Kids’ Christmas Horror – 5 Movies to Watch With the Family

Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are taking a look at Kids’ Christmas Horror – 5 Movies to Watch With the Family.

Festive Horror for the Whole Family

You may be thinking “Only 5? That’s pretty stingy” but 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 horror movies should be suitable for family friendly Christmas viewing. A couple of the titles here should be watched with caution but I have pointed out how and why in the list. 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.

🎅 Quick Picks: The Best for Little Monsters

5. There’s Something in the Barn (2023) – Elf and Safety Gone Wrong

The Family Factor: 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.

Knockout Verdict: Elf on the shelf? More like elf in the barn.

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. It can be a bit soppy, in parts, but does have some enjoyable moments. We awarded There’s Something in the Barn 3/5 in our review.

4. Deadly Games (1989) – Home Alone: The French Connection

The Family Factor: 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. 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.

Knockout Verdict: Game over, Santa.

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. We awarded Deadly Games 3/5 in our review.

3. Krampus (2015) – Santa’s Shadow

The Family Factor: Krampus features a strong focus on comedy, chaos, and action while also offering a few chills here and there. 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.

Knockout Verdict: Gruss vom Krampus.

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 title on our list. It’s a bit uneven, in parts, and doesn’t always work perfectly but it is, certainly, entertaining enough to watch with the family. We awarded Krampus 3.5/5 in our review.

2. Gremlins (1984) – Don’t Feed After Midnight

The Family Factor: 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.

Knockout Verdict: Bright lights, big trouble.

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 (parents be warned). But Gremlins is an absolute riot of a movie. We awarded Gremlins 4/5 in our review.

1. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) – What’s This?

The Family Factor: 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.

Knockout Verdict: Jack is King.

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. 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.

A Very Scary Christmas

So there you have it. Proof that you don’t always need extreme gore or terrified teenagers to enjoy a horror movie. Whether you are introducing your little ones to the genre with The Nightmare Before Christmas or traumatizing them slightly with Gremlins, these films offer the perfect bridge between spooky and festive. Just remember to maybe skip the “Santa isn’t real” speech in Gremlins if your kids are still believers!

If you enjoyed this list, why not stick around? We have plenty more horror movie lists to check out, or you can dive into our latest horror reviews. Thanks for reading Knockout Horror!

👶 Quick Picks: The Best Family Friendly Christmas Horror Movies by Vibe

The “Gateway Drug” Pick: The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
For the little ones. It introduces horror concepts like skeletons and monsters in a fun, musical, and completely safe way. A masterpiece.

The “Wild Ride” Pick: Gremlins (1984)
For the older kids (10+). It is chaotic, hilarious, and just scary enough to feel daring. Be warned: it reveals the truth about Santa!

The “Action Packed” Pick: Deadly Games (1989)
For fans of Home Alone. It features a kid fighting back against a bad guy with cool inventions. It is thrilling without being traumatizing.

The “Cautionary Tale” Pick: Krampus (2015)
For when the kids are misbehaving. It’s a spooky reminder of what happens when you lose your Christmas spirit. Funny but creepy.

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