The Best Holiday Horror Movies for Every Occasion!
These Holiday Horror Movies Bring the Terror All Year Round!
Good news, horror fans! It turns out that you don’t have to wait until Halloween or Christmas to enjoy holiday horror movies. Turns out there are scary movies you can enjoy almost every major holiday and most minor ones. As some of you might know, I’m a big horror fan, which is why I’ve decided to put in the hours to pull together a guide to holiday horror movies. To qualify, a film has to take place on the holiday (at least partially) or have a theme that ties in directly to it. I’m picking one movie officially for each holiday, but I’ll also include an honorable mention or two if it’s an especially difficult decision. Also, I’m steering away from anthologies that feature multiple holidays on them. I’m also not going to include any of the Into the Dark Films, because I kind of feel like that’s cheating. Anyways, I did a ton of research, and I think I managed to find the perfect holiday horror movies for almost every occasion. Now when people complain that you’re always watching horror films, you can claim you’re celebrating _______ holiday instead! You’re welcome, horror community.
Valentine’s Day (February 14th)- Pontypool
The first of the holiday horror movies that we come to is set on the most romantic day of them all. Now, there’s no actual romance in Pontypool, but it does take place on the day in question, and it’s a pretty creepy outbreak movie. A radio shock jock stumbles into work one day and discovers that something strange is happening in the small town he works in. As the day goes on, things get weirder and weirder until the bizarre truth is discovered. Not exactly something you’d want to cuddle up with your sweetie and watch, but Pontypool is a fascinating film and definitely worth checking out.
Honorable Mention: My Bloody Valentine and Valentine.
Mardis Gras (Following Three Kings Day in February or March) – Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh
The next of the holiday horror movies we’re checking out takes place in the Big Easy. Despite not being from Louisiana or having anything really to do with New Orleans (he was killed in Chicago), the gothic ghost of Daniel Robitaille heads on down to New Orleans to terrorize and seduce his descendant (which is super creepy, right?). Not much of the film actually takes place during Mardis Gras revelries, but a radio DJ makes sure you definitely know that it’s going on in a series of voice-overs. They toss in a few floats too and voila, this film earns a spot among the rest of these holiday horror movies.
President’s Day (The 3rd Monday of February)- Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
President’s Day means we’ve come to the first of the holiday horror movies that does’t take place during the holiday. Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter isn’t even really a “horror movie.” However, since it features one of America’s most recognizable presidents as a big-screen vampire slayer, I couldn’t resist giving it the President’s Day spot. In the film, the Civil War is actually fought against vampires controlling the confederacy, which is just dumb enough to be incredible. Is it good? Nah, but not all great movies are. So, turn your brain off and check it out.
April Fool’s Day (April 1st)- April Fool’s Day (1986)
In a lot of ways, April Fool’s Day is the perfect pick for this holiday, because it’s mildly infuriating. That’s okay though because, despite the ending, it’s actually pretty good with a solid cast. The film takes place in a mansion where several friends are partying over the weekend. They find that it’s been rigged with tricks by the owner just for the holiday. While they’re funny at first they grow darker and darker until it becomes clear that they aren’t the only ones in the house. There’s a killer among them, and there’s no telling just how deadly these pranks might get!
Easter (A Sunday between March 22nd and April 25th)- Dead Snow
I could make a joke about Dead Snow deserving the Easter slot among this collection of holiday horror movies because of the whole “Jesus rising from the dead” thing. However, this movie actually takes place during Easter, which makes it a perfect fit. Don’t expect a bunch of bunnies and brightly painted eggs though. Instead, Dead Snow follows a group of friends taking an Easter vacation to enjoy some skiing. Things get out of hand when they accidentally resurrect dead Nazis as zombies. Things really go… DOWN HILL from there.