18 Bizarre Christmas Movies You Forgot Existed

While we’ve been granted the opportunity to witness some truly amazing classics since the inception of the modern-day Christmas movie, we’ve also constantly had to deal with uncontroversial, boring, and generic fluff. Sometimes the formula gets switched up and viewers get exciting crossovers into action, horror, and musicals. These are interesting bits of experimental cinema, but that gamble doesn’t always pay off.

For those who are tired of the same old trope-filled specials that air every Christmas on Hallmark, or even the trademark Christmas comedies that are great but eventually get old and repetitive, we’ve compiled a list of Christmas-related films. Not all of them are bad movies, but all are original and unusual Christmas movies.

Updated on December 25th, 2021 by Ben Hathaway: Christmas is a holiday that seems to welcome films of every genre. With all of the strange Christmas movies that try, and fail, to be remembered, it stands to reason that there will only be more bizarre Christmas movies in the future.

Jack Frost (1998)

• Available on HBO Max and fuboTV

Michael Keaton and the late great Kelly Preston did their best, but Jack Frost (1998) was widely seen as a pedantic holiday family film. It flopped at the box office and didn’t do well with critics, who called it overly sentimental and bland.

It’s also fairly dark, considering the film deals with a child’s grief process after losing his father. But Frost comes back in the form of a snowman, getting into hijinks with his son that, naturally, include a snowball fight.

Jack Frost (1997)

• Available on Pluto TV, Crackle, Tubi, Prime Video, fuboTV, and Vudu

Of all the odd Christmas movies on the market, none are quite as quietly notorious as Jack Frost (1997). American Pie‘s Shannon Elizabeth has a scene with the mutant killer snowman that would stand no chance of being shot today.

The plot takes place in a fictional town titled Snowmonton, which puts it in league with Troll 2‘s town of Nilbog (goblin, backward). Jack Frost is a serial killer who, en route to his execution, crashes into a genetic research truck. Man becomes snow and Jack Frost continues his rampage. This includes one scene where he liquefies and creeps under a door. The protagonist shoots the water with standard bullets and yells “It’s not working!” Lines like that make Jack Frost a cult classic Christmas horror movie.

Surviving Christmas (2004)

• Available on Paramount+ and fuboTV

Far from being Ben Affleck’s best movie, Surviving Christmas does at least have a terrific supporting cast. With Christina Applegate, the late James Gandolfini, and Catherine O’Hara all playing prominent roles, the movie had the chance to be more than the unpleasant mess it is. As it stands, the talented performers are saddled with deeply unlikable and combative characters.

Released in October of 2004, the movie was positioned to die a swift death at the box office. On top of flopping, it was also nominated for three Golden Raspberry Awards: Worst Picture, Worst Actor, and Worst Screenplay.

Santa With Muscles (1996)

• Available on Tubi

Santa with Muscles certainly ranks among the most forgotten Christmas movies. Professional wrestler Hulk Hogan stars as Blake Thorn, millionaire head of a bodybuilding supplement business.

The movie then becomes a mistaken identity tale, with Thorn being mistaken for a mall Santa after getting in the garb to avoid police. There’s also a megalomaniacal scientist trying to obtain magic crystals resting beneath an orphanage. It’s a difficult film to take seriously, but on the upside, it does feature an early appearance by Mila Kunis.

Elf Bowling The Movie: The Great North Pole Elf Strike (2007)

• Available to purchase on Vudu

Elf Bowling was a popular computer game in the early 2000s, but it’s impossible to see why anyone would have thought, even at the height of the game’s popularity, that giving the franchise its own animated film was a good idea. Video game movies almost never work, because video games (especially arcade-style creations like Elf Bowling) don’t usually focus on their plot above other elements like films do, and this leads to video game adaptations often being given unoriginal, trite storylines that are only somewhat related to their source material.

Elf Bowling The Movie followed this path, and this led to critical and commercial failure. The film remains a bizarre example of filmmakers trying to cash in on a long-deceased trend.

Saving Christmas (2014)

• Available on YouTube, Tubi, Pluto TV, Vudu, and Prime Video

In some circles, this has been identified as the epitome of bad filmmaking. The film stars Kirk Cameron as a fictional version of himself, trying to convince his brother (also a fictional portrayal) that Christmas has always been deeply rooted in Christianity despite the holiday’s commercialization in recent years. He adds they should embrace and celebrate this relationship.

Terrible acting, cinematography, and direction combine with overarching preachiness and cringiness to create a nightmarish Christmas outing.

Dial Code Santa Claus (1989)

• Available on Shudder

The original title of this movie is 3615 code Père Noël, but it’s also known as Deadly Games, Dial Code Santa Claus, Game Over, and Hide and Freak. It’s obvious that issues with publicity and localization are going to push this movie into obscurity before it even gets started. It’s a horror-thriller movie that North American audiences would find too shocking and realistic since the vagrant in the film is a stalker and murderer who doesn’t mess around.

Home Alone was released a year later during the holiday season and both movies were very similar with an important tonal difference. The adventures of Kevin were a series of hilarious jokes with no real stakes while the vagrant passing as Santa in this movie is a scary villain.

Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever (2014)

• Available on YouTube

The 2014 Lifetime special Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever was released at the peak of the titular internet sensation’s popularity and follows a girl named Crystal, who finds a friend in the antisocial animal (played by Aubrey Plaza) after discovering they have special communication abilities. The duo is then forced, Paul Blart-style, to stop a team of amateur burglars from making off with an extremely expensive dog housed in Grumpy’s pet store residence (although Grumpy, in character, is against saving the pooch).

While Worst Christmas Ever was panned by critics (leading to a lot of predictable “Worst Movie Ever” jokes), this campy Christmas cash-in might keep a Christmas movie fan’s attention piqued.

Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)

• Available on Pluto TV

It’s a daring crossover even if it’s not the most highly-rated movie, but it got some positive recognition for the talented cast. Anna and the Apocalypse combines horror, teen drama, and a musical with that charming and cheesy holiday aesthetic.

The mix of genres already makes it weird. It’s a film from the UK and has been favorably compared to similar off-kilter parodies like Shaun of the Dead which uses the same dry and satirical wit. Had there been more of a budget for publicity and bigger names in the cast, this movie might not be so obscure, but most people have never heard of it.

The Nuttiest Nutcracker (1999)

• Available on Prime Video

This one is just inexplicable, and bad-movie reviewers still debate about how exactly it was greenlighted in the first place and how it was able to snag an all-star voice cast, including talents such as Jim Belushi, Debi Derryberry, and Jim Cummings. It’s a strange, annoying, and creepy retelling of the Nutcracker story, supposedly made for kids, with fruits and vegetables added to the cast of characters.

The uncomfortable vibe combined with a disturbing art style oddly derivative of the then-popular cartoon series Veggietales only serves to alienate the unfortunate viewer, and it’s so tedious and irritating that it barely even works as “so-bad-it’s-good” fare.

The Magic Christmas Tree (1964)

• Available on Tubi and Prime Video

While it is made for kids, that doesn’t let the peculiarly plotted 1964 fantasy film The Magic Christmas Tree off the hook, and it’s really that strange. The film follows a young boy named Mark, who climbs a tree to save an old lady’s cat. Unfortunately, he falls and is briefly knocked out, waking to realize the woman is a witch. She gives him a magic ring he can use to grow an evergreen tree that will grant him three wishes.

The film gets stranger from there, dealing with the implications of omnipotence and throwing Santa Claus into the mix.

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (1985)

• Available on fuboTV

Folks who love their vintage Christmas movies might know this one. The Rankin-Bass version of Rudolph the Red-Rosed Reindeer was pretty weird already, but if that wasn’t enough, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus will fill that strange void.

Frank L. Baum wrote the novel on which this movie is based, and he’s the person responsible for The Wizard of Oz books. It’s a fun watch, just for the creativity involved, but it’s tough to describe. Let’s just say that the Great Ak gives a baby to a lion to raise, who is then kidnapped by a wood nymph, and just go with it.

Holiday in Handcuffs (2007)

• Available on Freeform, Tubi, and fuboTV

The 2007 Christmas special Holiday in Handcuffs became ABC Family’s most-watched broadcast ever, thanks, at least in part, to the film’s undeniably odd premise. It follows Trudie (Melissa Joan Hart), an artist who decides to kidnap a completely random, hapless individual, David Martin (Mario Lopez) so that she’ll be able to show him off to her parents at her family’s Christmas reunion.

Throughout the entire film, none of the characters’ decisions or interactions make sense, and that’s almost charming, as it leads to quite a few laugh-out-loud moments that the film’s directors might not have intended to be comical. Really strange, but also really funny for people wanting to watch something truly bizarre this Christmas, Holiday in Handcuffs is definitely a top pick.

Santa Claus Conquers The Martians (1964)

• Available on Pluto TV, Tubi, Vudu, and Paramount+

Think Saving Christmas was the worst Christmas film ever made? Well, yes, it probably was, but Santa Claus Conquers the Martians definitely comes close.

The 1964 sci-fi comedy follows a group of aliens who decide to abduct Santa Claus so he can give their children new, fun experiences similar to the ones the children on Earth have. Becoming famous after its appearance on the popular comedy series Mystery Science Theater 3000, the film has established a legacy as one of the worst films ever made due to its incoherent plot and poor production value (the opening credits refer to a “custume” designer). Though it is really, really hilarious sometimes, albeit unintentionally.

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)

• Available on Pluto TV, Tubi, Crackle, and fuboTV

The deadpan horror film Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale follows a group of secretive British archaeologists who unearth an evil, horned version of Santa Claus in Finland. This leads to the area’s locals being forced to defend themselves against a group of loyal, monstrous elves with only one aim, to protect their master.

Sure, it’s weird, but it’s genuinely a pretty decent, entertaining film with some great moments and a nonstop, rapid-fire wittiness. In fact, as a Christmas-themed horror, it competes with other Yulish horror movies like Silent Night, Deadly Night, Krampus, or Black Christmas in terms of quality.

Santa Claus vs. The Devil (1959)

• Available on Tubi

This movie is more often referred to simply as Santa Claus, but let’s be honest, this alternative title is much better for drawing the eye. Maybe that’s why this movie has remained unnoticed in the shadows because it was marketed under a generic title. The movie was made in Mexico and the English dub was released in the US a year later.

The plotline cranks the bizarre up to 11 not only by bringing the devil himself in as one of the principal villains but by putting Santa’s workshop in space along with other odd accessories that don’t seem to have anything to do with Christmas or Santa Claus, like casting Merlin as Santa’s trusty assistant. Yes, that Merlin. Together they have to thwart the Devil’s plan to send his demon Pitch to entice children to do naughty things. And that’s just the tip of this crazy iceberg.

Elves (1989)

The plot of Elves reads more like a fever dream than a storyline actually used for a cinematic feature, but that’s part of the film’s unique style. A strange amalgamation of horror elements is clearly visible in its plot. Around Christmastime, demonic, Neo-Nazi elves plan to breed with an Aryan virgin in order to create the race that, in the world of this film, Hitler was actually working to create, human-elf hybrids.

There isn’t really much more to say about this film – it’s just so odd that it leaves viewers at a loss for words. There are probably people who will enjoy it for its fascinatingly original brand of strangeness.

Santa and The Ice Cream Bunny (1972)

• Available on Tubi

A comedy about Santa stranded in Florida is actually a pretty clever, original idea, it actually sounds like the plot of a modern-day Christmas movie from Netflix or even Hallmark. However, that’s the only “normal” idea this film has. After Santa crash-lands in Florida, various strange events transpire. Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn appear, for seemingly no reason. Santa telepathically summons children and then reads them a story, which is actually a lead-in to a fairy-tale-themed film-within-a-film (Thumbelina or, in one version, Jack and the Beanstalk) that runs nearly twice as long as the “Santa” narrative.

At long last, the famed Ice Cream Bunny appears, of course, in his magical antique firetruck after having been summoned by a dog, and transports Santa back to the North Pole. The film’s over, but it’s even more confusing now than it was when it began.

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