Editorials
The 5 Best Holiday-Themed Horror Anthology Segments
For the last several decades, the major holidays have almost all played an integral role in the horror genre, particularly the big ones like Halloween and Christmas. Countless films over the years have used various different holidays – Mother’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, you name it – as jumping off points for their horror stories, giving us at least a couple different movies to choose from whenever the calendar flips over to another day of observance.
Just released onto VOD outlets, the brand spankin’ new anthology Holidays is the first horror movie to tackle all the major holidays in one fell swoop, and it’s a wonder that it took so long for such a film to come around. Watching the anthology, directed by some of the top names in horror, we couldn’t help but think of other anthologies that have featured holiday-themed segments, and in celebration of the release, we wanted to shine the spotlight on our favorites this week.
Of course, if you disagree with our picks, we’d love for you to drop us a comment!
Tales from the Crypt – “And All Through the House”
When Silent Night, Deadly Night was released in 1984, many upset parents couldn’t handle the depiction of Santa Claus as a serial killer, leading them to angrily picket the film. But it was 12 years prior that the very first Santa Claus killer was brought to the screen, and we have the 1972 anthology Tales from the Crypt to thank for that.
Based on a story found in Vault of Horror #35, the segment “And All Through the House” stars Joan Collins as a greedy woman who kills her husband on Christmas Eve, and is subsequently stalked by an escaped lunatic in a Santa suit (a nightmarish Oliver MacGreevy). Humorously, and horrifyingly, the night of holiday terror ends with the woman’s young daughter inviting the madman into their home, believing him to be the real Santa – a pitch perfect Tales twist, if there ever was one.
The same story went on to become a standout episode of HBO’s Tales from the Crypt, which is arguably even better.
Creepshow – “Father’s Day”
An homage to comic books like Tales from the Crypt and The Vault of Horror, the George Romero-directed Creepshow was released in 1982, and the first tale put a sinister spin on Father’s Day. Appropriately titled, well, “Father’s Day,” the segment was written by Stephen King and tells the story of Aunt Bedelia, a woman driven to insanity by her cruel father, Nathan Grantham. One Father’s Day, Nathan’s demands for a special cake led Bedelia to bash his head in with a marble ashtray, and the bulk of the tale takes place years later – when Bedelia returns to the scene of the crime… on Father’s Day.
Of course, Nathan Grantham soon emerges from his grave and gets revenge on his murderous daughter, driven by his insatiable appetite for the Father’s Day cake he never received on the day he was murdered. Bathed in bright reds and blues, Nathan’s appearances look like EC Comics panels come to life, and the final reveal of the cake he ends up making for himself is as iconic as horror anthology segments get. Oh and don’t forget the Ed Harris dancing scene, which is the icing on this cake.
Trick ‘r Treat – “The School Bus Massacre”
Singling out one segment in Michael Dougherty’s Trick r’ Treat and proclaiming it the best is nearly impossible, because the collection of Halloween horror stories makes for what is easily the most perfect anthology in the genre’s history. Oozing with atmosphere and festive style, Trick ‘r Treat is all around the very best representation of Halloween that has ever been brought to the screen, but if forced to choose a favorite segment, “The School Bus Massacre” is the one I have to go with.
The segment tells of a local urban legend that began 30 years prior, when a school bus driver was paid off by parents to kill their mentally challenged children one Halloween. Shackling the kids to their seats, the man intends on driving the bus off a cliff and into a lake, and though the dastardly plan doesn’t go off without a hitch, he accomplishes the horrifying mission. In the present, a group of friends go to the infamous quarry on Halloween night to pull a prank on outcast Rhonda, but their plan backfires when the murdered children rise up from their watery grave.
Dougherty wasn’t afraid to head into uncomfortably dark territory to convey the importance of upholding Halloween traditions, which makes “The School Bus Massacre” an unforgettable horror anthology segment – and perhaps one of the best Halloween horror stories ever told on screen.
Tales of Halloween – “Sweet Tooth”
Like Trick ‘r Treat, last year’s Tales of Halloween was an anthology of stories set on Halloween night, though each of them were written/directed by different filmmakers. The anthology was book-ended by the two best segments, kicking off with Hills Run Red director Dave Parker’s “Sweet Tooth” – a cautionary tale about eating too much candy on Halloween night.
In the short, a teenage babysitter and her boyfriend tell young Mikey the legend of Sweet Tooth, a once-human boy whose parents would steal all the candy he collected on Halloween. Fed up, the boy killed his parents one Halloween and literally ate the candy they already consumed, digging it out of their stomachs, and the teens scare Mikey by telling him that the spirit of Sweet Tooth will come for him if he eats too much candy. As expected, Sweet Tooth does show up, and he’s hungrier than ever.
Out of all the segments in Tales of Halloween, “Sweet Tooth” is the one most ripe for a feature-length expansion, as it gives rise to a brand new holiday horror icon who could easily be the star of his own franchise. But even if it’s the only taste of the character we ever get, it’s sweet enough to satisfy.
Holidays – “Easter”
Eight different stories comprise this year’s Holidays, and the fun thing about the anthology is that the individual holidays are highlighted in the order in which they take place – it begins with a Valentine’s Day segment and ends with one set on New Year’s Eve, hitting every major holiday (aside from Thanksgiving) in-between. They range from truly bizarre (Gary Shore’s “St. Patrick’s Day) to absolutely bone-chilling (Anthony Scott Burns’ “Father’s Day”), and my personal favorite of the bunch is set on Easter.
Directed by Nicholas McCarthy (At the Devil’s Door), the film’s “Easter” segment is a truly unsettling examination of the titular holiday, centered on a young girl who can’t wrap her head around the idea that the day marks both the rebirth of Jesus Christ and the arrival of a giant bunny. McCarthy blends the two Easter tales together for a standout short film that is surprisingly (given its brief run-time) rich with mythology, and it’s also home to the most nightmarish depiction of a beloved holiday icon that you’ll likely ever see. Pure. Nightmare. Fuel.
Finally, Easter has an awesome horror film to call its own – even if it’s a short one.
We’re now officially in the back half of 2026 now that July is here, but what a year it’s been for horror so far. The sequels and reboots are still holding strong at the box office with films like Scream 7 and Scary Movie, but it’s also been a year where new voices are shattering records in unexpected ways.
Markiplier eschewed conventional production and distribution channels with his feature adaptation of Iron Lung, for example. We’re also still in the midst of Backrooms and Obsession-mania, with the former back in theaters with bonus footage and the latter extending its box office reign. Liminal horror has exploded, and low-budget indie horror is seeing just as much, and sometimes even more, success as big studio-backed fare.
All of which to say that 2026 has been a hell of a year so far for the genre, and it’s only getting warmed up. Still on the way are Evil Dead Burn, Insidious: Out of the Further, Resident Evil, Clayface, Whalefall, and Werwulf, just to name a few.
Also catch up with the Best Horror Books and Best Horror Games of the year so far.
Here are the ten best horror movies of the year (so far).
10) Chime
Horror master Kiyoshi Kurosawa is back with one of his most haunting yet, though one that’d likely be higher on this list if it were more accessible. The 45-minute feature was initially produced and distributed as an NFT before receiving a theatrical run earlier this year, with no plans to distribute digitally or on home media. It spins a somewhat cryptic tale, introducing a culinary teacher, Takuji Matsuoka (Mutsuo Yoshioka, Never After Dark), whose classroom becomes disrupted by a strange sound that leads to violence. It’s a quiet but haunting unraveling, one that leaves no aspect of Matsuoka’s life untouched, in true Kiyoshi Kurosawa style. That it defies any easy explanation also ensures Chime embeds itself under your skin.
9) Send Help
Sam Raimi’s splatstick return to form is a delightfully deranged two-hander that doubles as infectious catharsis for anyone who’s ever had a bad boss. Rachel McAdams (Doctor Strange) and Dylan O’Brien (The Maze Runner) face off when their characters are shipwrecked on an island, prompting a bid for survival in more ways than one. While O’Brien often matches her, It’s McAdams who shines as she deftly handles everything that Raimi, working from a script by Damian Shannon & Mark Swift (Freddy vs. Jason), throws at her. Send Help is full of vibrant personality, packed with all of Raimi’s signatures, making for one of the most entertaining films of the year.
8) Mārama
New Zealand filmmaker Taratoa Stappard’s gothic tale begins in familiar fashion, with Mary Stevens (Ariāna Osborne) arriving in Yorkshire upon invitation to learn more about her parents, only to find the remote manor haunted. Just when Stappard’s period horror story feels doomed to succumb to familiar gothic trappings and jump scares, though, its true horror emerges. The more Mary uncovers about her heritage and her Māori culture, the clearer it becomes that this grim home is built on violence and exploitation. Stappard’s vision comes into its own when it leaves behind its gothic influences and embraces its Māori identity; few scenes are as powerful as when Osborne’s Mary performs a haka in response to her vile oppressors, heralding in a righteous bloodbath.
7) Touch Me
Writer/Director Addison Heimann draws from retro Japanese horror, exploitation cinema, and perhaps even hentai for his campy, psychosexual sophomore feature. A toxic friendship plagued by trauma, codependency, and addiction gets tested to the extreme when Brian (Lou Taylor Pucci), a hip-hop-loving, tracksuit-sporting alien, gets between them. Olivia Taylor Dudley and Jordan Gavaris have an easy rapport and play off each other well as directionless, depressed Millennial besties prone to ignoring their problems until they become insurmountable. But it’s Pucci’s inspired, childlike take on the chicken nugget-loving extraterrestrial with tentacled secrets of his own that steals the show. Heimann has a lot on his mind with his sophomore feature and neatly condenses it all into a quirky, eccentric psychosexual camp odyssey that leans heavily into humor.
6) Backrooms
Director Kane Parsons translates the vast liminal labyrinth of his web series to the big screen in his feature debut, one that instills existential dread with its atmospheric horror and narrative. The ‘ 90s-set horror movie introduces a protagonist with a serious chip on his shoulder over life’s many disappointments, who then discovers his furniture store harbors a hidden door that leads to an endless labyrinth. It’s not just the incredible production design that instills a disorienting sense of doom and terror, but the lead characters’ palpable and profound sense of loneliness and isolation. Parsons exudes impressive confidence and control as he methodically entrusts his quiet worldbuilding and talented leads to carry the dramatic weight. While Backrooms does deflate by the film’s cryptic, cliffhanger-y end, it’s arguably the most effective and scariest yet at capturing the uncanny valley of generative AI.
5) Leviticus
Writer/Director Adrian Chiarella uses an It Follows-like supernatural entity that relentlessly stalks its prey as a launchpad to immerse audiences in the horror of constantly living in fear for simply existing. A conversion therapy ritual among a deeply conservative community plunges a pair of erstwhile lovers into a nightmarish bid for survival when it summons a force that takes the shape of those whom the afflicted desires most. Chiarella refines the horror mechanics and metaphor with much sharper precision, ensuring that the scares and emotional gravity of the young couple’s terrifying predicament reach their intended impact. It’s the central layered performances by Joe Bird (Talk to Me) and Stacy Clausen (Thrash) that clinch emotional investment in their heartbreaking plight, ensuring that the social horror cuts deep.
4) Redux Redux
The McManus Brothers, writer/director duo Matthew and Kevin McManus (The Block Island Sound), dials up the intensity of a classic revenge story by setting it within a multiverse, where Irene Kelly (Michaela McManus) seeks to snuff out every single iteration of her daughter’s murderer, Neville (Jeremy Holm). The more she stalks and slays every world’s Neville, the more she risks losing her humanity entirely. Through a narrative foil in Mia (Stella Marcus), Redux Redux smartly bypasses repetition as it explores the moral complexities and vulnerabilities of Irene’s extremely violent quest. Holm becomes utterly terrifying in the climax, ensuring that no matter whether Irene loses herself to vengeance for good or not, it’s justified if it means ridding the world of this sick maniac.
3) 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Director Nia DaCosta takes the reins in the second entry in writer Alex Garland and original director Danny Boyle’s trilogy, picking up from the previous conclusion that saw Spike (Alfie Williams) fleeing from the infected straight into the welcoming arms of Sir Jimmy Crystal (Sinners’ Jack O’Connell). From here, DaCosta presents a stark contrast between humanity’s best and worst. The former sees the tender studies of Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) make poignant strides toward humankind’s future, while the latter unleashes more pain and bloodshed courtesy of the Jimmies. The dual paths of light and dark collide in one epic conclusion, an inspired confrontation between good and evil on a stunning set piece of heavy metal insanity. Yet it’s DaCosta’s handling of both extremes that impresses most, teeing up one epic conclusion to this trilogy.
2) Obsession
Sketch comedian turned horror filmmaker Curry Barker (Milk & Serial) wrings blood-curdling terror from a classic Monkey’s Paw wish fulfillment scenario in a way that no one could have ever anticipated. To say that it’s taken the box office by storm would be a massive understatement; Obsession is the top horror movie of the year in terms of gross. It’s not hard to see why, either. While Monkey’s Paw scenarios often yield predictable outcomes, and this outcome is practically telegraphed from the start, Barker manages to surprise with the journey itself. And it’s one insane journey paved with blood-soaked violence and no shortage of nightmare fuel. What truly sets it apart, though, is leads Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette as the central pair undone by one vicious wish. Expect to see a lot more from breakout Navarette.
1) Hokum
A surly, traumatized writer must break free from his self-imposed shackles of guilt when confronted by a wicked witch haunting a quaint Irish inn in the latest by writer/director Damian McCarthy (Oddity). Adam Scott’s Ohm makes for an atypical but rewarding protagonist, and his complicated emotional journey gives way to a deeply moving story of a man so thoroughly broken by personal trauma that he constantly dwells in darkness. In true McCarthy style, expect the creepy as hell witch to dole out some supernatural retribution for crimes committed, but never in the way you’d expect. The filmmaker has a way of making whimsy pure nightmare fuel; Hokum distorts a kids’ show into eerie, uncanny valley-induced terror in its torment of Ohm. Channeling Stephen King, this creeper plays like a traditional campfire tale in mood and style, infusing genuine scares with a sense of magic and heart.
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