Christmas is arriving this week, which means that the final call for holiday preparations and festivities is at hand. Soak up every last bit of holiday horror fun while you can; a new year is just around the corner.
The good news is that there’s no shortage of Christmas horror available. This week’s streaming picks are dedicated to more underseen selections, horror movies that don’t receive the same level of attention as essential classics like Black Christmas (streaming on Screambox, Shudder, and beyond), Gremlins (HBO Max), or Krampus (Peacock or Shudder).
As always, here’s where you can stream these underseen holiday horror movies this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
A Christmas Tale – AMC+, Plex, Shudder, Tubi
Before Paco Plaza helmed international horror hits, including the [REC] franchise and Netflix’s Veronica, he directed an Amblin-like kids story that turns grim with the made-for-TV movie A Christmas Tale, as part of Six Films to Keep You Awake. The 1985-set story follows five twelve-year-old friends playing together in the woods when they come across a pit with an unconscious woman dressed as Santa Claus trapped at the bottom. The bored friends are split on whether to help or use her for gain, leading to grisly horror for all. It’s a mean little tale that separates the naughty from the nice.
Another WolfCop – Hoopla, Roku Channel
Lowell Dean’s follow-up to the raucous horror-comedy WolfCop is bigger, better, sillier, and more monster-filled. It also happens to be set over Christmas. The sequel’s central plot toe dips a bit into sci-fi territory as Lou, his partner Tina, and a few unexpected allies team up to solve a new evil plot involving a brewery. Dean’s love letter to Canada and B-movie fun delivers no shortage of wacky werewolf moments, including a certain alcoholic werewolf cop getting inappropriately festive for the holidays. There’s also the matter of Willie (Jonathan Cherry), who has a pesky new alien problem to deal with. This pick is for those seeking irreverent holiday fun.
The Day of the Beast – Fandango at Home, Fandor, Hoopla, Kanopy, Midnight Pulp, Pluto TV, Prime Video, Screambox, Tubi
A Catholic priest teams up with a metalhead and a television occult specialist on Christmas Eve to stop the Antichrist’s birth, an apocalypse triggering event. What does that entail? Racking up as many sins as possible. That creates no shortage of comedic moments amongst an unlikely trio, but the horror equally matches the humor. Alex de la Iglesia’s unique sense of humor and heavy metal spirit means this holiday horror movie should have a bigger following than it does. The Day of the Beast also made Satanic goats cool long before The Witch. While Christmas is vital to the plot, expect the wacky sinning hijinks to take precedence over yuletide theming.
The Sacrifice Game – AMC+, Shudder
Teens Samantha (Madison Baines) and Clara (Georgia Acken) are stuck at boarding school with chaperones for the holiday break, which is bad enough before the arrival of a murderous cult. What begins as something all too familiar eventually gives way to something more satisfying and charming in Jenn Wexler’s sophomore feature. Wexler’s instincts for pacing, tension building, and knowing when and where to pull the rug out from viewers elevate this holiday horror entry. While the ’70s set Christmas horror movie might be a grim downer for some of the unlucky characters, it winds up a charming treat for audiences. The power of friendship amidst a Satanic holiday invasion winds up a seasonal delight.
Silent Night – AMC+, Hoopla, Kanopy
Writer/Director Camille Griffin’s feature debut, Silent Night, begins as a typical family comedy centered around the stresses of the holidays. A large family attempts to celebrate Christmas while navigating personal conflicts, secrets, and usual holiday stressors. But it quickly becomes clear that there’s something sinister bubbling just beneath the surface of the yuletide festivities, something far more grim than any familial skeletons lurking in the closet. Griffin’s debut boasts a tremendous ensemble cast that leans into holiday cheer before delivering a bleak sucker punch reveal that shoves Silent Night firmly into genre territory. It builds to a somber finale, though not entirely without hope.
