The Snacks Not Included guide to the best alternative Christmas films is back baby!!! In an official poll by the British Board of Film Classification – 44% of its members asserted that Die Hard is not a Christmas movie. This is bullshit – its the ultimate Christmas movie ever. We continue our tradition of alternative Christmas movies….these films delve into the dark, murky, action, comedy and horror set in yuletide season, you won’t see Miracle of 34th Street on this list. A lot of these probably would not make it to BBFC lists too…..but what do they know – lets get in this!!!!

 

Bad Santa

This one is a Christmas Classic. Forget goodwill and festive cheer—Bad Santa delivers Christmas with a foul mouth, a hangover, and zero morals. Billy Bob Thornton stars as a miserable, hard-drinking conman who teams up with his partner to pose as Santa and his Little Helper, using the holiday season as the perfect cover to rob department stores blind.

Things start to unravel when this thoroughly unlikeable Santa forms an unlikely bond with a lonely, troubled kid, forcing cracks to appear in his carefully constructed misery. Equal parts crude, hilarious, and oddly heartfelt, Bad Santa is a dark comedy Christmas classic that proves even the most cynical holiday stories can still have a twisted bit of heart.

 

Blast of Silence

Blast of Silence is a stark, stripped-back neo-noir that turns Christmas into something bleak and isolating. Written, directed by, and starring Allen Baron, this 1961 cult classic follows a solitary hitman returning to his native New York City during the holiday season to carry out a murder for hire. Snow-dusted streets, storefront decorations, and festive crowds form a cruel contrast to the film’s cold, internal monologue and moral emptiness.

The Christmas setting isn’t decorative—it deepens the film’s sense of alienation, highlighting the hitman’s loneliness as the city celebrates around him. Made on a shoestring budget but rich in atmosphere, Blast of Silence is a haunting, highly recommended neo-noir that proves Christmas can be just as chilling as it is cheerful.

 

The Children

Nothing ruins a festive getaway quite like the kids turning feral. The Children (2008) is a brutally effective British horror-thriller that transforms a cosy winter vacation into a full-blown nightmare. Directed by Tom Shankland, the film taps into one of horror’s most unsettling fears: children as the monster.

Set during a snowy holiday break, a mysterious virus begins infecting the youngest members of a family, turning them into cold, bloodthirsty killers. What follows is a tense, relentless descent into terror, where parental instinct clashes with pure survival. Bleak, shocking, and uncompromising, The Children is a Christmas horror that pulls no punches—and proves that sometimes the most terrifying thing under the tree is family.

 

The Grinch That Stole Bitches

This one is pure, unfiltered holiday trash—and it knows it. The Grinch That Stole Bitches is a Tubi original so aggressively low-budget and ridiculous it firmly lands in “so bad it’s good” territory. You’ll either tap out immediately or embrace the madness and have an absolute blast. There is no middle ground.

Fresh out of prison after serving a 32-month sentence for a crime he insists Santa framed him for, the Grinch is back—and he wants revenge. But instead of stealing Christmas, he goes after Santa where it hurts most: matters of the heart. With the help of his gremlins and a pack of Dobermans, the Grinch sets out to woo Mrs. Claus, throw a wildly unhinged house party, and seduce half the town. Naturally, things escalate when Santa responds by forming a cult to stop him, leading to a gloriously chaotic showdown.

It’s crude, nonsensical, and completely unhinged—but undeniably fun. If your Christmas movie list has room for absolute nonsense, The Grinch That Stole Bitches might just be your new guilty pleasure.

 

Invasion USA

This film depicts the America that Trump is trying to scare people into thinking is around the corner if he doesn’t control the borders

Invasion USA is peak 80s paranoia wrapped up as a Christmas action movie, depicting an America under siege in a way that feels both wildly absurd and unintentionally prophetic. This is the kind of film that imagines the nation collapsing overnight into chaos and anarchy—an exaggerated nightmare vision that plays like pure Cold War fear-mongering on steroids.

Chuck Norris stars as lone-wolf hero Matt Hunter, facing off against Soviet terrorist Mikhail Rostov, who leads a commando squad launching a full-scale invasion of the US, starting in Florida. Bombings, random civilian attacks, and urban warfare follow, all designed to push the country into panic. Naturally, the solution is one man, unlimited firepower, and zero subtlety.

Invasion USA is as entertaining as it is ridiculous—a festive action relic packed with explosions, nationalism, and unintentional comedy. Whether you watch it ironically or earnestly, it’s a Christmas movie that delivers chaos, carnage, and Chuck Norris doing Chuck Norris things. Its likely on Trump’s Xmas watchlist.

 

Jack Frost

Let’s be clear—this is not the Michael Keaton family-friendly Christmas movie. Jack Frost (1997) is the gloriously stupid holiday slasher that asks one important question: what if a serial killer came back as a murderous snowman?

After a freak accident involving genetic material, executed killer Jack Frost is reborn as a wisecracking, bloodthirsty snowman hell-bent on revenge against the sheriff who put him away. The result is a low-budget, effects-heavy horror comedy packed with bad jokes, ridiculous kills, and zero shame.

Is it good? Absolutely not. Is it fun? Without question. If you love “so bad it’s good” horror and enjoy your Christmas movies with a side of absurdity, Jack Frost is essential festive trash viewing.

 

The Legend of Hell House

The Legend of Hell House is a classic slice of 1970s independent gothic horror that proves Christmas is the perfect time to summon the supernatural. Released in 1973, this chilling tale follows a group of researchers who agree to spend a week inside the infamous Belasco House, the former home of a sadistic millionaire whose legacy of murder and depravity has left the place steeped in evil. Previous investigators didn’t survive—and that knowledge hangs over every darkened corridor.

Set during the festive season, the Christmas backdrop adds an extra layer of unease, contrasting seasonal warmth with oppressive dread. Claustrophobic, atmospheric, and relentlessly grim, The Legend of Hell House is essential viewing for anyone looking to swap Christmas cheer for a truly haunting holiday experience.

 

Morvern Caller

Christmas Day begins in silence and devastation in Morvern Callar, one of the bleakest festive films you’re ever likely to watch. Morvern wakes to find that her boyfriend has taken his own life, leaving behind a suicide note, a mixtape, Christmas presents, funeral money, and the manuscript of an unpublished novel dedicated to her. Instead of alerting the authorities, Morvern makes a shocking choice—she leaves his body untouched and quietly rewrites her own future. Morvern submits the manuscript under her own name and tells those around her that her boyfriend has simply left the country

Directed by Lynne Ramsay, whose work is synonymous with emotional rawness and quiet brutality, the film unfolds as a cold, detached exploration of grief, identity, and moral ambiguity. She is currently making waves with her latest film Die My Love. Morven Caller is unflinching, unsettling, and deeply human, Morvern Callar is Christmas cinema at its most emotionally devastating. Happy holidays.

 

Pillion

Pillion is a quietly affecting and refreshingly intimate queer Christmas film that finds romance in the most unexpected places. Set on Christmas Eve, the story follows a shy, socially awkward traffic warden (Harry Melling) whose lonely routine is disrupted when he meets a handsome, enigmatic biker (Alexander Skarsgård). What begins as a chance encounter slowly unfolds into a deeply personal exploration of desire, trust, and connection.

Balancing warmth, humour, and emotional honesty, Pillion approaches themes of BDSM and power dynamics with sensitivity and care, never losing sight of its human core. It’s a tender, character-driven film about finding intimacy on your own terms—and a beautifully unconventional addition to the Christmas movie canon.

 

Three Days of the Condor

Three Days of the Condor is a 1970s political spy thriller that quietly earns its place as an unconventional Christmas classic. Starring Robert Redford (RIP), this long-time favourite captures the era’s deep paranoia as it follows a mild-mannered CIA researcher in Manhattan who returns from lunch to find all his co-workers murdered. Suddenly thrust into a deadly game, he must stay one step ahead of unseen enemies while trying to work out who—if anyone—he can trust.

Set against a wintry, Christmas-time New York City, the film uses festive decorations, carolers, and holiday bustle to heighten its sense of isolation and unease. The contrast between seasonal cheer and creeping dread gives the film a melancholic edge, making it perfect viewing for the darker side of the holidays. Thoughtful, tense, and quietly haunting, Three Days of the Condor remains an essential watch for fans of intelligent thrillers—and alternative Christmas cinema.

That’s all for this year, but the Snacks Not Included guide to alternative Christmas films will no doubt return again next season.

Merry Christmas

Please find the previous best alternative Christmas movie lists below
2024
2023
2022
2020