10 Fantastically Unique Christmas Horror Movies Ranked - Festive Horror With a Difference

Welcome to Knockout Horror. It’s Wednesday the 18th of December and Christmas is drawing ever closer. Do you want a movie to watch for every day leading up to Christmas but are tired of the same old stuff? Well, we are here to help with our list of 10 Fantastically Unique Christmas Horror Movies Ranked.

The majority of Christmas horror movies seem to be slashers, right? I mean, we already covered ten of them in our list of 10 Christmas Slasher Movies Ranked but that is only scratching the surface. There are dozens more. But what if you want something a little different? What if you fancy a Christmas horror that is just a little bit unique?

The ten movies we are covering today are just that. A little bit weird, a little bit different and just a little bit odd. These are unique films with original plots. Each one a little different from the last and each a great option to watch in the run up to Christmas. We have reviewed all of these so click the links to take a look at what we think about them.

Did you ever wonder whether the story of The Grinch could work as a horror? Well, wonder no more as The Mean One is here to answer that question. Only, it’s not very good, hence its place at number ten on our list. The movie follows the story of Cindy (Krystle Martin) heading back to her hometown to confront her past in the form of a green, Christmas hating, monster that murdered her mother.

The setup isn’t particularly unique. This is a slasher, after all, but the comedy horror parody of The Grinch makes this movie stand out, just a bit. Occasionally funny, often very bad; The Mean One is an option for something weird to watch and might tick a few boxes in the “so bad it’s good” department. We awarded The Mean One 1.5/5 in our review.

Now this movie is seriously strange. Await Further Instructions starts as a fairly formulaic, British, drama as a couple head back to the family home to celebrate Christmas with their argumentative family. Things begin to get weird, however, when the house enters a lockdown and the television begins issuing instructions to them.

Dialogue heavy and acting as something of a domestic horror for much of its length. Await Further Instructions delves into themes of science fiction, later on, and is unlike any other Christmas movie I have ever watched. Sadly, it’s not all that great, stumbling often and not feeling all that scary. Still watchable, though, and very different. We awarded Await Further Instructions 2/5 in our review.

Do you like Zombie horror movies? Do you also enjoy musicals? Well, if you do then you are in luck because that’s exactly what Anna and the Apocalypse is all about. It’s a zombie horror musical that sees high school student Anna teaming up with her friends to try and survive a zombie apocalypse that has struck her town.

Not my type of movie, at all, but fun if you have had a few drinks. Anna and the Apocalypse is a little bit, tonally, confused. Acting as a whimsical musical full of upbeat songs before transforming into a generic, formulaic, zombie horror that takes itself altogether too seriously. It’s uneven but some people are going to love it and you can’t argue that it is not a unique Christmas horror movie. We awarded Anna and the Apocalypse 2.8/5 in our review.

The Apology approaches Christmas Horror in an altogether slower and more considered manner. Following the story of a woman who lost her child many years ago but has never given up the search. The Apology sees her accepting a visit from an old flame who brings with him more than just long buried feelings of desire and affection.

The Apology is, probably, more of a thriller than a horror but there are some shared themes that fit both genres. It’s is very dialogue heavy, acting, for the most part, as something of a character study. Rarely escaping the confines of a single room and feeling quite claustrophobic. It, also, relies on its central plot points to push things along, as well as the interactions between its two main characters. When it is working, however, it is a tense and effective movie that is engaging throughout and benefits from doing things a little differently. We awarded The Apology 3.2/5 in our review.

A French version of Home Alone but for adults is the way most people describe Deadly Games. Following the story of a young genius boy forced into defending his home, and his Grandpa, from a Santa costume wearing home invader. Deadly Games is part horror, part action, and part comedy.

It’s also a damn good time. The director of Deadly Games sued the makers of Home Alone, claiming that they stole his idea of a young boy defending his home with genius inventions of torture. That isn’t, strictly, true as that’s only a small part of Deadly Games but the similarities are there. Patrick Floersheim is utterly sinister in a highlight role and the latter scenes are fantastic. Nothing in horror feels quite like Deadly Games. We awarded Deadly Games 3/5 in our review.

I love this movie and think it is seriously overlooked and underrated. Mercy Christmas follows the story of Michael Briskett (Steven Hubbell) as he spends Christmas day with the family of gorgeous co-worker Cindy (Casey O’Keefe). Little does he realise that this family isn’t quite what it seems and he is about to find his way onto the menu.

Cannibalistic, ultra gory, holiday fun is the order of the day in Mercy Christmas. Finding itself somewhere between Hallmark Christmas movie and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This is a horror that works way better than it should and is, simply, a ton of fun. Limbs are removed, ribs are eaten and prayers are said by the bedside. It is farcical and a laugh riot, not to mention completely unique. We awarded Mercy Christmas 3.5/5 in our review. Watch it so you can start talking about it before everyone else who missed it catches up.

Following the story of paraplegic woman Eva (Eugénie Derouand). The Advent Calendar sees Eva gifted a calendar that can make her dreams come true. There is only one rule; when she opens the first door, she must continue and see the calendar through to the last day, whatever the cost.

Dark, moody, and something of an anti-Christmas movie. The Advent Calendar feels like one of the most serious attempts to create an actually unsettling festive horror movie and proves just how good France is at dishing out the Yuletide scares. It’s also a fiendishly unique Christmas horror movie with a completely original idea. Genuinely unsettling in parts and a perfect option for anyone looking for a less than festive Xmas horror. We awarded The Advent Calendar 3.8/5 in our review.

Santa isn’t quite what he has been made out to be in Finland’s modern classic Christmas horror movie Rare Exports. He’s actually a horrible monster, dug up from the earth, with an army of twisted elves looking to punish children. Luckily, Pietari (Onni Tommila) is on to him and all he has to do is convince his Dad (Jorma Tommila) so they can kidnap him and save the town’s kids.

Again, Rare Exports is a total Anti-Christmas movie and isn’t exactly full of festive cheer. It’s dark, violent, full of nudity and pretty mean spirited with a vision of Santa Claus that will have you blocking up your chimney for good. It’s also a bloody geat horror movie and a fantastic option for anyone who isn’t a fan of the season or is just looking to flip the Christmas cheer on its head. We awarded Rare Exports 4/5 in our review.

Without giving too much away, Better Watch Out is a formulaic Christmas home invasion thriller until it isn’t. What seems like a fairly ordinary movie flips on its head as Ashley (Olivia DeJonge) is tasked with babysitting teenager Luke (Levi Miller) when a home invader puts the pair into a fight for their lives. But, is everything as it seems?

Hilarious, occasionally brutal and always compelling. Better Watch Out subverts expectations to create one of the most obnoxious villains in Christmas horror history. Bringing a new grizzly reality to the traps in Home Alone and featuring some genuinely wince inducing moments as well as a twist for the ages. This is a movie that plays out in a totally unexpected way and is hideously entertaining. An annual Christmas horror tradition in my house. We awarded Better Watch Out 4/5 in our review.

Christmas Horror doesn’t come much more strange and unique than Dead End from 2003. Starring Ray Wise and Lin Shaye, this is a movie that plays out like a trippy episode of the Twilight Zone. It follows the story of a family heading out on a road trip to visit relatives for Christmas. After a near miss on a tight road, the family take a shortcut which leads them onto a road that seems to be never ending.

Dead End is incredibly different from most Christmas horror films. Taking place almost entirely inside the confines of a car. It’s a movie that begs you to constantly question what you are seeing. Nothing feels right and something consistently seems to be off in this brilliant film. Keeping you off base throughout and thoroughly unnerved. It’s also incredibly funny and entertaining while managing to feel perfectly fitting for some Christmas horror viewing. We awarded Dead End 4/5 in our review.

Thanks for Reading

That’s 10 Fantastically Unique Christmas Horror Movies Ranked. There’s lots more to come and a ton of Christmas content for you to check out all of December. We are reviewing Christmas Horror in our Awful Advent category and putting together Christmas horror lists so be sure to take a look. Thanks for reading and happy holidays.