Horror Movies to Watch on New Year's Eve

While the year’s final days overflow with brightly decorated trees, joyful gatherings, and hopeful wishes, we horror film enthusiasts aren’t sitting idle either. Setting aside heartwarming family films, there’s no shortage of movies that blend Christmas with terror. I’ve prepared this list by excluding the obvious first choices and tried to feature lesser-known films. However, at the end of the list, I’ve also included names of more well-known and classic films. Enjoy reading.

The Children (2008)

A horror film where children attack their parents during what begins as a lovely Christmas holiday. Yes, you heard that right, the children attack their parents. Two families gathering for the Christmas holiday watch as their children suddenly fall ill and go berserk. Naturally, the most logical thing to do in this situation isn’t locking the kids inside and calling a doctor, but fighting them head-on. The film offers a tense and dark story that decimates children’s innocence and parental love. The film has received good marks from critics, with a 5.9/10 on IMDb and a high score of 73% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film has also garnered praise at numerous festivals.

P2 (2007)

A horror-thriller about a woman trapped in a parking garage on Christmas Eve, stalked by a deranged security guard. The film is Franck Khalfoun’s directorial and screenwriting debut, starring Rachel Nichols and Wes Bentley. The film emerged with contributions from famous horror filmmakers like Alexandre Aja and Grégory Levasseur. It was written inspired by attacks on women in parking garages in Paris and was actually shot in a real parking garage in Toronto. The film was distributed by Summit Entertainment in the US, becoming the company’s first distributed film. The film received mixed reviews from critics and flopped at the box office, earning low scores on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes. True connoisseur horror fans who appreciate low-rated horror films should check it out.

While She Was Out (2008)

Della Myers is a housewife living in an elite gated community with her complete jerk of a husband Kenneth and their twin children. Della has devoted all her time to her children and consequently has let some housework slide. Her husband Kenneth is furious about this. On Christmas Eve, a huge fight erupts between them. During the argument, her husband punches the wall and creates a hole. Della goes to the mall to buy wallpaper to fix the hole… At the mall, she can’t find a parking spot but notices an old car occupying two spaces. In anger, she writes a note on the car’s window and goes shopping… This note transforms her ordinary life into a nightmare where she must fight to survive.

Krampus (2015)

It would be a shame to make such a list without including Krampus, Christmas Eve’s most famous malevolent figure, because a ton of films have been made about this Austrian-Bavarian folklore monster. This film is my favorite among them. The movie centers on a child experiencing family problems during Christmas who loses faith, triggering an attack by Krampus, a horned demon who punishes naughty children, and stars Toni Collette in the lead role. Those who want both chills and laughs shouldn’t miss it.

Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)

We’ve arrived at the list’s most eccentric film. Not my favorite, but it’ll have plenty of fans. Our teenage protagonist Anna and a group of teenage friends must fight against a zombie invasion engulfing their town. And they must wage this battle while singing Christmas carols and dancing. A fun film filled with strange enemies from zombie Santas to snowmen. But I got bored.

The Apology (2022)

The film follows a woman recovering from alcohol addiction who, twenty years after her daughter’s disappearance, prepares for her family’s Christmas celebration with her closest friend, only to face nostalgic gifts and a heavy secret brought by her unexpectedly arriving ex-brother-in-law. The film stars Anna Gunn, Skyler from Breaking Bad. The film can be evaluated as a gripping and surprising work that successfully blends horror and thriller genres while presenting the Christmas atmosphere from a different perspective.

That was my alternative holiday viewing list. Now let me add the names of more well-known films so they don’t feel left out.

SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT (1984)

BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974)

JACK FROST (1997)