There’s a myriad of great Christmas horror films out there that range from killer Santas, to Krampus, to scary ghost stories (as the song suggests), to the stress and anxiety associated with the holiday season.

Most of these movies deal with one or two of these subjects, but there’s one that manages to capture the full gamut of the Christmas horror spirit.  In the same vein as Tales of Halloween and Trick ‘r Treat, A Christmas Horror Story uses its anthology setup to tell a series of intertwined stories that are both fun and terrifying!

Creepy Christmas Spirits
Other than the classic George C. Scott movie, there haven’t been many others dealing with changelings, and none quite as creepy as here.  December is known for having the longest nights of the year, and there’s something inherently creepy about a snow covered forest at night.

It’s in this setting that a family brings home a creature that’s not their child.  It makes for a really unsettling story, especially the atmosphere of the forest itself when the mother tries to return him.

The other supernatural story takes the religious origins of Christmas and runs with them into horror territory.  While religion is meant to be a source of guidance and comfort, it sadly can also be used to persecute and oppress.

Here, we see some of these wronged spirits seeking vengeance years later and it’s equally tragic as it is frightening.  It perverts the whole idea of the “virgin birth” at Christmas in a way that can only be done in a horror film.

Krampus Before it was Cool
Ever since the 2015 Krampus film directed by Mike Dougherty, the titular Christmas demon has enjoyed mainstream status.  However, A Christmas Horror Story first debuted about a month earlier.  So when it does its Krampus story, he was still a somewhat obscure figure of German folklore.

Here, the story is told pretty straightforward, assuming the viewer doesn’t know about Krampus.  But it’s done very effectively.  It’s less elaborate than the bigger budget, better known movie, but Krampus himself is a great practical design, and the family he goes after definitely deserves what they get!

Zombie Killer Santa
But of course the most fun story comes from the North Pole itself where Santa fights off a zombie outbreak among the elves.  This Santa is gritty, badass, and gets some awesome kills.  He’s even featured in our Top 10 Killer Santas list.

It’s just a fun idea to take something as common as zombies from horror and blend with them Christmas ands Santa.  Plus, we get a really cool fight between him and Krampus, which no other movie has really shown.  There’s also another aspect to this story that is a major spoiler, but the first time you see it, it’s a legitimate jaw-dropper!

Some Christmas horror movies have killer Santas, some have ghosts, and some have Krampus, but A Christmas Horror Story is the only one that gives a little bit of everything.  As far as anthologies go, it’s pretty solid, which each vignette successfully working as its own story.

And it’s all complimented by a great wraparound of William Shatner playing a D.J.  It’s the perfect movie to get you in the Christmas horror spirit, and remind you why the two go so well together!

What do you think of A Christmas Horror Story?  What’s your favorite Christmas horror movie?  Let us know in the comments!

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