Christmas isn't for anybody. There are plenty of people who hate hearing Mariah Carey's vocals blast out from the radio as soon as November comes around, and who cannot stand to see Will Ferrell in Elf on television every week leading up to December 25th. For those people, we've put together a guide of the seven best anti-Christmas films available, which will strip the joy from the festive season and put a sinister smile on that face!
7. Krampus (2015)
Written and directed by Michael Dougherty, Krampus is the perfect holiday watch for those who love black comedy and horror. The movie centres on the titular character from Austro-Bavarian folklore, who punishes those who have lost the Christmas spirit. Some pretty incredible special effects are used, and the performances from the likes of Adam Scott, Toni Collette and David Koechner are genuinely impressive.
6. Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)
Director Charles E. Sellier, Jr. wanted to bring something new to the slasher genre that was so successful in the 1980s, and so Silent Night, Deadly Night was born. A young man called Billy is at the centre of the story, suffering from PTSD after witnessing his parents' murder on Christmas Eve. A psychological breakdown in the festive season leads to him donning a Santa suit and embarking on a murderous killing spree of his own...
5. Bad Santa (2003)
Another black comedy here, with the brilliant Billy Bob Thornton and Tony Cox amongst the stars. The movie tells the story of a pair of thieves, who get a job as Santa and an elf every year, so that they've got easy access to steal from shopping centres at night. It's a ridiculous story, but absolutely hilarious at times. Certainly worth a watch!
4. Die Hard (1988)
Perhaps the first anti-Christmas movie to come to mind when you think about the period, is Die Hard. It's been watched year-in, year-out by millions across the globe, and it never seems to lose its shine. Not so much a Christmas movie as the others here, it finds its place on this list because of the background of the festive season as all of the chaos takes place on screen.
3. Gremlins (1984)
If you've never heard of Gremlins, you must have been living under a rock! It makes its way onto this Christmas list, because of the TERRIBLE present that Billy receives from his father; the cute but problematic Mogwai called Gizmo. Do better at Christmastime, fathers!
2. Batman Returns (1992)
This is another movie that takes place with Christmas a backdrop, as Batman gets the Tim Burton treatment. Wildly respected as one of the best Batman movies the world's ever seen, we get to see Danny DeVito's wonderful performance as Penguin, and Michelle Pfeiffer put on one of the best shows of her career, as Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman.
1. Black Christmas (1974)
This Canadian slasher film is without a doubt one of the best anti-Christmas movies from the past few decades. Serving as an influence for John Carpenter's Halloween, it's clear to see the impact this horror flick has had. If you haven't seen it before, get it watched, and get yourself in the perfect, miserable mood, for the upcoming festive season.
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