A handy guide for streaming holiday horror this Christmas

It’s that special time of year when holiday horror films old and new see a surge in popularity. If you are swamped with last-minute Christmas plans and don’t have time to research where to stream great holiday horror, 1428 Elm is here to help.

Let’s start with the most iconic Christmas slasher of them all, Black Christmas. The story of sorority sisters being slaughtered by a mysterious killer known as Billy can be streamed on multiple platforms, including Shudder and Tubi. The 2006 remake, Black Xmas can also be found on Tubi, and I highly recommend watching both. The original is tense and terrifying, and the remake is gory and over-the-top. As for the 2019 “reboot,” meh.

If campy is more your style, you can catch Silent Night, Deadly Night and its first sequel on Tubi, which is awesome, because FREE. You can catch the original and the four sequels on Shudder currently, or for a twist, you can stream Silent Night Deadly Night 2 as part of Joe Bob Briggs’ Red Christmas special, also on Shudder. That one’s fun because of the snappy patter, trivia and sad personal stories provided by Joe Bob and Darcy.

International fare is a great way to round out your marathon, try the Finnish horror fantasy film Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale. This fast-paced, highly entertaining, snow-covered horror title is available on Tubi and Shudder. Everyone loves a demonic Santa-like character, right?

Good holiday horror doesn’t have to be just the standards, there’s plenty of new content to see as well.

If you prefer your horror dark and wicked, Shudder Original and French Christmas horror The Advent Calendar began streaming this month. It’s a nasty little tale about an advent calendar that has the power to make a young woman’s wish come true…for a price.

Musical theater fans who also love horror will appreciate Anna and the Apocalypse. It’s a Christmas zombie musical and it’s fantastic. You can watch Anna try to rescue her Dad in time for Christmas during a zombie invasion by tuning in to Pluto TV or Kanopy.

For those who have often asked the age-old question “Is The Nightmare Before Christmas a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie?”…the answer is yes. It honors both holidays, so it’s appropriate to watch in October or December, or any month! You can stream it on Disney+. It’s perfect for adults and for kids who are starting to drift slowly into the world of horror.

Looking for something Christmasy and clever? Better Watch Out brings us the stereotypical brave babysitter protecting her charge from a deranged killer, only there are a few twists along the way. This sharp holiday horror flick can be streamed on multiple streaming services including Shudder, Peacock, Prime Video, Tubi, Crackle, and Pluto.

If you prefer anthologies, you can’t go wrong with A Christmas Horror Story. It’s got everything: William Shatner, a murderous ghost, a missing child, Krampus and a superhero-style Santa. If this sounds like your kind of holiday horror, click on Shudder to stream it.

Whichever of these great holiday horror films you pick out of this grab bag, we hope you get what you want…and that it gives you nightmares. Happy holidays!

What are your favorite holiday horror films? Tell us all about them in the comments section.