Welcome to Knockout Horror. It’s getting ever closer to Christmas and we are still keeping the festive frights coming. We have Christmas horror reviews multiple times a week and new lists. Today we are taking a look at 5 Family Friendly Christmas Horror Movies.
You may be thinking “Only 5? That’s pretty stingy”. Well, that’s not exactly my fault. There really aren’t a whole lot of Christmas horror movies that are suitable for kids. In fact, the majority of Christmas horror movies are slashers or legitimately grim drama movies. It’s a bit of a weird niche, to be honest, when it comes to this genre.
Still, these movies should be suitable for family friendly Christmas viewing. Well, kind of, anyway. A couple of the titles here should be watched with caution. For the most part, they are silly and the violence is comical but a few scenes may only be suitable for older kids. Let’s take a look.
5. There’s Something in the Barn (2023)
There’s Something in the Barn follows an American family as they move to rural Norway after inheriting a lavish home from a deceased relative. The family’s plans to convert the property’s barn into a bed a breakfast are put on hold when it becomes clear that something living there is not happy with the impending changes.
The thought of something living in the barn is a pretty scary one until you realise that the creature could actually be helpful. It takes an entire group of people ignoring a child to make the creature mad and turn this one into a horror. A movie trope as old as time. This one is, for the most part, suitable for families but with a small degree of caution. There are a couple of scenes that are fairly graphic. One is pretty comical but the other is slightly macabre. You might want to save this one for teens.
There’s Something in the Barn isn’t great but it has enough comedy to garner a few laughs and the Gremlins’ style chaotic final third feels like it was designed with families in mind. It can be a bit soppy, in parts, but does have some enjoyable moments. We awarded There’s Something in the Barn 2.5/5 in our review.
4. Deadly Games (1989)
Did you, or your kids, grow up loving the Home Alone movies but are now a little older and want something a little more adult? Well, Deadly Games might be the perfect option. The 1989, French, action horror was recently restored for a modern audience and is gaining some traction thanks to a renewed interest courtesy of the horror community.
It follows the story of a young child prodigy, Thomas (Alain Lalanne) who is forced to defend his home on Christmas eve from a Santa outfit wearing killer. This is the movie that was said to have inspired Home Alone and has a few similarities. Not least the ingenious traps that Thomas uses to protect himself.
This is fairly light on the scares but Patrick Floersheim is positively sinister as the methodical stalker making this another one to view with caution. Again, teens may find more to enjoy but Deadly Games is a hell of a lot of fun. We awarded Deadly Games 3/5 in our review.
3. Krampus (2015)
Michael Dougherty’s Krampus features an all star cast and acts as something of a family friendly Anti-Christmas horror. Following the story of a large extended family meeting up to spend Christmas together. Krampus sees the family being visited by the terrifying creature of Alpine folklore myth when their lack of Christmas spirit saddens a young boy.
This movie plays out in a very similar manner to the next movie on our list. Krampus features a strong focus on comedy, chaos, and action while also offering a few chills here and there. It’s a bit uneven, in parts, and doesn’t always work perfectly but it is, certainly, entertaining enough to watch with the family.
Practical effects are brilliant and the family centric setting gives this one something of a feeling of traditional Christmas films. There aren’t too many overly scary scenes, here, either so Krampus should be suitable for kids. We awarded Krampus 3.5/5 in our review.
2. Gremlins (1984)
Joe Dante’s Gremlins had to be on this list, right? When you think of family friendly Christmas horror, this movie should be one of the first that comes to mind. Focusing on the story of Billy (Zach Galligan) as he receives a pet Mogwai from his inventor father as a Christmas present. Gremlins sees the entire town of Kingston Falls terrorised by a group of mischievous creatures after Billy breaks one of the simple rules of Mogwai ownership.
Much like the aforementioned Krampus, Gremlins is chaotic, high octane and full of action. The humour is fairly crude and there are some adult themes, particularly those regarding violence and the matter of whether, or not, Santa is real. But Gremlins is an absolute riot of a movie.
This is a great option for family friendly horror viewing with plenty to appeal to adults and kids alike. There’s enough adult humour, that should fly over the heads of younger viewers, to entertain parents and the exploits of the gremlins are always hilarious. Not to mention the Christmas themes are everywhere making this feel like a truly festive film. We awarded Gremlins 4/5 in our review.
1. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
I suppose a few questions need to be answered when placing Tim Burton’s brilliant stop motion classic The Nightmare Before Christmas at number 1 on a list of family friendly horror movies. The most important of which being “Is it really a horror?”. In the strictest sense of the word, maybe not, but this movie has vampires, werewolves, swamp monsters and an entire Halloween world ruled over by an eccentric skeleton so I think it qualifies.
The Nightmare Before Christmas sees the skeleton king of Halloween town stealing Santa’s job after becoming disillusioned with the same old routine every October. It’s genuinely funny, full of fantastic songs, beautifully animated, and features a brilliantly horror inspired aesthetic that makes it the perfect entry point into the genre for young kids.
It’s not too scary and features plenty of warm sentiment to keep things light. The Nightmare Before Christmas straddles the line between Christmas movie and Halloween movie perfectly, making it a fitting option to transition into the holiday season. All while having more than enough to keep even adults thoroughly entertained. One of the greatest stop motion movies ever. We awarded The Nightmare Before Christmas 4.5/5 in our review.
Thanks for Reading
That’s 5 Family Friendly 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.