For horror fans everywhere, the cheery holiday season can put a damper on those spooky vibes and crush the adrenaline rush that comes with our favorite movies. Some films, however, bring the best of both worlds: holiday cheer and chills.
Black Christmas (2019)
I saw this movie last week and it’s what inspired me to put together this little list. In a remake of a 1974 film, a group of sorority girls are attacked by members of a fraternity with black magic (yes, you read that right).
This movie is kind of wild, mostly thanks to the source of the black magic being some sort of gooey substance inside the founder of the students’ university’s bust, but also because of how intense it got, and not just in a horrific sense (which was based on pretty run-of-the-mill slasher tropes).
A very feminism-heavy movie, the film focuses on sexual assault and makes the fraternity boys the enemy, which is something refreshing for me as a female college student. It was overall enjoyable, and at only about an hour and a half long, you can’t go wrong this holiday season.
Red Christmas (2017)
Red Christmas is a lesser-known slasher film. Like a lot of Christmas movies, it’s centered around a hard-headed family and takes place during their holiday festivities. In this case, a killer comes to their door and begins picking off the family members.
The thing about Red Christmas is that it seems to be one of those intentionally bad films, as a lot of horror movies have been since that time. They do it sort of well, in that it’s enjoyable to watch and quite entertaining, but for me, it gets a little old by the end.
Something that I very much appreciate about the film is the lighting involved—obviously inspired by classic Christmas lights, the scenes are often very glow-y and color-toned.
Krampus (2015)
Most of us know the European legend of Krampus—a monster who punishes naughty children around Christmas—but the movie Krampus takes that legend and turns it into a dark-toned horror film.
During Christmas time, family fighting results in an accidental summoning of Krampus himself after a letter to Santa is ripped apart and thrown out of a window. After that, violence and horror ensues.
The thing about this movie is that it’s kind of ridiculous, but in a funny way. There are jump scares, cheesy jokes, and general almost cringe-worthy parts like demented toys that make it quite an experience.
