Anti-Christmas
by karlee1981 | created - 07 Jul 2014 | updated - 4 months ago | PublicMovies taking place at Christmas that are guaranteed not to leave you jolly.
These are sorted by genre; Drama, Action/Thriller, Crime/Mystery/Noir, Comedy, Horror, TV
I'm not counting movies where only a scene or two or only an early segment of the film take place around the Holidays. It has to be at least a good chunk of the movie and/or the big climax.
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- Movies or TV
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1. The Lion in Winter (1968)
PG | 134 min | Biography, Drama, History
1183 A.D.: King Henry II's three sons all want to inherit the throne, but he won't commit to a choice. When he allows his imprisoned wife Eleanor of Aquitaine out for a Christmas visit, they all variously plot to force him into a decision.
Director: Anthony Harvey | Stars: Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins, John Castle
Votes: 34,201 | Gross: $22.28M
What shall we hang, the holly or each other?
Henry examines his wrapped present:
It's heavy... Oh Eleanor, you've brought me my tombstone! You spoil me!
2. Brazil (1985)
R | 132 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A bureaucrat in a dystopic society becomes an enemy of the state as he pursues the woman of his dreams.
Director: Terry Gilliam | Stars: Jonathan Pryce, Kim Greist, Robert De Niro, Katherine Helmond
Votes: 211,167 | Gross: $9.93M
3. Fanny and Alexander (1982)
R | 188 min | Drama
Two young Swedish children in the 1900s experience the many comedies and tragedies of their lively and affectionate theatrical family, the Ekdahls.
Director: Ingmar Bergman | Stars: Bertil Guve, Pernilla Allwin, Kristina Adolphson, Börje Ahlstedt
Votes: 67,471 | Gross: $4.97M
4. Tangerine (2015)
R | 88 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A hooker tears through Tinseltown on Christmas Eve searching for the pimp who broke her heart.
Director: Sean Baker | Stars: Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, Karren Karagulian, Mickey O'Hagan
Votes: 35,499 | Gross: $0.70M
5. Ordinary People (1980)
R | 124 min | Drama
The accidental death of the older son of an affluent family deeply strains the relationships among the bitter mother, the good-natured father and the guilt-ridden younger son.
Director: Robert Redford | Stars: Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch, Timothy Hutton
Votes: 56,661 | Gross: $54.80M
6. The Apartment (1960)
Approved | 125 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A Manhattan insurance clerk tries to rise in his company by letting its executives use his apartment for trysts, but complications and a romance of his own ensue.
Director: Billy Wilder | Stars: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston
Votes: 196,702 | Gross: $18.60M
While the ending is happy and heartwarming (...spoilers, I guess), the sequence taking place at Christmas is anything but.
7. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
R | 133 min | Drama
In the Fall of 1963, a Korean War veteran and criminal pleads insanity and is admitted to a mental institution, where he rallies up the scared patients against the tyrannical nurse.
Director: Milos Forman | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Michael Berryman, Peter Brocco
Votes: 1,071,913 | Gross: $112.00M
8. The 400 Blows (1959)
Not Rated | 99 min | Crime, Drama
A young boy, left without attention, delves into a life of petty crime.
Director: François Truffaut | Stars: Jean-Pierre Léaud, Albert Rémy, Claire Maurier, Guy Decomble
Votes: 128,031
9. My Night at Maud's (1969)
GP | 105 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A devout Catholic man's rigid principles are challenged during a one-night stay with Maud, a divorced woman with an outsize personality.
Director: Éric Rohmer | Stars: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Françoise Fabian, Marie-Christine Barrault, Antoine Vitez
Votes: 14,539
10. My Favorite Season (1993)
Not Rated | 127 min | Drama, Romance
Old woman Berthe leaves her house to live in her daugter Emilie's one. Emilie and her brother Antoine have fallen out three years ago and have not seen each other since, but Emilie invites ... See full summary »
Director: André Téchiné | Stars: Catherine Deneuve, Daniel Auteuil, Marthe Villalonga, Jean-Pierre Bouvier
Votes: 2,231 | Gross: $0.76M
11. Ben Is Back (2018)
R | 103 min | Drama
A drug addicted teenage boy shows up unexpectedly at his family's home on Christmas Eve.
Director: Peter Hedges | Stars: Julia Roberts, Lucas Hedges, Courtney B. Vance, Kathryn Newton
Votes: 24,137 | Gross: $3.70M
%82 on Rotten Tomatoes
12. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
R | 159 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A Manhattan doctor embarks on a bizarre, night-long odyssey after his wife's admission of unfulfilled longing.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Todd Field, Sydney Pollack
Votes: 374,915 | Gross: $55.69M
13. Wake in Fright (1971)
R | 109 min | Drama, Thriller
After a bad gambling bet, a schoolteacher is marooned in a town full of crazy, drunk, violent men who threaten to make him just as crazy, drunk, and violent.
Director: Ted Kotcheff | Stars: Donald Pleasence, Gary Bond, Chips Rafferty, Sylvia Kay
Votes: 13,953 | Gross: $0.05M
14. Die Hard (1988)
R | 132 min | Action, Thriller
A New York City police officer tries to save his estranged wife and several others taken hostage by terrorists during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson
Votes: 945,211 | Gross: $83.01M
15. Lethal Weapon (1987)
R | 109 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Two newly paired cops who are complete opposites must put aside their differences in order to catch a gang of drug smugglers.
Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Mitchell Ryan
Votes: 276,266 | Gross: $65.21M
The first of several movies written by Shane Black that are scattered throughout this list.
16. The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
R | 121 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Samantha Caine lives in a small town with her daughter. Eight years ago she emerged, two months pregnant, from a nearby river with no memory of her past or who she is. However, she's getting closer to finding out about her past.
Director: Renny Harlin | Stars: Geena Davis, Samuel L. Jackson, Yvonne Zima, Craig Bierko
Votes: 85,649 | Gross: $33.33M
Shane Black
17. Batman Returns (1992)
PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Crime, Fantasy
While Batman deals with a deformed man calling himself the Penguin wreaking havoc across Gotham with the help of a cruel businessman, a female employee of the latter becomes the Catwoman with her own vendetta.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken
Votes: 327,354 | Gross: $162.83M
18. In Bruges (2008)
R | 107 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
After a job gone wrong, hitman Ray and his partner await orders from their ruthless boss in Bruges, Belgium, the last place in the world Ray wants to be.
Director: Martin McDonagh | Stars: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ciarán Hinds, Elizabeth Berrington
Votes: 461,333 | Gross: $7.76M
19. Three Days of the Condor (1975)
R | 117 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
A bookish CIA researcher in Manhattan finds all his co-workers dead, and must outwit those responsible until he figures out who he can really trust.
Director: Sydney Pollack | Stars: Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, Max von Sydow
Votes: 62,496 | Gross: $41.51M
20. Stalag 17 (1953)
Not Rated | 120 min | Comedy, Drama, War
After two Americans are killed while escaping from a German P.O.W. camp in World War II, the barracks black marketeer, J.J. Sefton, is suspected of being an informer.
Director: Billy Wilder | Stars: William Holden, Don Taylor, Otto Preminger, Robert Strauss
Votes: 58,794
21. The Wild Geese (1978)
R | 134 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A British banker hires a group of British mercenaries to rescue a deposed African President from the hands of a corrupt African dictator.
Director: Andrew V. McLaglen | Stars: Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Richard Harris, Hardy Krüger
Votes: 14,171
22. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
PG | 142 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
British agent James Bond goes undercover to pursue the villainous Ernst Stavro Blofeld, who is planning to hold the world to ransom.
Director: Peter R. Hunt | Stars: George Lazenby, Diana Rigg, Telly Savalas, Gabriele Ferzetti
Votes: 99,402 | Gross: $22.80M
23. Blast of Silence (1961)
Approved | 77 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A hired killer from Cleveland has a job to do on a second-string mob boss in New York, but a special girl from his past and a gun dealer with pet rats get in his way.
Director: Allen Baron | Stars: Allen Baron, Molly McCarthy, Larry Tucker, Peter Clune
Votes: 5,666
24. The Thin Man (1934)
TV-PG | 91 min | Comedy, Crime, Mystery
Former detective Nick Charles and his wealthy wife Nora investigate a murder case, mostly for the fun of it.
Director: W.S. Van Dyke | Stars: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Maureen O'Sullivan, Nat Pendleton
Votes: 32,527
25. Lady in the Lake (1946)
Passed | 105 min | Crime, Film-Noir, Mystery
The lady editor of a crime magazine hires Phillip Marlowe to find the wife of her boss. The private detective soon finds himself involved in murder.
Director: Robert Montgomery | Stars: Robert Montgomery, Audrey Totter, Lloyd Nolan, Tom Tully
Votes: 6,361
26. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
R | 103 min | Comedy, Crime, Mystery
After being mistaken for an actor, a New York thief is sent to Hollywood to train under a private eye for a potential movie role, but the duo are thrown together with a struggling actress into a murder mystery.
Director: Shane Black | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan, Corbin Bernsen
Votes: 237,337 | Gross: $4.24M
Shane Black
27. The Ice Harvest (2005)
R | 92 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A shady lawyer attempts a Christmas Eve crime, hoping to swindle the local mob out of some money. But his partner, a strip club owner, might have different plans for the cash.
Director: Harold Ramis | Stars: John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, Connie Nielsen, Lara Phillips
Votes: 25,001 | Gross: $8.82M
It's a perfectly fine bleak Film Noir. The problem is that it was marketed to the masses as a wacky comedy (every humorous moment from the movie is in the trailer).
28. Cash on Demand (1961)
Not Rated | 89 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A charming but ruthless criminal holds the family of a bank manager hostage as part of a cold-blooded plan to steal 97,000 pounds.
Director: Quentin Lawrence | Stars: Peter Cushing, André Morell, Richard Vernon, Norman Bird
Votes: 2,881
29. Life of Brian (1979)
R | 94 min | Comedy
Born on the original Christmas in the stable next door to Jesus Christ, Brian of Nazareth spends his life being mistaken for a messiah.
Director: Terry Jones | Stars: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam
Votes: 421,761 | Gross: $20.05M
30. The Ref (1994)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A cat burglar is forced to take a bickering, dysfunctional family hostage on Christmas Eve.
Director: Ted Demme | Stars: Denis Leary, Judy Davis, Kevin Spacey, Robert J. Steinmiller Jr.
Votes: 26,546 | Gross: $11.44M
It's like Christmas Vacation and American Beauty had a baby. Not a perfect movie. It's biggest flaw is a subplot that, thanks to a last minute change to the film's ending, seems to be simply forgotten half way through (and thus probably should've been edited out entirely).
31. Black Christmas (1974)
R | 98 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
During their Christmas break, a group of sorority girls are stalked by a stranger.
Director: Bob Clark | Stars: Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, John Saxon
Votes: 48,332 | Gross: $4.05M
A great film and the originator of the slasher genre (though I suppose that's not really something to be proud of).
Yes, there are plenty of Christmas-themed horror movies out there. I'm only putting good ones on MY list. Deal with it!
32. Better Watch Out (II) (2016)
R | 89 min | Comedy, Horror, Thriller
On a quiet suburban street, a babysitter must defend a twelve-year-old boy from intruders, only to discover it's far from a normal home invasion.
Director: Chris Peckover | Stars: Olivia DeJonge, Levi Miller, Ed Oxenbould, Aleks Mikic
Votes: 46,239 | Gross: $0.02M
DON'T WATCH ANY PREVIEWS. DON'T READ ANY DESCRIPTION LONGER THAN ONE SENTENCE. THEY GIVE TOO MUCH AWAY.
Just look at the Rotten Tomatoes score and jump the f@(k in!
%91 on Rotten Tomatoes
My biggest complaint; the movie our protagonists were watching should've been Black Christmas. 'The calls are coming from inside the house' would've been great foreshadowing!
33. Krampus (I) (2015)
PG-13 | 98 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
A boy who has a bad Christmas accidentally summons a festive demon to his family home.
Director: Michael Dougherty | Stars: Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, Allison Tolman
Votes: 84,058 | Gross: $42.59M
34. A Christmas Tale (2005 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 71 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
In 1985, in a coastal town, the friends Koldo, Peti, Tito, Eugenio and Moni stumble with a woman dressed like Santa Claus trapped in a hole in the woods. While the boys go to the police ... See full summary »
Directors: Paco Plaza, George A. Romero | Stars: Maru Valdivielso, Christian Casas, Roger Babià, Pau Poch
Votes: 1,806
Culminates with an axe-wielding criminal in a Santa suit chasing a gang of kids through an abandoned amusement park at night! ...Why are you still sitting there?
35. Christmas Evil (1980)
R | 100 min | Horror, Thriller
A toy factory worker, mentally scarred as a child upon learning Santa Claus is not real, suffers a nervous breakdown after being belittled at work, and embarks on a Yuletide killing spree.
Director: Lewis Jackson | Stars: Brandon Maggart, Jeffrey DeMunn, Dianne Hull, Andy Fenwick
Votes: 8,569
80% on Rotten Tomatoes
Please go look at the film's Wikipedia and Rotten Tomatoes pages to see some professional reviews.
I guess I can understand why (sneer) IMDb voters gave this movie such a low score. They were drawn in by a premise and a poster that seem to promise a gory holiday romp, and instead were treated to a slow-moving psychodrama about a stunted, naive man being gradually pushed to his breaking point, then stripped of his ideals and illusions. They didn't appreciate the sad tone, skilled writing and direction (at least for a low budget horror movie), or the Psycho-esque suspense, wherein a murderer encounters obstacles which make law-abiding audience members worry for his safety and his success.
Light-years better than Silent Night, Deadly Night.
36. Rare Exports (2010)
R | 84 min | Adventure, Fantasy, Horror
In the depths of the Korvatunturi mountains, 486 meters deep, lies the closest ever guarded secret of Christmas. The time has come to dig it up. This Christmas everyone will believe in Santa Claus.
Director: Jalmari Helander | Stars: Jorma Tommila, Onni Tommila, Peeter Jakobi, Tommi Korpela
Votes: 32,141 | Gross: $0.26M
37. Deadly Games (1989)
Not Rated | 92 min | Action, Horror, Thriller
On Christmas Eve, a resourceful young boy has to defend himself and his grandfather from a killer dressed as Santa Claus.
Director: René Manzor | Stars: Brigitte Fossey, Louis Ducreux, Patrick Floersheim, Alain Lalanne
Votes: 2,782
38. The Lodge (2019)
R | 108 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A soon-to-be stepmom is snowed in with her fiancé's two children at a remote holiday village. Just as relations begin to thaw between the trio, some strange and frightening events take place.
Directors: Severin Fiala, Veronika Franz | Stars: Riley Keough, Jaeden Martell, Lia McHugh, Richard Armitage
Votes: 57,802
75% on Rotten Tomatoes
39. P2 (2007)
R | 98 min | Crime, Horror, Thriller
A businesswoman is pursued by a psychopath after being locked in a parking garage on Christmas Eve.
Director: Franck Khalfoun | Stars: Rachel Nichols, Wes Bentley, Simon Reynolds, Philip Akin
Votes: 36,423 | Gross: $3.99M
Don't ask me why it has a %35 on Rotten Tomatoes or 37 on Metacritic, I think it's a perfectly decent kidnapped by delusional loner/escape/cat-and-mouse game/ suspense movie. Like a violent lowbrow Misery or 10 Cloverfield Lane.
Roger Ebert gave it 3 of 4 stars
40. A Christmas Horror Story (2015)
Not Rated | 99 min | Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
Interwoven stories that take place on Christmas Eve, as told by one festive radio host: A family brings home more than a Christmas tree, a student documentary becomes a living nightmare, a Christmas spirit terrorizes, Santa slays evil.
Directors: Grant Harvey, Steven Hoban, Brett Sullivan | Stars: William Shatner, George Buza, Rob Archer, Zoé De Grand Maison
Votes: 12,480
The stories vary wildly in both quality and tone. It's no Trick 'r Treat.
It has a %78 on Rotten Tomatoes (but I think that's being a bit generous)
41. Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (1972)
PG-13 | 91 min | Horror, Thriller
A demented widow lures unsuspecting children into her mansion in a bizarre "Hansel and Gretel" twist.
Director: Curtis Harrington | Stars: Shelley Winters, Mark Lester, Chloe Franks, Ralph Richardson
Votes: 2,533
42. The Children (2008)
R | 84 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A relaxing Christmas vacation turns into a terrifying fight for survival as the children begin to turn on their parents.
Director: Tom Shankland | Stars: Eva Birthistle, Stephen Campbell Moore, Jeremy Sheffield, Rachel Shelley
Votes: 19,027
%73 on Rotten Tomatoes
43. Dead End (I) (2003)
R | 85 min | Adventure, Horror, Mystery
Christmas Eve. On his way to his in-laws with his family, Frank Harrington decides to try a shortcut, for the first time in 20 years. It turns out to be the biggest mistake of his life.
Directors: Jean-Baptiste Andrea, Fabrice Canepa | Stars: Ray Wise, Lin Shaye, Mick Cain, Alexandra Holden
Votes: 32,268
44. Wind Chill (2007)
R | 91 min | Adventure, Drama, Horror
Two college students share a ride home for the holidays, but when they break down on a deserted stretch of road, they are preyed upon by the ghosts of people who have died there.
Director: Gregory Jacobs | Stars: Emily Blunt, Ashton Holmes, Martin Donovan, Ned Bellamy
Votes: 24,971 | Gross: $0.02M
45. Calvaire (2004)
Not Rated | 88 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
Marc, a traveling entertainer, is on his way home for Christmas when his van breaks down in the middle of a jerkwater town with some strange inhabitants.
Director: Fabrice du Welz | Stars: Laurent Lucas, Brigitte Lahaie, Gigi Coursigny, Jean-Luc Couchard
Votes: 13,785 | Gross: $0.00M
...Yowza. ...Yow. Za.
46. Inside (2007)
R | 82 min | Horror
Four months after the death of her husband, a woman on the brink of motherhood is tormented in her home by a strange woman who wants her unborn baby.
Directors: Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury | Stars: Alysson Paradis, Jean-Baptiste Tabourin, Claude Lulé, Dominique Frot
Votes: 44,675
All the Yowzas. All of them. In the world.
After watching this I swore to never watch another French Horror movie again. I did, of course.
47. Night of the Dark Full Moon (1972)
R | 81 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A man inherits a mansion which once was a mental home. He visits the place and begins to investigate some crimes that happened in old times, scaring the people living in the region.
Director: Theodore Gershuny | Stars: Patrick O'Neal, James Patterson, Mary Woronov, Astrid Heeren
Votes: 4,890
It's true, it ain't Shakespeare. But any patient fans of spooky mysteries should get some enjoyment out of this atmospheric proto-slasher.
48. The Day of the Beast (1995)
R | 99 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Bent on committing as many sins as possible to avert the birth of the beast, a Catholic priest teams up with a Black Metal aficionado and an Italian connoisseur of the occult. Now, he must become an unrelenting sinner. Is there still hope?
Director: Álex de la Iglesia | Stars: Álex Angulo, Armando De Razza, Santiago Segura, Terele Pávez
Votes: 23,771 | Gross: $0.02M
Wacky horror-comedy
49. Gremlins (1984)
PG | 106 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
A young man inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.
Director: Joe Dante | Stars: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, John Louie
Votes: 247,704 | Gross: $148.17M
50. Treevenge (2008)
16 min | Short, Comedy, Horror
Christmas trees ripped out of their forest plan revenge against people enjoying the holidays.
Director: Jason Eisener | Stars: Jonathan Torrens, Sarah Dunsworth, Maris Morgan, Jayden Taylor
Votes: 2,833
It reminds you why the short film is still a vital necessary. I can just imagine the kind of cheap, stupid, schlock we'd get if they'd tried to stretch this to feature length.
51. Home for the Holidays (1972 TV Movie)
73 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
An ailing man summons his four daughters home for Christmas and asks them to kill his new wife, who he suspects is poisoning him.
Director: John Llewellyn Moxey | Stars: Sally Field, Jill Haworth, Julie Harris, Eleanor Parker
Votes: 1,336
'Black Christmas' meets 'And Then There Were None' meets Aaron Spelling. I like it.
To the best of my knowledge, this 1972 tv movie is in the public domain. Therefore, I see no problem with sharing this youtube link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I70yFonCOQ
52.
Poirot (1989–2013)
Episode:
Hercule Poirot's Christmas
(1994)
TV-14 | 100 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The tyrannical patriarch of a dysfunctional but wealthy family summons his adult children for a Christmas reunion, but prior to the holiday his throat is slashed apparently by one of them.
Director: Edward Bennett | Stars: David Suchet, Philip Jackson, Vernon Dobtcheff, Simon Roberts
Votes: 2,576
53.
Midsomer Murders (1997– )
Episode:
Ghosts of Christmas Past
(2004)
TV-14 | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Nine years after Ferdy Villers killed himself, his family reunites for Christmas, unaware that someone is out for revenge.
Director: Renny Rye | Stars: John Nettles, John Hopkins, Jane Wymark, Laura Howard
Votes: 1,121
54.
The Decalogue (1989–1990)
Episode:
Dekalog, trzy
(1989)
TV-MA | 57 min | Drama
On Christmas Eve, a taxi driver's ex-lover asks him for help to look for her missing husband.
Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski | Stars: Daniel Olbrychski, Maria Pakulnis, Joanna Szczepkowska, Artur Barcis
Votes: 4,702
55.
The X-Files (1993–2018)
Episode:
How the Ghosts Stole Christmas
(1998)
TV-14 | 44 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
On Christmas Eve, Mulder and Scully find themselves trapped in a haunted house with two ghosts who are determined to prove just how lonely the holiday can be.
Director: Chris Carter | Stars: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Lily Tomlin, Edward Asner
Votes: 4,460
56.
Tales from the Crypt (1989–1996)
Episode:
And All Through the House
(1989)
Not Rated | 22 min | Comedy, Crime, Fantasy
A greedy woman makes the mistake of murdering her husband while an escaped mental patient dressed in a Santa Claus outfit is on the loose.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: John Kassir, Mary Ellen Trainor, Larry Drake, Marshall Bell
Votes: 2,189
Based on a story appearing in The Vault of Horror #35 from 1954. The story was also adapted as a segment for the 1972 Tales from the Crypt movie starring Joan Collins. Big star power or not, this is the better version.
Directed by Robert Zemeckis, who would later frighten us at Christmas with dead-eyed, soulless CGI abominations in Polar Express and Christmas Carol 2009.
57.
Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000–2024)
Episode:
Mary, Joseph and Larry
(2002)
TV-14 | 31 min | Comedy
On Dec. 23, Larry eats some cookies in the kitchen. Turns out those cookies were a nativity scene that Cheryl's religious sister made. Since it's Christmas Eve, too late to get a replacement. Larry finds a live Nativity at a local church.
Director: David Steinberg | Stars: Larry David, Jeff Garlin, Cheryl Hines, Paul Dooley
Votes: 1,768
58.
South Park (1997– )
Episode:
Woodland Critter Christmas
(2004)
TV-MA | 22 min | Animation, Comedy
Stan helps a group of woodland critters by killing a mountain lion, only to discover that he's helping them give birth to the Antichrist.
Director: Trey Parker | Stars: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Dante Alexander, Adrien Beard
Votes: 5,155
South Park has done several Xmas episodes, most still celebrate the holiday, talking poo or not. This one addresses the cloying cutesy-ness and forced sentimentality of TV Christmas specials and (halfway through the episode) really turns the concept on its head.
59.
Rick and Morty (2013– )
Episode:
Anatomy Park
(2013)
TV-14 | 22 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
It's Christmas. Rick shrinks Morty, injecting him into a homeless man to save Anatomy Park. Jerry tries to have a Christmas free of electronic devices, but regrets his decision when his parents introduce him to their new friend.
Directors: John Rice, Pete Michels | Stars: Justin Roiland, Chris Parnell, Spencer Grammer, Sarah Chalke
Votes: 15,652
60.
Sealab 2021 (2000–2005)
Episode:
Feast of Alvis
(2002)
TV-14 | Animation, Short, Comedy
Capt. Murphy's attempts at a happy Alvistide go awry thanks to non-Alvian crew members, an uncooperative electrician, and Alvis himself "crapping the buffet."
Directors: Adam Reed, Matt Thompson | Stars: Erik Estrada, Harry Goz, Ellis Henican, Bill Lobley
Votes: 88
61.
The Boondocks (2005–2014)
Episode:
A Huey Freeman Christmas
(2005)
TV-MA | 22 min | Animation, Action, Comedy
Huey's teacher gives him full creative control over the schools Christmas play.
Directors: Anthony Bell, Lesean Thomas | Stars: Regina King, John Witherspoon, Cedric Yarbrough, Gary Anthony Williams
Votes: 507
62.
Adam Ruins Everything (2015–2019)
Episode:
Adam Ruins Christmas
(2016)
TV-14 | 21 min | Documentary, Animation, Comedy
Ho ho...huh?! Adam teaches his sister that the real St. Nick story is a lot creepier than she thought, and modern Santa was created by commercialism only a century ago. Adam also reveals how gift-giving actually hurts the economy.
Director: Tim Wilkime | Stars: Adwin Brown, Adam Conover, Sasha A. Ali, Emily Axford
Votes: 133
63.
Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988–1999)
Episode:
Santa Claus
(1993)
Unrated | 93 min | Comedy, Sci-Fi
Mike and the bots watch Santa Claus mess around with a devil while trying to deliver gifts and then sing politically correct holiday songs.
Director: Jim Mallon | Stars: Trace Beaulieu, Michael J. Nelson, Jim Mallon, Kevin Murphy
Votes: 737
64. Cinematic Titanic: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (2008 Video)
Not Rated | 86 min | Comedy
The children of Mars are in a funk, so Martian King Kimar comes up with a solution: kidnap Santa Claus and bring him to their planet. Poorly conceived, sloppily made, and unfailingly ... See full summary »
Directors: Tim Ford, Stoney Sharp | Stars: Trace Beaulieu, Frank Conniff, Joel Hodgson, Mary Jo Pehl
Votes: 261
Much better than the Santa Claus Conquers the Martians Mystery Science Theater episode (made during the shows iffy early years).
The talented MST veterans at Rifftrax.com have also taken cracks at both Santa Claus and Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. As well as the immortal classics Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny, The Magic Christmas Tree, I believe in Santa Claus, Jack Frost '97, and the Star Wars Holiday Special. They've also riffed numerous Christmas cartoons and short educational films. Unfortunately, since there are no listings for web content on IMDb, I couldn't add them to this list.
Check out the Christmas page on the Rifftrax site and watch some previews
http://www.rifftrax.com/collection/christmas
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