10 Winter Themed Horror Movies Ranked - Horror To Fill In The Holiday Merrineum

Welcome to Knockout Horror and to our list of 10 Winter Themed Horror Movies Ranked. It’s that time of year again. Christmas day is done and we are slap bang in the middle of the holiday taint, otherwise known as the Merrineum. The presents are unwrapped, the turkey has been carved and devoured, the television is full of repeats and there is nothing to do but sit around relaxing.

As far as horror goes, this is an odd time of year. You may be craving a wintery horror movie with plenty of snow and ice but can’t take anymore of the whole festive thing we talked about in our Awful Advent Festive Frights category. Well, you are in luck, as we have ten horror movies that are perfect to fill in that gap.

All of these movies are set in the winter and feature snowy landscapes and icy thrills. Most of them are pretty good, as well. we have reviewed a few so click the links to check them out. Others, we will get around to eventually. Without further ado, let’s take a look.

Inspired by Italian Giallo films of the 1960s and 70s. Curtains is a Canadian slasher that focuses on a group of aspiring actresses being taken out, one by one, by a masked killer at the director’s elaborate rural mansion. This is a movie that tries to do things a bit different and ends up feeling fairly messy and a bit silly in the process.

Probably the least great horror on this list, Curtains has developed a cult following for, what can only be described as, it’s pure weirdness. It looks bad, the script and story telling is horrendous and the production was fraught with difficulties. But it is hard to dismiss that cheap, low budget, 80s slasher charm. Especially when there is plenty of snow and ice setting it apart from its contemporaries.

This one, probably, leans a little more heavily towards being a thriller but there is plenty for horror fans to enjoy, here. No Exit follows recovering drug addict Darby as she discovers a kidnapped child in a van while snowed in at an interstate rest stop. The child must belong to one of the people there but, the question is, who?

Characters are a little underdeveloped, the pacing is a little off and No Exit isn’t exactly the most thrilling of thrillers. The atypical cast, however, and some fairly interesting plot points make this one a decently compelling watch. The claustrophobic setting and blizzard conditions make this a perfect winter horror film and add to a fairly unique feeling that few other movies share.

A group of friends hike up a mountain for some snowboarding fun. After one of them breaks their leg, the group head into an abandoned hotel to get away from the frigid cold. The only problem is that they are not alone and they are about to find themselves in a fight for their very lives in this slasher from Norway.

I watched Cold Prey a decently long time ago and seriously enjoyed it. Sure, it doesn’t do anything new and feels like far more of an American slasher than a novel, Norwegian, take on the genre. That doesn’t stop it being a great watch, though, with plenty of gore and some inventive kills. All taking place in a very different, snowed in, environment. There is, also, a sequel to Cold Prey that offers more of the same, which is a nice bonus.

This one is less about snow and more about the time of year. The Signal takes place at New Year and offers an interesting narrative that is presented from three different perspectives. The basic outline is that a mysterious signal has infiltrated radio waves, television and cell phones. Turning everyone who encounters it into a maniacal killer.

This is another horror I watched a fair while ago. It sort of plays out like an anthology movie. Centred around one theme and taking place, in a non-linear manner, over the course of a day. Each segment is directed by a different person with The Ritual’s David Bruckner teaming up with Dan Bush and Jacob Gentry.

It’s interesting stuff and has a lot of ideas. It’s impossible not to note how disparate the sections feel, though, with some opting for comedy more than horror and splatterhouse more than psychological. But it is a good concept and the timing is perfect if you are looking for some New Year horror.

We are back to Norway with this next entry as a group of students find themselves in a fight for survival after a skiing trip brings them face to face with the ultimate evil… Nazi Zombies. This is another movie that spawned a sequel and another example of how great Norway is at knocking out genuinely brilliant horror.

This is the perfect movie to scratch that very specific itch when you just feel like watching a horde of maniacal zombies, in German army regalia, going wild. Dead Snow probably shouldn’t be as fun as it is. But the mix of silliness, comedy, and gore works tremendously well. It’s also helped by the setting as this is a great option when you are looking for horror in the snow. You will be wondering why you enjoyed it so much but you will be glad you checked it out.

This movie is the perfect option when we are talking about the Merrineum. As The Children takes place just after Christmas. A family join up together, with their children, at a large house in England to spend the New Year together. Little do they realise that something very strange has taken hold of the kids and turned them into blood thirsty little bastards.

The Children is a well loved scarefest and works as both a winter horror and a Christmas horror. It leans into some fairly redundant drama stuff and doesn’t always hit the mark. But some of the kills are fantastic and the frequent injury detail is legitimately nasty. Not to mention the fact that if features kids as antagonists. Something not seen nearly enough in horror. We awarded The Children 3/5 in our review.

We Are Still Here is set in rural New England during the 70s. A grieving couple who recently lost their teenage son find themselves the victims of a group of marauding spirits. But could the source of the attacks be a little closer to home than they originally thought? You could make the argument that We Are Still Here was overrated, a tad, on its release back in 2015. It appeared in a bunch of “Best of” lists and left people expecting a little too much.

The result was a lot of disappointed viewers who wanted to be wowed but were left very underwhelmed. Still, this is a great horror with a very novel take on something that, let’s be honest, is overdone to death. It’s also wintery as hell so fits this list perfectly. It might take two watches to enjoy We Are Still Here but it is worth checking out.

Directed by Adam Green of the Hatchet series fame. I am really happy to see this movie getting a bit more love through a 2020’s lens. Frozen follows three friends as they hang out for the day skiing. Heading up for one last trip down the mountain. The friends are dismayed to find themselves stranded on a chairlift halfway up the mountain with no way down.

We checked this movie out on release and enjoyed it far more than I thought we would. I was, actually, kind of surprised to see the lukewarm reception. The concept is simple, the acting is fine, there are enough thrills to keep the movie entertaining and it feels like a fresh idea that hasn’t really been done before. Sure, it’s not high art but Frozen is, simply, enjoyable horror silliness. Definitely worth checking out.

You can’t do a list about wintery horror movies and not include Stanley Kubrick’s seminal The Shining, can you? Based on the Stephen King novel. The Shining follows a family heading to the Overlook Hotel so recovering alcoholic, and aspiring author, Jack (Jack Nicholson) can take care of it during the offseason. Little realising that the secluded, haunted, location will drive the family’s patriarch to murderous insanity.

Both scary and captivating. Whether you love it or hate it. It is hard to deny the impact The Shining has had on the horror genre. Its twisty, trippy, supernatural tale of isolation and madness is iconic and the performances are some of the greatest in horror history. It’s also full of snow and ice so perfect for our list. One of the greatest movies to ever grace the genre. The Shining is a must watch and a perfect option to fill the gloomy void between Christmas and the new year.

Arguably not as good as the number 2 movie on our list. Misery finds itself in the top spot purely because I enjoy it more. In fact, it is one of my favourite horror movies of all time and a great option for some wintery thrills. Especially considering it is the oppressive snow that leads author Paul Sheldon (James Caan) into his terrifying predicament after he suffers a crash during a storm. Only to be rescued by his biggest fan, the slightly psychopathic Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates).

Directed by Rob Reiner and based on another Stephen King novel. Misery is well supported by two brilliant actors. With Kathy Bates’ Oscar winning performance being one of the greatest of all time when it comes to horror. Misery is genuinely unnerving and manages to be scary throughout. Despite never resorting to spooky spirits, tons of gore, or masked killers. An absolute horror classic, we awarded Misery 4.5/5 in our review.

Thanks for Reading

That’s 10 Winter Themed Horror Movies Ranked. There’s lots more to come. We are going to be recapping 2024 in just a few days so keep your eyes here. If you are still feeling festive, we have a ton of Christmas content for you to check out. We reviewed lots of Christmas Horror in our Awful Advent category and put together Christmas horror lists so be sure to take a look. Thanks for reading and happy new year.

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