror. Originally born from our “Awful Advent” challenge, this section has grown into a stocking stuffed full of festive nightmares. Here you will find everything from rankings of the bleakest winter chillers and deep dives into controversial Christmas slashers, to reviews of the latest holiday horror releases. Whether you are looking for a cozy creature feature or a movie that will ruin your Christmas spirit, you’ll find it wrapped up here.
We review Alison Locke’s The Apology (2022). Starring Anna Gunn and Linus Roache, this Shudder festive thriller is a dark, character-driven chamber play, but is it an intense holiday treat or just a slow, repetitive trudge through uninspired tropes? Find out in our full review.
We review Lydie-Anne W. Schuman’s Silent Bite (2024). This Christmas-themed vampire heist movie features the cast of The Nights Before Christmas, but is it a stylish Tarantino-esque thriller or just a derivative, technically broken trudge through bad audio and stolen dialogue? Find out in our full review.
We review Paul Tanter’s The Nights Before Christmas (2019). This holiday slasher sequel features a murderous Santa and a Harley Quinn-inspired Mrs. Claus, but is it a festive treat or just a dull, dialogue-heavy trudge through generic tropes and bad acting? Find out in our full review.
Amelia Moses directs the Tubi Original Guess Who, a holiday slasher that trades tropes for a cohesive crime narrative. Is this the rare high-budget gem Tubi fans have been waiting for?
Christmas is on the way so it’s time to get cosy with some Christmas horror movies. Only this list of ten Xmas horror movies ranked is for those people who hate Christmas with a passion.
Bob Clark’s Black Christmas is a masterpiece of atmospheric horror. Discover why this 1974 classic remains the definitive holiday slasher and a genre pioneer.
Richard Donner and Bill Murray bring a cynical, 80s edge to Dickens in Scrooged. A mean-spirited TV exec finds redemption through a series of chaotic hauntings.
Michael Dougherty delivers a dark and imaginative holiday nightmare with Krampus. A dysfunctional family faces the wrath of an ancient festive demon.
Jalmari Helander reimagines the legend of Santa Claus as a primal nightmare in Rare Exports. A young boy in Lapland discovers the dark truth behind the holiday.
Chris Peckover delivers a sharp, subversive, and mean-spirited Christmas horror with Better Watch Out. A quiet night of babysitting turns into a holiday nightmare.
Joe Dante and Chris Columbus deliver a masterclass in holiday mayhem with Gremlins. A cute Christmas gift turns into a town-wide nightmare of chaos and comedy.
Sean Nichols Lynch blends Christmas cheer with vampire satire in Red Snow. A struggling novelist finds a wounded bloodsucker at her door in this light horror comedy.