December 25^th is famously known to be one of the happiest holiday seasons in the world every year. Red and white colours come to mind. Family comedy films would be playing on cable TV. How about doing something a little bit different this year? Throw in a few scary movies to watch with the entire family to kick off a little bit of adrenaline to start the holidays with. Here are just some light-hearted and perhaps terrifying Christmas-themed movies that are meant to scare the bejesus out of you.

Black Christmas (1974)

The sorority sisters are starting to make plans for the holiday seasons when they received mischievous phone calls before it became threatening. Suddenly a girl was missing from the house and an adolescent girl was found dead in the park. The sorority house was then being wiretapped, but no one knows just how near this criminal is. Black Christmas was said to have influenced the legendary horror flick Halloween, so this is a must-watch.

Gremlins (1984)

Father gives his son a creature called Mogwai for Christmas with rules to follow such as keeping it away from bright light, it must never be wet and never feed it after midnight. Mayhem and deconstructions begin after Mogwai met with water and little monsters took over the town. Even as this movie had turned 34 years old, it is still a great movie with fantastic plots and lots of laughter, plus creepy moments for children.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

This incredible animation tells the story of Jack Skellington, who is a pumpkin king in Halloweentown that was bored of scaring people in the real world. When he came to know Christmastown for its lively spirit, Jack prepares to kidnap Santa Claus so he can take on the role himself, but things don’t go as planned. A genius movie produced by Tim Burton and Denise Di Novi with director Henry Selick that goes down in history as one of the most exciting films ever made.

The Children (2008)

Two families are set to have some bonding time in an English estate over laughter and hot chocolate. When the kids got sick one by one by some flu virus, it led them to have strange behaviours. The children have been contracted a disease that turned them into brutal killers in which the parents have to fight for survival. Now that makes your holiday getaways feel like a breeze, doesn’t it?

Krampus (2015)

This dark fantasy comedy movie is based on the Austro-Bavarian folklore known as a “half-goat, half-demon”. It was unleashed on the magical Christmas night when a family fight made the youngest son lose hope of the holiday spirit that they must all save each other from the Krampus. Despite the kitschy fun and little scares, Krampus still generates a goodwill backstory at the end of it all.

Better Watch Out (2017)

This black comedy that is set around Christmas talks about a babysitting job for a 12-year old boy who is in love with the sitter, in which turns out to be a long night of unwelcomed intruders. From the moment the brick flew through the upstairs window, bizarre events that take place after that makes Home Alone seems a little bit on the innocent side. Watch this if you want to know how a 17-year old teenage girl is supposed to keep everyone safe in this house during Christmas time.

So, what’s your favourite scary movie?

Image: Buena Vista Productions

Kevin was the former editor of two music and lifestyle platforms in Malaysia. He is an all-round music enthusiast from the '90's R&B to K-Pop who enjoys scary movies with the fast-forward button.