10 best Christmas movies that you must watch in 2024 (Photo Credit – Facebook)
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Few days on the calendar induce audiences like Christmas, making everyone from families to individuals and casual viewers to movie fanatics, to embrace the season through films. With Santa Claus’s arrival just around the corner, here, we present a varied range of those significant holiday movies—from heartwarming fan-favorite holiday classics and superhero flicks to uncomfortable horrors and thrillers that disguise the cozy holiday into a shivering, darker, more twisted experience, proving Christmas isn’t always merry.
10. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Photo Credit – Facebook)
Dr. Seuss’ titular bad guy character is brought to life by Jim Carrey in this 2000 iteration directed by Ron Howard. One of two iconic Christmas fantasies starring Carrey, alongside A Christmas Carol, this adaptation reimagines the Grinch as a bitter, misanthropic humanoid plotting to ruin Christmas for the Whos in Whoville. To lift this persona to a greater extent, Carrey had to infamously endure a demanding prosthetic process to transform into the green creature thanks to phenomenal makeup, hairstyling, and visual effects. Carrey’s performance, filled with his signature eccentricity, physicality, and goofy dialogue, ultimately ensures his Grinch steals anything but the Christmas spirit of the viewers.
9. Batman Returns (1992)
Batman Returns (Photo Credit – Facebook)
While an unpopular choice, Batman Returns is the closest superhero movie to venture into Christmas spirits, taking place during Gotham City’s snowy year-end season. Not the sole entry from Tim Burton on this list, the Michael Keaton-starrer combines festive cheer with the mayhem caused by Danny DeVito’s cunning Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer’s seductive Catwoman. As Bruce Wayne battles the newfangled liaisons of his dangerous rivals, typical features of holiday seasons, such as loneliness and redemption, intertwine with the otherwise visible holiday motifs. Burton’s gothic direction transforms Gotham into a strangely comical winter wonderland, where Christmas trees and decorations are the constant reminders of positivity.
Elf stars Will Ferrell as Buddy, a human raised by Santa Claus’ elves at the North Pole. One of the most beloved Christmas fantasies, this cherished holiday entry sees Buddy’s journey back to New York City to reconnect with his biological father while spreading Christmas cheer. Iron Man director Jon Favreau fuels the whimsical tale with Ferrell’s signature playful humor to complement the festive charm. Visually absorbing, Elf features everything from snowy streets and twinkling lights to oversized decorations to blur the line separating reality with fantasy as audiences back home are immersed into the high-stake character-driven story.
7. Black Christmas (1974)
Black Christmas (Photo Credit – Facebook)
Another unconventional and rather graphic choice, Black Christmas is a grotesque slasher from Bob Clark that later inspired John Carpenter to conceive his genre-defining Halloween franchise. Set during a festive sorority house Christmas, the horror movie contrasts the season’s cheer with unsettling terror as sorority sisters face a psychopathic stalker. Its atmospheric use of holiday lights and carols deepens the tone, laying the bridge between the cult classic and the 1970s slasher boom of Hollywood. While families tend to avoid the temptation of witnessing scream queens, horror fanatics hold Black Christmas in higher regards.
6. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
The Nightmare Before Christmas (Photo Credit – Facebook)
Clocking in at just 76 minutes, this tightly packed animated affair efficiently combines fantasy, music, and dark humor. The Nightmare Before Christmas tells the story of Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, who becomes infatuated with the idea of Christmas and attempts to take over the holiday by Santa Claus in order to spread despair. Often hailed as the best Tim Burton movie not directed by Burton himself, it features Henry Selick’s enchanting direction and Danny Elfman’s unforgettable score. As a musical with horror undertones, it caters to a wide audience who can’t seem to take their eyes off of the gothic visuals and quirky characters.
5. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Eyes Wide Shut (Photo Credit – Facebook)
Stanley Kubrick’s peculiar collaboration with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, ‘Eyes Wide Shut,’ follows a doctor on the verge of a midlife crisis that propels him into a surreal spiral of inexplicable events. Set against a Christmas backdrop, erotic–mystery mirrors traditional holiday stories where protagonists search for lost purpose and spirit. However, rather than joy, Kubrick crafts a chilling and suspenseful narrative, contrasting festivity with incessant disconcerting revelations. Its hypnotic story transcends the excessive on-screen nudity and sexual imagery, cementing Kubrick’s swan song as an unconventional holiday special.
4. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Edward Scissorhands (Photo Credit – Facebook)
Another Christmas present from Tim Burton, co-written by Caroline Thompson, Edward Scissorhands is among the most original pieces of enchanting fairy tales coming to life. Johnny Depp plays Edward, a gentle, never-before-seen artificial man with literal scissors for hands, created by a reclusive inventor but left incomplete. When Edward is taken in by a suburban family, his artistic talents mesmerize the town while his defining trait also precipitates fear and prejudice. Set against the backdrop of a cozy, magical Christmas, Burton’s distinctive storytelling style captures both Edward’s beauty and melancholy, crafting an evergreen tale of love and acceptance.
3. Die Hard (1988)
Die Hard (Photo Credit – Facebook)
Arguably Bruce Willis’ most memorable film, Die Hard tells the story of an office building taken hostage by Hans Gruber, played by Alan Rickman in an iconic performance, and Gruber’s band of hijackers on Christmas Eve. The thrilling action unravels as the plot keeps viewers glued to every course of action, Willis’ character, John McClane, ventures on in order to save not just the hostages, but also their Christmas spirit. For 36 years, this iconic entry in the Die Hard franchise has sparked end-of-year debates about its place among holiday classics, with most affirming, thanks to its iconic festive backdrop and enduring legacy.
2. Home Alone (1990)
Home Alone(Photo Credit – Facebook)
Often named among the most iconic movies and often regarded as a family iteration of Die Hard, Home Alone has evolved into a traditional Christmas ritual. Starring Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, a delinquent 10-year-old accidentally left behind during the holidays, the aptly titled comedy showcases his defense against two bumbling burglars. Director Chris Columbus incorporates lightheartedness as Kevin cleverly outsmarts the villains at each and every step. From twinkling trees to winter gifts and chimneys, Christmas is woven into every frame of Home Alone alongside humor and nostalgia, cementing its place in holiday movie traditions worldwide.
1. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
It’s a Wonderful Life (Photo Credit – Facebook)
It’s a Wonderful Life loosely adapts Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol for a supernatural family experience with a deeply motivating core. James Stewart stars as George Bailey, a disillusioned man whose life deteriorates, leading him to consider suicide on Christmas Eve. Enter Clarence (Henry Travers), a literal guardian angel, who shows George the “what-if” scenarios of his existence by presenting an alternate reality where he never existed. Frank Capra’s storytelling transforms this exploration of despair and redemption into an emotional journey that stands out even within a filmography as illustrious as his own, securing It’s a Wonderful Life as a timeless classic whose impact is not limited to holidays.
