‘Tis the season for Christmas movies with the big holiday coming up, but sometimes you need choices that break the traditional mold. While films such as Home Alone, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and A Christmas Story are standards of the season, other films offer something a bit different yet still evoke the Christmas spirit. If you’re planning on a Christmas movie marathon with family and friends, here are five unconventional choices to mix things up this holiday season.
Honorable Mention: P2 (2007)
Horror films and Christmas have been a fun mix over the years, and one underrated effort combining these two elements is the 2007 psychological horror film, P2. Directed by Franck Khalfoun in his directorial debut, and co-written by Khalfoun and Alexandre Aja, and Gregory Levasseur, P2 follows a businesswoman named Angela Bridges (Rachel Nichols) who finds herself trapped in an underground parking garage and stalked by a psychotic security guard (portrayed by Wes Bentley) who has an unnerving obsession with her.
P2 works as an unconventional Christmas movie because the entire film takes place on Christmas Eve, and there is more than enough iconography of the season, including decorations and music, to go along with the atmospheric forced isolation of Angela’s unfortunate situation. Nichols and Bentley are highly effective in their roles, and Khalfoun does a lot with the space he’s given to execute a very taut thriller that rises above most genre efforts. P2 received poor reviews from critics upon release (35 percent on Rotten Tomatoes). It also registered one of the worst opening weekends for a movie released in over 2,000 screens (eventually concluding with just $3.9 million domestically). Still, it has steadily grown a bit of a cult following, and that’s largely because it has become an unconventional Christmas standard for movie fans.
5. Go (1999)
If there is an opportunity to shout out 1999’s Go, one should always take it. The crime comedy, featuring a stacked ensemble cast, underperformed at the box office when it was released, but it was a critical success, and it has since garnered a cult status that it so richly deserves. Directed by Doug Liman from a screenplay by John August, Go features intertwining plots involving three sets of characters around Christmas. Ronna (Sarah Polley) is a grocery store clerk facing eviction who is propositioned by two TV actors (Scott Wolf and Jay Mohr) for drugs. Ronna plans to get the drugs from a dealer named Todd Gaines (Timothy Olyphant) and sell them at a higher price so she can pay her rent.
However, Ronna has to dispose of the drugs unexpectedly to avoid being arrested, and now she finds herself in even more debt, particularly to Todd, who will want his cut no matter what. Ronna then chooses to return allergy medicine to Todd and explain that the deal fell through, but it only sparks three crazy stories that converge in very hilarious ways. Go was described by many critics at the time of its release as Pulp Fiction for a younger generation, and that’s a pretty fair assessment. It has the breakneck kinetic energy of Tarantino’s signature film, but it also has its own aesthetic that makes it stand out. The screenplay is incredibly funny, and it’s brought to life by a cast that also includes Katie Holmes, William Fichtner, Breckin Meyer, Taye Diggs, Desmond Askew, and many more.
Making it an unconventional Christmas movie choice is that it’s a crime comedy that unfolds primarily on Christmas Eve, although it doesn’t feature a ton of the holiday (music, decor) within the plot. Still, it’s a crazy story that ultimately ends with plans on New Year’s Eve, which is something many of us can relate to as these two holidays tend to bleed together. In 2023, screenwriter John August confirmed that Go is a Christmas movie by saying, “My rule is pretty simple, if it’s set at Christmas, it’s a Christmas movie.” Also, if you’re from Los Angeles, where the film primarily takes place, it gives some of us Southern California folks a Christmas film that represents the fun times on a light night in LA.
4. Batman Returns (1992)
Setting Batman Returns during the Christmas season was an inspired choice by director Tim Burton, and it’s why the film continues to stand out, thanks in large part to a visual aesthetic that completely represents the season but also Burton’s signature visual eye. Directed by Burton from a screenplay by Daniel Waters, Batman Returns serves as the sequel to 1989’s Batman and follows the Caped Crusader (Michael Keaton) as he has to deal with a corrupt businessman named Max Shreck (Christopher Walken) who uses a deformed crime boss named Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin (Danny DeVito) in a bid for power in Gotham City.
Also in the mix is Shreck’s former secretary, Selina Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer), who is out for revenge once she takes up the identity of Catwoman. Batman Returns is more of a Burton movie than a traditional Batman movie, and while that frightened some children and made parents a bit angry back in 1992, it has made it a fan favorite in the years since its release. There is a beautiful darkness throughout Batman Returns, which is given an assist from cinematographer Stefan Czapsky. Burton has said that the Batman sequel was a project he related to more because of the backstory being presented for The Penguin, whose villainous rage is rooted in the fact that he was an outsider and cast away.
This might sound too sad for a superhero movie and not all that reminiscent of the holiday season, but the movie is set entirely during the Christmas season, complete with Gotham City being covered in snow, along with huge Christmas trees and festive decorations. The main characters are dealing with their own form of loneliness in Batman Returns, and even that element gives it a realistic view of the season because sometimes the holiday feels isolating. Also, you’re given a fun fact about mistletoe courtesy of Batman and Catwoman, so there’s a bit of education too. It might be a dark Christmas film, but Burton and all involved find some fun within some of the bleakness.
3. Gremlins (1984)
Gremlins is a black comedy horror film with a bit of a kid-friendly twist, although this may have scared a few kids back in 1984. If Five Nights at Freddy’s is a gateway horror movie for children, Gremlins set the mold for others that followed with a fun, festive plot that features one cute mascot and a gaggle of ugly creatures. Directed by Joe Dante from a screenplay by Chris Columbus, Gremlins follows a young man named Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan), who receives a rather strange gift named Gizmo (voice of Howie Mandel) for Christmas from his father.
Gizmo is a mogwai, and there are three simple rules provided to Billy when given the unusual pet: keep it away from light, don’t get it wet, and don’t feed it after midnight. Of course, these rules are broken, and this leads to Gizmo spawning more of his kind, who turn into the titular creatures of the film and wreak all kinds of havoc around town on Christmas Eve. Gremlins teaches us the importance of properly taking care of pets that we might receive during the holiday season. Taking care of a mogwai is no different than taking care of a new puppy (except there is no fear of the puppy spawning evil offspring if certain rules are broken), but there is still a nice little lesson here for kids during the holiday season.
The movie is set entirely during the Christmas holiday and uniquely utilizes its festive backdrop by juxtaposing it with the horror and chaos created by the gremlins once they are let loose throughout Billy’s small town of Kingston Falls. Despite the light horror that transpires during Gremlins, there is still a strong focus on family and themes of love (Billy’s girlfriend, portrayed by Phoebe Cates, is one most of us wish we could have) that ultimately prevail in the end. Plus, Gizmo is so darned cute that it’s hard to resist Gremlins’ undeniable charm during the holiday season.
2. Die Hard (1988)
At this point, the love for Die Hard as a Christmas movie has grown so much over the years that it might not be so unconventional anymore, but given its action movie plot and Christmas not being the primary focus, it still gets a mention here as a true unconventional Christmas classic. Directed by John McTiernan from a screenplay by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza, Die Hard is based on the 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp and follows New York City police detective John McClane (Bruce Willis), who becomes involved in a terrorist takeover of a Los Angeles skyscraper. What makes it a Christmas movie? This all takes place as John is visiting his estranged wife at said skyscraper during a Christmas Eve party.
Die Hard likely sparked the question about unconventional Christmas films actually being Christmas movies. Every year, it’s asked if Die Hard is a Christmas movie, and every year we have to get louder when we shout YES! The movie is set on Christmas Eve during a holiday party, and there are more than enough decorations and Christmas music to make the audience feel the holiday spirit. The film’s central plot may not be Christmas-friendly, but just because the movie is an action film first, doesn’t mean that Die Hard can’t be a Christmas favorite.
Beyond this debate, Die Hard is one of the best action films ever made, complete with fun one-liners, a career-defining performance from Willis, and a fun villain turn from Alan Rickman, making his feature film debut as the movie’s antagonist, Hans Gruber. Will this debate about Die Hard being a Christmas movie ever end? Well, it seems to be subsiding, but if there is anyone in your life doubting its Christmas credentials, school them in true John McClane fashion that would make him proud.
1. Black Christmas (1974)
Before Bob Clark directed a traditional Christmas classic with 1983’s A Christmas Story, he explored the dark side of the holiday with 1974’s Black Christmas, crafting one of the best atmospheric slasher efforts in the process. Directed by Clark from a screenplay by Roy Moore, Black Christmas follows a group of sorority sisters who have stayed behind during the holiday season and begin receiving threatening phone calls that eventually lead to them being stalked and murdered one by one by a deranged killer.
Black Christmas represents the perfect juxtaposition of the spirit and warmth of the Christmas season and the darkness and fear of the terror being put upon these girls as they are frightfully unaware of how close the danger actually is. This is best presented during a scene of Christmas carolers singing “O Come, All Ye Faithful” that is masterfully cut with a scene of one of the sorority sisters being murdered by a killer who grows increasingly more deranged as the film moves along. While John Carpenter’s 1978 classic Halloween is given a lot of the credit for several signature visual cues that became a genre standard, Clark’s Black Christmas did many of them first, including presenting much of the killer’s perspective through camera POV shots.
Black Christmas is an unsettling effort and a bit of a slow burn for some, but thanks to Clark’s direction, the film escalates tension to a fever pitch, and this is why it stands as one of the best films of its sub-genre. Through in a more than determined final girl performance from the late Olivia Hussey, Black Christmas may not be the top choice if you want a warm and fuzzy Christmas feeling, but it’s certainly one you go to if you want fright mixed with your holiday cheer.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all of our readers!
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