Every Christmas Horror Movie Streaming In December 2020 (& Where To Watch)

The holiday season is traditionally full of cheer rather than fear, but there are numerous holiday horror movies available for streaming during December 2020 to keep the Christmas season alive. Whether it’s a classic slasher or a haunted house, these movies are just as chilling as the winter air. Here’s where to find every Christmas horror movie available for streaming for the 2020 holiday season.

Nearly every holiday has their own lineup of terrifying flicks, but two in particular tend to dominate the subgenre: Halloween and Christmas. November has become a month of rest in anticipation for horror’s second busiest season, as there are not as many Thanksgiving themed horror movies available as some may hope. The genre makes transforms some of the most joyful events into some of the most unsettling and disturbing. While Christmas is shrouded with bright lights, family get togethers, and hope, horror offers the possibility that even the calendar’s cheeriest holiday is filled with murder, mayhem, a fight for survival, and ghosts.

Ghost stories are not unusual to Christmas as A Christmas Carol introduced the famous ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. These three spirits are haunting in their own right, but they are not as horrific as the ones on this list. Without further ado, here are all of the Christmas horror movies streaming during December 2020 and where they are available.

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale – Shudder & Hulu

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale features a fantastical tale about the truth behind Santa Claus. With elves, wolves, and reindeer, this Finnish horror movie offers an array of themes familiar to the holiday with a horrific twist to each of them. When the world discovers that there may be several Santa Clauses that live in the wild of the Finland, Christmas will be changed forever in the goriest of ways. Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale is available for streaming at Shudder and Hulu.

Sheitan – Shudder

After a group of friends are introduced to a strange woman named Eve, they are taken to a house in the countryside where they meet a strange man who grows increasingly bizarre as the movie progresses. Sheitan takes place on Christmas Eve, when the anticipation for Christmas morning is at its peak. For this unlucky group, it might just be the last holiday they ever experience again. Sheitan is available exclusively through Shudder.

Black Christmas – Shudder

The classic slasher that started the 1970s craze, Black Christmas, is available to stream through Shudder this holiday season. It is based off of the urban legend of the babysitter and the man upstairs, but instead of a babysitter, it is a group of sorority sisters who must fight through the night in hopes of surviving. Black Christmas notably influenced John Carpenter’s Halloween, which is traditionally believed to be the origins of the slasher movie. If there’s any true root to the sub-genre’s history, it can be located in Black Christmas and the man upstairs hunting each woman down one by one until only a final girl remains.

All The Creatures Were Stirring – Shudder

All The Creatures Were Stirring is an anthology holiday horror movie about a couple who goes to a movie theater in hopes of enjoying a pleasant movie on Christmas Eve. After a group of strangers begin to weave their tales of terror, they quickly discover their in for more than they could’ve ever bargained for. All The Creatures Were Stirring includes tales of ghosts and even a disturbing White Elephant Christmas party. This Christmas horror comedy anthology movie has it all and then some. It is can be found on Shudder as one of the streaming service’s exclusives.

Body – Shudder

When a group of college students break into a stranger’s home on Christmas Eve, their breaking and entering plan goes horribly awry. They are faced with a freak accident that may tear this group of friends apart with fear of betrayal and murder. Its tense atmosphere has been compared to the works of Alfred Hitchcock, setting it apart entirely from the common Christmas horror movie. Body is streaming exclusively through Shudder.

Better Watch Out – Shudder & Amazon

Arguably one of the most underrated Christmas horror movies, Better Watch Out begins as a classic tale about a babysitter who must stand up against an intruder to keep the child she is watching safe. After a major twist, it turns out that she has a lot more to worry about than a stranger in the house. Starring Olivia DeJonge as Ashley and Levi Miller as Luke, Better Watch Out combines the brutality of a home invasion movie with Home Alone styled killings. Keep an eye out for Dacre Montgomery of Stranger Things, he makes a surprise appearance that might just define how the characters could get out unscathed and free from blame. It is available on Shudder and Amazon.

Christmas Presence – Shudder

Shudder might just save Christmas this year with how many exclusive holiday horror movies they’ve acquired. Christmas Presence is the only paranormal horror movie they are offering this year, but it is one of the most exciting. It follows a group of friends who take lodging at a location far away from their families in order to avoid the awkwardness of the seasonal get-together. As the movie progresses, they discover that the horrors of being at home are comparable to the ones they are now experiencing at their lodge.

Christmas Evil – Shudder

Christmas Evil is a psychological slasher with Santa Claus as its main killer. Released in 1980, it arrived during the rise of the slasher sub-genre’s popularity. It follows the story of a man who grows increasingly deranged. As the holiday season rolls around, he dons a Santa Claus costume and goes on a killing spree. It’s reminiscent of the American Horror Story: Asylum storyline when Jessica Lange’s Sister Jude is targeted by a killer Claus in season 2, episode 8, “Unholy Night.” It’s been speculated that Ryan Murphy took influence from this movie for his depiction of a murderous man in red. Christmas Evil is available exclusively through Shudder.

A Christmas Horror Story – Shudder

Surprisingly, Krampus horror movies aren’t as popular in 2020. The Christmas deity was tremendously popular in 2015 after the release of the horror comedy Krampus from director Michael Doughtery, who also created the cult classic Halloween movie, Trick ‘R Treat. In A Christmas Horror Story, Krampus goes up against his jolly counterpart, Santa Claus, as each story in the anthology weaves together with characters who may be naughty or nice. It is available through Shudder, the streaming service that continues to prove their lineup is a key component for keeping the holiday fear—rather than cheer—alive.

Deadly Games – Shudder

Santa Claus is a popular character in Christmas horror movies, but time has proven that he can grow a bit stale, even in movies about his corresponding holiday. Deadly Games came out at the perfect moment, when the ideas for his involvement were still new and exciting. Originally released in 1989, it features a Home Alone storyline and a murderous Santa Claus who engages a young boy in a fight for his very life. However, the Chris Columbus helmed movie lacks the gore-factor that Deadly Games offers, making it perfect for Home Alone fans who also enjoy horror movies. Deadly Games is available for immediate streaming on Shudder.

Jack Frost – Shudder

Not to be confused with the Jack Frost that stars Michael Keaton as a friendly snowman, this 1997 horror movie features a far more sinister character. After serial killer Jack Frost (Scott MacDonald) evades execution, his body mysteriously mutates with the snow on the ground, transforming him into a chilling killer snowman. It is a revenge tale covered in red snow. Jack Frost is available for streaming through Shudder, but be sure it’s not the Michael Keaton family-friendly story before tuning in, or vice-versa.

Red Christmas – Shudder

Red Christmas is a haunting revenge story about a mother whose past comes back to kill her and the entire family. During their Christmas celebrations, a family invites a bizarre stranger named Cletus in to join them in the festivities. As his behavior grows increasingly bizarre and somewhat alarming, they kick him out only to become targets for his revenge plot against the woman who attempted to rid him from her life. Red Christmas is available on Shudder.

Silent Night, Deadly Night 2 – Shudder

When Christmas horror movies are brought up, it is common that Silent Night, Deadly Night is a major honorable mention. It has also influenced Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story: Asylum, and spawned an entire franchise of movies featuring a deranged killer dressed as Santa Claus. While the original slasher movie isn’t available for streaming, its sequel, Silent Night, Deadly Night 2, will be on Shudder December 2020.

Holiday Hell – Amazon

The anthology format continues to be a popular method of telling holiday-themed tales of terror. Holiday Hell is a Christmas horror anthology movie framed by a terrifying shopkeeper whose sinister stories include Hanukkah and Christmas. It’s rare that Hanukkah has its time to shine in horror. Holiday Hell ensures that the festival of lights has its own horror story that involves puppets, murder, and each sinister night of the holiday celebration. Holiday Hell is available for streaming on Amazon.

Secret Santa – Amazon

As a stranger stalks an unsuspecting family, he doses them with one of the strongest drugs available to him, which just so happens to be military grade. While they struggle to fend off the killer, the drugs slowly take hold of their psyche and lead to a horrifying tale of survival in Secret Santa. This Christmas horror movie highlights the dysfunctional family dynamic, especially under the threat of being murdered. It is available on Amazon.

Mercy Christmas – Amazon

Mercy Christmas begins as a hopeful tale of a man finally finding his perfect match and getting the opportunity to meet her entire family on Christmas. As they enjoy the traditional festivities of the season, one question remains on the lips of everyone around the table — what’s for dinner? In a shocking turn of events, Michael Briskett discovers that he is on the menu. Mercy Christmas is available on Amazon.

Happy Horror Days – Amazon

While Christmas isn’t the primary holiday setting for this anthology horror movie, Happy Horror Days features several horrifying segments that detail disturbing accounts of violence, murder, and mayhem. Its Christmas, New Years, and Hanukkah segments are sure to bring fear to a season full of cheer. It is available through Amazon to enjoy during every holiday, considering it also includes Easter, Thanksgiving, the 4th of July, and even Labor Day.

Slay Belles – Amazon

When a group of friends go out cosplaying during the holiday season, they unexpectedly run into the evil Christmas deity, Krampus. Joining forces with Santa Claus, the three girls and their jolly helping hand fight to take down the malevolent beast. This horror comedy offers several new and unique takes to the holiday horror sub-genre, as Santa has never joined forces with three cosplayers to take down his evil counterpart. Slay Belles is an unforgettable Christmas tale that adds a dash of cheer to the wealth of fear that holiday horror movies normally evoke. It is available on Amazon.

The Night Before – Amazon

The Night Before is if The Strangers were combined with Halloween. As a masked killer utilizes the Christmas holiday to do his killings, he targets families who just so happen to be home. He proceeds to torment his targets by playing with their kids and their toys while tormenting them by tying them up and hunting them through their own houses. This bloody tale of holiday horror is available on Amazon.

Stirring – Amazon

Stirring is Ms. Claus’s debut as a solo villain in the holiday horror subgenre. As a group of college students enjoy a Christmas party, a woman dressed as Ms. Claus starts to torment and stalk them. Taking place in a sorority, Stirring is reminiscent of Black Christmas with the drastic different of the jolly man in red’s wife as the bloodthirsty killer rather than a strange man. It is available through Amazon.

Santa Jaws – Amazon

Shark horror movies have become more popular than ever. It comes as no surprise that there is a Christmas themed shark horror movie titled Santa Jaws available on Amazon. The movie is about a young boy who wants to be away from his family for the holidays. In a bizarre turn of events, his Christmas wish spawns the “Santa Jaws” character he created who dons a Santa hat on its fin and has string lights wrapped around its body. The creature is set on killing every single person in his family so that the boy can be alone. While the hat isn’t entirely necessary, it helps make this movie shift into the realm of flicks that qualify as “so bad, it’s good.“

All Through The House – Amazon

The past comes back to haunt everyone in a once quiet neighborhood in the slasher horror movie, All Through The House. After a young girl went missing several years prior to the primary events of the movie, Rachel had gone on to live a normal life. Once she returns, the murderous past comes back to reveal the truth behind the missing girl, the man dressed as Santa, and the peculiar behaviors of the neighborhood residents. All Through The House is available on Amazon.

Anna and The Apocalypse – Amazon & Hulu

Anna and The Apocalypse has it all: zombies, musical numbers, candy cane battles, and a hellish fight for survival. It is one of the most inventive holiday horror movies to come out over the past decade. It utilizes the horror comedy subgenre to create an unforgettable experience for viewers who expected a simple zombie movie about a young girl fighting for her life during the Christmas season. Anna is face to face with the reality of growing older, losing loved ones, and the apocalypse.

While her biggest stressor was initially whether to go to college or travel the world, it quickly shifted to whether she will live or die. The ending perfectly sets up a sequel for Anna and The Apocalypse, but there has yet to be any announcement about a follow-up movie. This impressive holiday horror comedy musical is available through Amazon and Hulu.

NOS4A2 – Shudder & Hulu

Joe Hill and Jami O’Brien’s NOS4A2 isn’t necessarily a Christmas television series, but it does feature an inscape created by Charlie Manx (Zachary Quinto) called “Christmasland.” Both season 1 and season 2 surround the horrors that come with the location as well as its transformative powers that create children into monsters. As Vic McQueen (Ashleigh Cummings) utilizes her strong creative powers to fight the dastardly Manx, she realizes that she has to go to the heart of Christmasland to take him down permanently.

With themes of Christmas, familial drama, and supernatural elements, this television series can be watched year round, but has a certain holiday air to it. There’s nothing quite as nightmarish as a vampiric man who coerces children into getting into his car with the promise of taking them to Christmasland. NOS4A2 is available on Shudder and Hulu.

A Nasty Piece Of Work – Hulu

A Nasty Piece Of Work prompts the question: how far is too far to go for a bonus or promotion? Following their company Christmas party, Ted (Kyle Howard) and Gavin (Dustin Milligan) are invited to their boss’s house in order to compete for an executive position. While it begins fairly bizarre, it quickly escalates to outright horrific.

The two men are forced to harm themselves and those around them. With their careers hanging in the balance, Ted and Gavin have no other choice but to play the sick game their boss has created for them in order to achieve the success they’ve fought so hard for. With a wealth of bizarre twists and turns, A Nasty Piece Of Work is one of the greatest installments in the Hulu exclusive and Blumhouse produced series, Into The Dark. 

Once Upon A Time At Christmas – Hulu

As Santa and Ms. Claus torment a small town, it is up to one strange and unexpected duo to stop them before it is too late. An FBI agent teams up with a young girl in this Christmas horror flick available on Hulu. It is a bizarre paring, but one that sets this movie apart from others. Once Upon A Time At Christmas is a detective Christmas horror story filled with twists and turns that keep audiences guessing until the very last moment.

Pooka! – Hulu

As the latest toy craze sweeps through the nation, no one suspects that the Pooka dolls are as horrifying as they turn out to be. Wilson Clowes (Nyasha Hatendi) is hired to dress as Pooka and market the toy to whoever walks into the mall or store that he is in. He has the ability to set it in naughty and nice mode, but each setting has its own set of circumstances that can prove to be detrimental. Pooka! is available exclusively on Hulu through their Into The Dark series.

The Nights Before Christmas – Shudder December 6

In The Nights Before Christmas, Santa and Ms. Claus take on a Harley Quinn and Joker dynamic as they go on their own murder spree. It is uncommon that the wife of the jolly old man appears beside him, making this movie in something of a rarity in the holiday horror sub-genre. As they attempt to evade the FBI, the horrors of the Christmas season grow increasingly sinister as they continue the duo continue their murder spree. It will be available through Shudder on December 6, 2020, and is currently available on VOD through Amazon.

Joe Bob Saves Christmas – Shudder December 11th

Joe Bob does it again in his upcoming Christmas special. He’s hoping to bring back the holiday cheer to 2020 with his shudder exclusive, Joe Bob Saves Christmas. There will be two holiday horror movies to showcase in 2020, and it’s sure to impress with how many incredible tales that are currently available. It premieres exclusively on ShudderTV on December 11, 2020, and will be available to stream on the platform on December 13, 2020.

A Creepshow Holiday Special – Shudder December 18th

Just like Joe Bob, Creepshow has their own holiday special in mind this season. While their Halloween special was an animated feature, A Creepshow Holiday Special will be live-action. It includes one episode, split into two parts, that pertain to one cohesive story rather than several. It will release exclusively through Shudder on December 18, 2020.

Potential Releases

The Advent Calendar was announced for a December release overseas but a company has yet to acquire the movie for distribution in the United States. It is possible that it will become available at some point this month if a streaming service such as Shudder, Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon chooses to pick it up. As of this writing, there is no information on when or if it will become available in the United States any time soon. Deathcember was recently released on November 24, 2020, but it is only available for VOD through Amazon. It is composed of twenty-four shorts that all pertain to the holiday season. There are so many holiday horror movies available for streaming this Christmas season that options are limitless. Whether its a shark horror movie, a paranormal flick, or a classic slasher, there is something for every fan of the horror genre to enjoy this holidays season.

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