Terrifier 3 and 4 Other Recent Christmas Horror Movies for Every Fan of the Slasher Genre

Terrifier 3 and 4 Other Recent Christmas Horror Movies for Every Fan of the Slasher Genre
Image credit: Cineverse

You have never seen Christmas so bloody.

The holiday horror season is upon us with killer Santas and demons. Christmas horror is a niche genre that has recently evolved and is being reborn before our very eyes.

1. The Sacrifice Game, 2023

The Sacrifice Game is The Holdovers in a Black Christmas setting. A girl is left at a boarding school for the holidays, because her parents didn't pick her up – a sad and dangerous situation, because a gang of crazy cultists is operating nearby.

The slasher not only favors a retro style, but also takes a brisk turn, breaking genre expectations. The movie compresses the source of tension and looks like a worthy representative of the sudden return of the Christmas slasher.

2. Terrifier 3, 2024

Damien Leone's franchise has gone from low-budget movie to worldwide grindhouse hit. The third Terrifier is a retro tribute to the horror of the 80s, done the old-fashioned way: bloody and merciless. The Christmas setting and a wink at all kinds of cheap slashers in the spirit of Black Christmas also play into its hands.

And we haven't seen a maniac in a Santa suit wielding a chainsaw for a long time, and we certainly don't expect the red gift bag to contain not children's toys, but butcher's tools.

3. Violent Night, 2022

Armed robbers take over a mansion where Santa Claus, who has come to distribute presents, happens to be. But far from being a kindly grandfather, he is an almost angry Viking ready to smash the heads of his enemies.

Violent Night, starring David Harbour, adds to the gallery of crazy Santas: an aggressive and drunken berserker who takes on Kevin's mission from Home Alone, but with extremely dirty methods. In addition, this is a truly hilarious thriller without brakes that does not hesitate to be cruel even on such a wonderful and sweet holiday.

4. It's a Wonderful Knife, 2023

It never occurred to the creators of Scream to set their slasher on Christmas Eve. Although this horror has nothing to do with the Wes Craven franchise, it adds a festive atmosphere to the youth horror genre.

Even the maniac observes the Christmas dress code, preferring snow-white clothing. Tyler MacIntyre's horror avoids any seriousness: not only the tropes of the genre are ironized, but also the timeless classics.

Like Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life, the movie takes place in a parallel universe, only the real Christmas miracle for the main character is finding out the identity of the killer.

5. Christmas Bloody Christmas, 2022

What do you get when you combine a Christmas slasher with The Terminator and M3GAN? A robot Santa Claus goes rogue and becomes an uncontrollable killing machine that threatens to destroy a small town.

Christmas Bloody Christmas is a movie made with a love for low-budget horror and the classics of John Carpenter. It is also a wonderful test for the receptors: the sound of heavy metal cuts the ears, alternating with cold synth compositions, the frame shimmers like a festive garland in purple, pink and blue, and a cyborg killer shoots a green laser from his eyes.