Michael Cooney attempts to create a “so bad it’s good” masterpiece with Jack Frost. Unfortunately, this self-aware snowman slasher is more try-hard than terrifying.

Michael Briskett just wanted a family dinner. Instead, he became the menu. Mercy Christmas is a hilarious, gore-soaked subversion of festive tropes.

Sophia Takal’s 2019 reimagining of Black Christmas trades atmosphere for social media rhetoric. This toothless slasher is a festive horror disaster.

Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala deliver a cold, atmospheric nightmare with The Lodge. A family’s retreat turns into a descent into madness and cult-fuelled trauma.

Ray Wise and Lin Shaye deliver fantastic performances in Dead End. A Christmas shortcut turns into a never-ending nightmare in this quirky cult horror.

Tom Shankland delivers a disturbing and claustrophobic holiday horror with The Children. A snowy family retreat becomes a fight for survival against a group of murderous kids.

Johnny Kevorkian’s Await Further Instructions traps a family in a deadly game of compliance. A fascinating concept marred by poor execution.

Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo deliver an uncompromising slice of New French Extremity with Inside. A pregnant woman’s Christmas Eve becomes a fight for life.

Glen Morgan trades the atmospheric dread of the 1974 original for buckets of gore and a messy backstory. This 2006 remake is a loud, mean-spirited slasher disaster.

Franck Khalfoun delivers a claustrophobic holiday horror with P2. A late night at the office turns into a fight for survival in a locked-down parking garage.

Lawrence Gough delivers a tense, low-budget lockdown thriller with Salvage. Neve McIntosh stars in this gritty British horror set during a bloody Christmas Eve.

Tim Burton and Henry Selick deliver a visually stunning, song-filled masterpiece with The Nightmare Before Christmas. It is the perfect gateway into horror themes.