Editorials
The 6 Best Christmas Horror Movies of the 21st Century (So Far)
When it comes to holiday horror movies, it’s safe to say that Christmas has by far emerged as the most prolific. That’s only increased exponentially since the turn of the 21st century, ensuring a glut of holiday horror offerings this time of year.
While Christmas horror has become as rampant as shark flicks, quantity doesn’t always equate to quality. As with any crowded subgenre, there are more cinematic lumps of coal than not in the holiday horror sphere, but that doesn’t mean that the 21st century hasn’t delivered a few noteworthy entries worthy of quintessential holiday viewing status. But what makes a worthy Christmas horror movie?
The ideal Christmas horror movie captures the essence of the holiday through theming, both in imagery and spirit. In other words, the film should be saturated in holiday iconography (with few exceptions, of course), with the holiday having a direct impact on the film’s events. It should also be horror, which means that crowd-pleasing genre adjacent thrillers like Violent Night don’t count, even if bloody enough for a horror fan.
With that in mind, we’ve selected the six best Christmas horror movies of the 21st century so far…
Inside (2007)
Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s debut begins with a tragedy, plunging its pregnant lead character into a depression and kickstarting an intense, visceral bid for survival over Christmas. It’s a ruthless entry in home invasion horror that doles out punishment and pain, a peak of New French Extremity. Béatrice Dalle’s La Femme makes for a bone-chilling villainess that ensures there’s no shortage of Christmas reds splattered all over the home. The excess of bloodshed is about the only prominent reference to the holidays in this grim holiday shocker, but you’ll be too busy holding your breath from the relentless tension to notice. There’s also a strong argument to be made that few films capture the melancholy the holidays can evoke like this movie, as it centers on a woman too grief-stricken to celebrate, leaving her vulnerable to attack while the neighborhood is quiet.
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)
A holiday horror story from Sisu director Jalmari Helander that hearkens back to Santa’s darker roots, this Finnish fantasy horror follows Pietari, a boy whose belief in Santa is the very thing that will save everyone when an archaeological dig unearths the real thing. Too bad the real thing is the stuff of nightmares. Filthy elves galore, reindeer, gingerbread, and one monstrous version of Santa bring the yuletide fun and chaos. Rare Exports puts precedence on the elves when it comes to Santa’s reign of terror; the mythical patron of Christmas is relegated to looming threat while his naked helpers do the dirty work of rounding up naughty children.
Krampus (2015)
When Max’s (Emjay Anthony) dysfunctional family won’t stop fighting, and nothing goes as planned, he turns his back on Christmas and accidentally summons Krampus. All hell breaks loose as Krampus and his horde of minions punish Max and his family in Michael Dougherty‘s fan favorite holiday horror movie. Arguably the definitive holiday horror movie of the century so far by pure Christmas theming alone; every single plot point, creature, and detail is in service of the holiday here. It’s both naughty and nice, in terms of festive horror spirit and warm cozy feels.
Better Watch Out (2016)
Chris Peckover’s home invasion horror movie breaks all the rules. Better Watch Out follows 12-year-old Luke Lerner (Levi Miller) as he’s left alone for the night with babysitter Ashley (Olivia DeJonge) while his parents attend a holiday party. Harboring a longtime crush, Luke is hoping to seduce Ashley. Their quiet night of pizza and horror movie watching is interrupted first by Luke’s best friend Garrett (Ed Oxenbould) and then by a masked intruder who means harm. Full of biting, pitch-black humor, expect this one to get mean.
Anna and the Apocalypse (2018)
There’s no such thing as a holiday ending in this coming-of-age zombie musical, which means that there are some devastating losses for the high school teens who find themselves dealing with an apocalypse over Christmas. But it’s hard to feel too down with such upbeat, earworm songs and choreography that embrace the holiday spirit in a massive way. Director John McPhail packs this winsome horror musical full of Christmas iconography before splattering the snow red with zombie carnage.
Terrifier 3 (2024)
Photo Credit: Jesse Korman; Courtesy of Dark Age Cinema
In Damien Leone‘s sequel, Sienna and her brother attempt to embrace the Christmas season and put their trauma behind them. That’s precisely when Art the Clown pops back up to spread holiday fear. Terrifier 3 decks the halls when it comes to holiday theming, with Art gleefully trying his hand at playing Santa in the way only this horror icon could manage. Also true to Christmas, it’s a sequel that really leans into the bible when it comes to its lore and iconography, too. That it became such a box office smash hit and is Certified Fresh on both the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer and Popcornmeter solidifies this carnage-fueled movie as one of this century’s most significant holiday horror releases.
Editorials
‘The Vampire Lestat’ Concert Event Launches New Season With The Ultimate Expression Of Fandom
There are thousands of passionate fans decked out in gothic chic and champing at the bit like feral creatures. They’re screaming for Lestat, a legendary vampire-turned-rock star, as if the entire crowd has been glamored into submission.
The entire experience is magic, but not because some supernatural thrall has been activated. What’s going on is even more special. It’s the power of the effusive fandom that’s been authentically assembled by AMC’s sublime Immortal Universe, namely Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, now, The Vampire Lestat.
The Vampire Lestat is far from the first Anne Rice adaptation, and it’s not as if there’s been a lack of erotic vampire material for audiences to sink their teeth into. On June 2nd, during a one-night-only spectacle, New York City’s prestigious Beacon Theatre shook from Sam Reid’s bravado performance and an audience full of adoring fans who had already memorized Lestat’s songs.
It’s clear that The Vampire Lestat just hits differently than its predecessors. It’s become more than just a TV series at this point, and this opulent display of ego, swagger, and pure sex is the perfect way to premiere the new season and give back to the fans who helped make Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat such a breakout success. It’s exactly the sort of hyperbolized hedonism that would make Lestat cackle.
For all intents and purposes, AMC has successfully created the illusion that this concert/premiere is just one of the many destinations on Lestat and his band’s 54-stop tour that is simultaneously playing out on this season of television. It’s such a sophisticated and thorough level of interactive fan engagement that the audience doesn’t just understand, but also manages to accentuate through its involvement.
It’s a level of seamless synergy that’s not unlike the give-and-take relationship of vampire and victim.
Before the concert started, “LeStans” were sitting in the Beacon and flipping through a fake Rolling Stone issue with Lestat emblazoned on the cover, complete with interviews with the undead frontman inside. Other fans were admiring the vinyl pressing of Lestat’s EP as they walked past a section of undead band merch. Fandom and fantasy blur together, and it all becomes this elaborate, immersive experience. Fan celebration, erotic gothic fantasy, and a lavish rock concert transform into one beautiful thing.
To this point, AMC Global Media’s Chief Content Officer and President of AMC Studios, Dan McDermott, introduced the event by reiterating to fans, “You are the heartbeat of the series.” That’s abundantly clear on nights like this as that heartbeat collectively pulses to this performance. In terms of how AMC engages with The Vampire Lestat’s fans, it’s as bold a reinvention as the season itself.
This intuitive gamble speaks to AMC’s creativity in this department and a fandom that is eager to seize such opportunities. It’s the same innovation that led to zombie walks for The Walking Dead and real-life Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant pop-ups from Breaking Bad. It’s a great way to pump up the audience for The Vampire Lestat and then maintain that enthusiasm for the whole season.
For most series, a rock ‘n’ roll concert just doesn’t make any sense as a promotional tool. The Vampire Lestat finds itself in a very unique position where it can deliver an excellent concert at an iconic theater, but also use it to showcase The Vampire Lestat’s music by Daniel Hart (who was shredding on stage alongside Reid and the rest of their band) and, more than anything, Sam Reid’s endless charisma.
The way in which Reid feeds off of the crowd’s energy, modulating his performance and giving different sections of the Beacon life, is a perfect distillation of the series’ thoughtful relationship with its audience and how it’s become such a breakout success for AMC. AMC Studios President Dan McDermott emphasized that the fans are the reason that the show is still here and why an event like this is even possible. It’s rare to see a series in which every single cog in the machine is so perfectly attuned to its fans. Reid’s fans already cheer whenever they see him, so why not translate that to a concert setting?
It’s clear in this season of television that Reid was born to be a rock star, but it’s surreal to see him effortlessly command the stage — and the audience — at every step of the concert. He recites Shakespeare monologues and bitches out Armand between songs, all while the audience screams in support. For the duration of this concert, Reid is Lestat, and he’s given thousands of fans a memory that’s as immortal as any vampire.
Now bring on the encore and get this show on the road!
You must be logged in to post a comment.