00:00 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most memorable horror
00:12 films that take place during a holiday.
00:15 Warning, spoilers ahead.
00:25 Number 10, Anna and the Apocalypse.
00:37 Have you ever heard the old adage, "The show must go on"?
00:41 Well, apparently that also applies during a zombie apocalypse.
00:47 Anna and the Apocalypse is a coming-of-age Christmas zombie musical extravaganza full
00:53 of peppy songs, growing pains, and actual pains.
00:56 Because, you know, zombies.
00:59 Anna's tunnel vision as she sings out her dreams for the future, unaware that her neighbourhood
01:03 is being besieged by the undead, is a perfect encapsulation of the movie's humour and heart.
01:20 Even the most sceptical horror viewer might be turned.
01:23 And for the unimaginable horrors, stay for the catchy lyrics.
01:26 Number 9, Better Watch Out.
01:29 Babysitters protecting their charge from masked killers isn't exactly a novel concept.
01:34 This new horror classic turns that scenario on its head by making the kids the villains.
01:42 Twelve-year-old Luke starts the movie as an overly precocious cringe factory whose clumsy
01:47 flirting with his babysitter gets inappropriate real fast.
01:57 But it's the revelation that he's staged a home invasion plot to impress her that touches
02:02 off a chain reaction of bad decisions and sadistic games.
02:06 There's even a fun reference to the Home Alone brand of yuletide violence.
02:10 Let's just say it's not so charming this time around.
02:18 Kids just have no respect these days.
02:21 Number 8, Terror Train.
02:23 Set on an excursion train during a fraternity's New Year's Eve celebration, the story follows
02:28 a group of college kids paying the piper for a prank they pulled several years before.
02:37 The killer is able to use the cover of a costume party to switch identities at will.
02:47 With some good performances, genuine scares, and great cinematography from frequent Stanley
02:52 Kubrick collaborator John Alcott, it deserves a serious reappraisal.
03:02 It's not as well-remembered as Jamie Lee Curtis's other horror movies from the period, but Terror
03:06 Train adds some new wrinkles and style to the slasher formula.
03:11 Number 7, Krampus.
03:13 If this dysfunctional family can't come together for the holidays, they might just die trying.
03:18 In this intense horror-comedy, a family has lost the Christmas spirit, and really, all
03:23 patience for one another.
03:27 A little boy named Max writes a letter to Santa that's intercepted by Krampus, a demon
03:37 from hell with the ability to possess toys and gingerbread men.
03:45 Krampus begins spiriting away members of his family one by one.
04:01 It's got yuletide thrills, tongue-in-cheek humor, and genuinely shocking deaths, because
04:07 nothing says "Christmas spirit" like running for your life from killer elves.
04:12 Number 6, Silent Night, Deadly Night.
04:15 Watching your parents be slaughtered by a deranged killer in a Santa Claus suit is enough
04:19 to drive anyone over the edge.
04:29 Between that and growing up in an abusive orphanage, Billy Chapman hasn't had the best
04:34 luck.
04:35 But when he's forced to wear a Santa suit at a local toy store, it sends him on a murderous
04:39 rampage.
04:47 Billy's not like other faceless slasher killers, though.
04:50 There's a moody and wounded Norman Bates-like quality to him, which just makes his killing
04:55 spree all the more psychologically haunting.
05:02 Silent Night, Deadly Night was not the first movie to feature a killer Santa Claus, but
05:16 it earned the ire of concerned parents across the country when it was first released.
05:21 Number 5, My Bloody Valentine.
05:23 We do love a killer with a flair for poetry.
05:35 In this underrated Canadian slasher, a killer in mining gear and a gas mask terrorizes the
05:40 working-class town of Valentine Bluffs with menacing valentines and a pickaxe.
05:46 For such an understated movie, My Bloody Valentine takes some wild swings.
05:51 Pun intended.
05:52 It's got revenge, torn-out hearts, cannibalism, and even a folksy original theme song that
05:58 plays over the end credits.
06:10 With other slashers focusing on teenagers and taking place in more middle-class surroundings,
06:15 this change of pace is refreshing.
06:23 Plus the scenes in the coal mines add a brooding and dark atmosphere to the entire movie.
06:28 Number 4, Trick or Treat.
06:30 It's been said that scary movies featuring kids generally spare them from harm, but not
06:35 this one.
06:40 No one is spared from the horrors of poisoned candy or school bus disasters in this innovative
06:46 and darkly funny anthology film.
06:48 Trick or Treat is a celebration of the spookiest holiday of all, telling four overarching stories
06:54 that take place on the same Halloween night.
06:59 From demon children to werewolves to good old-fashioned stalking and killing, these
07:03 tales really shine a light on all the things that make Halloween horror so timeless.
07:09 Although it didn't have a traditional theatrical release, it found a devoted cult audience
07:14 on DVD.
07:22 Number 3, Gremlins.
07:28 Introducing the Mogwai species, a species of critters who multiply when water touches
07:33 them and cause general mayhem and murder.
07:39 Yes, Gremlins is a deceptively garish movie.
07:45 The creatures are a fantastic example of expert puppeteering and sound design.
07:49 They seem so lifelike that you really start to root for their demise.
07:54 Due to its violence, cartoonish as it may be, the movie is frequently cited as one of
07:58 the movies that would justify the creation of the PG-13 rating in the mid-1980s.
08:09 It may be a horror film, but it has enough crossover appeal to be a real Christmas classic.
08:15 Number 2, Black Christmas.
08:19 1974's Black Christmas was one of the earliest forerunners of the slasher genre.
08:26 Here, we're treated to shots from the killer's POV, a group of sorority girls being picked
08:31 off one by one during Christmas break.
08:37 There's also the archetypal "final girl" who must outwit the killer in the final act.
08:52 A 2019 remake took a fresh look at the story, but nothing comes close to the original.
09:02 Despite the genre, it's a pretty classy movie.
09:05 It looks great, it's witty, and it boasts a legendary cast.
09:08 What's truly terrifying about Black Christmas, though, is that we have zero information about
09:13 the villain.
09:18 He has no name, no past, no chill, and definitely no mercy.
09:24 Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
09:27 Rare Exports - A Christmas Tale
09:30 A Finnish horror-comedy offers an alternative origin story for Santa Claus.
09:37 The Lodge
09:38 Two children suspect their future stepmother hasn't left her religious cult past behind.
09:43 Christmas Evil - A Santa suit-wearing killer leaves a trail of bodies behind.
10:05 Tales From The Crypt - Christmas and Valentine's Day get their due in this British anthology
10:10 film.
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10:34 Christmas Killing
10:44 Our number one pick is the independently produced masterpiece that made millions switch out
10:50 turkey for ham at Thanksgiving dinner.
10:52 Okay, okay, just kidding.
10:55 Number 1.
10:56 Halloween
10:57 Horror fans can argue about which movie was the first to do this or that, but John Carpenter's
11:02 masterful and economical Halloween is the crowned jewel of holiday frights.
11:11 Not only is it Jamie Lee Curtis' film debut, it's also the movie that unleashed masked
11:16 menace Michael Myers on unsuspecting moviegoers.
11:21 Originally called The Babysitter Murders, it was producer Erwin Llablanc's idea to set
11:26 the movie on Halloween.
11:28 He was shocked it had never been done before.
11:30 Its premise and concise thrills are often imitated, but never duplicated.
11:35 "I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked
11:41 up because I realized that what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and simply
11:45 evil."
11:48 What holiday-themed horror flick is your favorite?
11:50 Tell us in the comments.
11:52 "Christmas is fast becoming my least favorite C word."
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12:04 [music]
12:14 you
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