The holidays are going to look a lot different this year for everyone.
So instead of revisiting the same old tried and true Christmas flicks, why not shake it up and indulge in something that matches the unsettling climate we’re all currently living in? There have been a handful of
terrible Christmas TV specials over the years, as well as terrible holiday films, but have you ever sat through films that were truly upsetting? Here are six of the most unsettling Xmas films there are.
Don’t Open Till Christmas
A British horror flick about a deranged killer who only terrorizes people dressed as Santa, this bonkers 1980s romp is as ludicrous as it sounds. Everything about it makes for an uncomfortable ride, but the dialogue and kill scenes are particularly corny. Santas are shot in the mouth, stabbed in the mouth, stabbed in the neck, stabbed in the eye, and have their faces burned off, all in the name of holiday cheer. Don’t Open Till Christmas is truly a bizarre film.
Christmas Evil
Another 1980s cult classic slasher flick, this one centers on a neurotic kid who suffers a nervous breakdown after learning Santa Claus isn’t real: a realization that scars him for life. As a toy-making adult, he snaps after being mocked by co-workers and goes on a murderous rampage. Christmas Evil is considered the best out of the horror holiday flicks, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less cringey.
Jack Frost
Many 90s kids may remember how aggressively this film was promoted when it came out in 1998. The tagline read: “Jack Frost is getting a second chance to be the world’s coolest dad…if he doesn’t melt first.”
Michael Keaton dies and comes back as Jack Frost, a crude and frankly very creepy CGI snowman. He must learn how to be a better father before he melts, but Jack Frost is so schmaltzy and devoid of holiday cheer that it’s hard to care what happens at any point in the film.
Elves
When a young teen accidentally cuts her hand during an “Anti-Christmas” pagan ritual, her spilt blood awakens an ancient demonic, neo-nazi Christmas elf. The elf reveals that he is here to fulfill Hitler’s dream of conquering the world – not with the Aryan race, but with a race of half-human/half-elf hybrids. The young teen who summoned said elf is also revealed to be a key figure in this objective, as she is the last remaining pure-blooded Aryan virgin in the world. Sounds enticing, no?
Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny
If the title alone doesn’t give you a headache, then this ill-conceived fever dream is full of magical insanity that will be sure to make you look forward to January. The plot follows Santa, who is stuck on a beach in Florida, before he telepathically connects with a group of youngsters, a gorilla, a lion, and a dog to help him deliver presents in time for Christmas. Had enough yet? Wait till the Ice Cream Bunny appears.
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
This 1964 sci-fi comedy is probably one of the worst holiday films ever made. A group of aliens set out to abduct Santa Claus so they can give their alien babies joyful experiences like the ones the humans have on Christmas. The film is hilarious in its incoherent plot and piss poor production quality, but it remains to be seen whether the filmmakers were in on their own joke.
