We all know the yuletide classics: the careworn VHS tapes of yore and the ones we can quote from at length, be it the goofy charm of Elf, the tearjerking timelessness of It’s a Wonderful Life, or the loveable antics of Home Alone (voted the UK’s favourite Christmas film in a British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) poll this year). I certainly have a soft spot for them myself, and it never really feels like Christmas until I see James Stewart’s face on my telly.
But some of us may be a little bit weary of the same old films every year. So here’s an alternative list of eight kinda-Christmas classics to get in the spirit without the sleigh bells and tinsel.
8. Gremlins (1984)
It’s easy to forget quite how mean-spirited Joe Dante’s wacky 80s monster movie actually is; but this strange, anarchic film packs quite a punch. It also has an unusually high body count – including a dead Santa Claus stuck in a suburban chimney – for an ostensibly child-friendly mainstream Christmas film.
I won’t recount the plot to you – just don’t feed them after midnight – but let Gremlins be a reminder to us all: don’t try to be too exotic with the yuletide pet-giving, and get the kids a cat.
Streaming on Now
7. Dial Code Santa Claus (1989)
Have you ever watched Home Alone and thought to yourself: what would happen if Macauley Culkin actually killed these robbers with his violent booby traps? Look no further than French oddity Dial Code Santa Claus, a film that the director insisted was the obvious influence for Home Alone itself.
This violent home invasion movie is not for the faint of heart, featuring a psychotic villain who hunts down an innocent kid and his elderly grandfather in their giant empty home. It’s darkly hilarious, genuinely thrilling, and edge-of-your-seat stuff, but don’t expect it to play nicely. No one in this movie does.
Streaming on Shudder
6. Die Hard (1988)
Yes, it is a Christmas movie. Maybe it hasn’t made it to everyone’s rotation just yet, but what better option than an ass-kicking action movie with quotable quips to liven up the sentimentality of the season? This is one to pull out if things are getting too sappy, and with Bruce Willis fighting to save and reunite his family at Christmas, it still has a pleasant undertone of family togetherness despite its gruff cynicism and violent content.
Streaming on Disney+
5. Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence (1983)
Here’s one for the dads – and dad-adjacent – who love to catch an epic Second World War film around this time of year. If you’re tired of The Great Escape (1963), try this fascinating exploration of the dynamics between Japanese guards and British prisoners of war, starring none other than David Bowie in a devastating role as the captured Major Celliers.
Directed by Japanese filmmaker Oshima but mostly in English, it’s a brand-new perspective on an old and familiar story of Allied heroes and Japanese villains, digging into the complexities of these dire scenarios. It also features Japanese actor-director Takeshi Kitano and multihyphenate composer Ryuchi Sakamoto in major roles. It might not really be a Christmas movie, but it’s a stunning anti-war movie and its key moments are all about a Christmas greeting.
Available to rent or buy on Prime Video, YouTube and Apple TV
4. Black Christmas (1974)
Bob Clark was one of the finest makers of smart, exciting low-budget American movies in the 70s, and it just so happened that Black Christmas – starring Margot Kidder a few years before she’d star as Lois Lane in the original Superman movies – is one of them. Opening with unnerving strains of “Silent Night”, the film begins with a college sorority’s annual Christmas party, when a man calls up and makes chilling, aggressive sexual comments to the girls.
Sometimes seen as one of the first slasher flicks – setting the template a few years before Halloween – Clark employs all the now-familiar tropes. Is the call coming from inside the house? You’ll have to watch to find out.
Streaming on Tubi
3. Trading Places (1987)
Set between Christmas and the New Year, John Landis’s film about the haves and have-nots of 80s Philadelphia is Christmassy mainly in its backdrop, and one memorable New Year’s Eve party in fancy dress on a train. But for me, it’s become an annual favourite, featuring comedy heavy-hitters Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd as two men from opposite sides of society being forced into a disastrous swap of lives, jobs, and homes for a bet by a pair of evil stockbroker brothers.
It’s a stacked cast, with Jamie Lee Curtis as a worldly sex worker with a heart of gold and an unforgettably droll performance as a fancy butler from Denholm Elliot, and its social commentary is still relevant. Plus, it’s genuinely one of the funniest films I’ve ever seen.
Streaming on Paramount+ and Now
2. Carol (2015)
Few Christmas love stories are as stylish and satisfying as Todd Haynes’s Carol, with those exquisite knit twin-sets, beribboned boxes and super-dry martinis. His period-specific mid-century love affair is the antithesis of what we’d expect from a feel-good holiday classic – slowly paced, reserved, full of glacial silences and quiet longing. When the chic Carol (Cate Blanchett) asks for holiday shopping advice from a gauche young shopgirl in a Santa hat (Rooney Mara), an illicit romance blooms.
The women simmer beneath their cool exteriors but are stymied by their relationships with men and Carol’s desire to keep custody of her young daughter. Before they part, the pair take a weekend trip away from the frosty confines of Manhattan. The chemistry is undeniable, but it’s the emotional restraint of the denouement that makes Carol all the more affecting.
Available to rent or buy on Prime Video, Curzon, Sky Store and Apple TV
1. Blast of Silence (1961)
A lesser-known slice of film noir shot on Christmas Eve in New York City, Blast of Silence is a short and pungent swipe at any sentimentality around this time of year. A bitter hitman, played by gruff-voiced actor Lionel Stander, stalks the streets, moving against the tides of decorations and shoppers.
His internal monologue in voiceover, bemoaning all the suckers around him, feels as surprising and misanthropic as it must have done back in 1961. At only 77 minutes long, it’s well worth throwing this one on for a surprisingly dark take on festive cheer.
Available to buy on Amazon
