Die Hard & 9 Other Great Non-Family-Friendly Christmas Movies

Everyone loves Elf and Home Alone, but these Christmas classics can often be overplayed around the holiday season. The overwhelming wholesomeness of these movies might also make viewers crave something a little more thrilling, fast-paced, and violent.

The backdrop of Christmas has been used by many filmmakers to highlight some truly absurd and violent narratives. Whether it’s two private investigators trying to get to the bottom of the murder of a porn star, a married couple being stalked by a cult, or some high schoolers simply trying to score drugs for a party, there are so many intriguing Christmas movies best watched when the kids are asleep.

10 Die Hard 2 (1990)

Die Hard 2 doesn’t get enough recognition, as the third entry in the franchise is what everyone tends to talk about, after the original. However, the second movie in the series is still great and there’s a lot to love, although it’s basically the same concept as the first, only based in an airport, instead of a skyscraper.

The “coincidence” of the attack that just so happens to take place where John McClain just so happens to be, again, at Christmastime, is hilarious, but it’s just as much of a thrill ride as the first.

9 Lethal Weapon (1987)

Lethal Weapon is the first of many Shane Black movies based around the holidays, as the celebrated screenwriter, who often focuses on buddy-cop crime capers, has clearly had a penchant for Christmas ever since the mid-80s.

Though it’s one of the 80s action movies that critics thought was average upon release, Lethal Weapon has since gone on to become a classic, and the unlikely bond between Mel Gibson and Danny Glover is what makes it one of the best R-rated Christmas movies ever.

8 The Nice Guys (2016)

As another Shane Black movie, Nice Guys is often looked at as a spiritual successor to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, as it follows two characters who hate each other but are forced to work together to uncover a crime.

Starring Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe, the movie is based in the 70s and features all of the expected Shane Black tropes, and that includes it being set during the holidays. The movie was a sleeper hit, as it wasn’t so popular upon release, but it has since gained a huge cult following.

7 Bad Santa (2003)

Bad Santa is every nihilist’s favorite Christmas movie, as it follows a clinically depressed mall Santa who is an angry alcoholic and often takes his anger out on the children who sit on his lap.

Starring Billy Bob Thornton, who is perfectly cast as a conman Santa, he plans to rob a convenience store on Christmas Eve until a spanner is thrown in the works, and it’s one of the best and darkest comedies of the past 20 years.

6 Go (1999)

Go features several intertwining narratives, loads of pop culture references, and handfuls of drugs and violence, and it’s one of the movies that was clearly influenced by Pulp Fiction.

Though the movie might seem like a knock-off of the 1994 classic, it’s actually one of the few that stands on its own as a great movie, as it follows groups of teenagers working dead-end jobs simply trying to get their hands on some pills for their days off. And it’s all based around Christmastime, though viewers might not be able to tell.

5 In Bruges (2008)

Considering that the movie opens with a hitman accidentally murdering a choir boy in a church, it’s easy to forget that In Bruges is a Christmas movie.

However, when Ray and his pal Ken hide out in the titular city, the movie unravels itself as one of the strangest but greatest comedy-dramas of the 21st century. And Ray and Ken, played by Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, have become one of the most iconic on-screen movie duos.

4 Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

No other director loves Christmas more than Shane Black, as not only did he direct Lethal Weapon and Nice Guys, but also the 2006 movie Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which seemingly flies under everybody’s radar.

Not only is it one of the greatest R-rated Christmas movies, but it’s also one of the best 2000s crime movies, as it follows Robert De Niro get caught up in a web of murder and lies, as he falls deeper in to the criminal underbelly of L.A.

3 Batman Returns (1992)

Though it’s one of the Tim Burton movies that screams Halloween, the movie also oozes Christmas, with a snowy Gotham City backdrop and the ice-cold villain, the Penguin.

Though it’s a superhero movie, the film is notoriously dark and completely unsuitable for children, as it sees Batman literally setting people on fire and electrocuting others. And the maniacal Penguin, played brilliantly by Danny DeVito, literally bites someone’s nose off.

2 Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Being the final movie to be directed by Stanley Kubrick before his passing, Eyes Wide Shut is an incredibly morbid thriller that explores cults, the breakdown of relationships, human trafficking, and many other emotionally exhausting motifs set during the most joyous time of the year.

Despite its depressing themes and meandering pacing, it’s still a great movie with a shocking ending, and it’s even one of Martin Scorsese’s favorite movies of the 90s.

1 Die Hard (1988)

People have been arguing about whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas movie for a long time, but regardless of how you feel about it, it’s set during Christmas and follows an average New York cop visiting his wife in L.A. for the holidays.

Nothing screams “Christmas spirit” more than that … that is until a group of terrorists break into the building and hold everyone hostage, leading to one of the most exciting games of cat and mouse ever.