20 of the Best Christmas Horror Movies [Paste Magazine]

20 of the Best Christmas Horror Movies [Paste Magazine]
What exactly is it that compels the proliferation of Christmas-themed horror films over the years? Is it the inherently transgressive nature of bloodying a holiday that is meant to represent joy, peace on Earth, and goodwill toward men? It is, after all, all too easy to set a horror film on Halloween, a day when the evil forces on Earth are expected to roam free. Setting a bloodbath against the pristine, jealously guarded specter of Christmas, on the other hand, has always been angling for a certain level of purposeful offense, because there have always been folks who take the defense of the holiday’s image very seriously. Perhaps tearing down that institution (or at least gently ribbing it) is simply too tempting to resist.
Regardless of the why question, though, Christmas has been a fertile ground for horror cinema for half a century, with entries going back at least as far as 1972’s Silent Night, Bloody Night, and arguably including every adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Along the way, there have been classics like Bob Clark’s deeply influential Black Christmas in 1974 (already rebooted twice now, with lesser results), and an innumerable array of cinematic coal lumps and bad puns, from Santa Claws to Santa’s Slay.
In the spirit of the season, please enjoy this starter collection of Christmas horror classics, along with a few entries of the “so bad they’re good” variety. Please note: We figured A Nightmare Before Christmas was probably too much of a gimme (and not really “horror”), so you won’t see it here.
https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/horror-movies/best-christmas-horror-movies-black-christmas/#20-silent-night-deadly-night-part-2

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