15 Merriest and Scariest Christmas Horror Movies on Hulu

Looking to swap your peppermint hot cocoa for something a little more … chilling … this holiday season?

If you’re a horror movie fan, Hulu rounded up a sleighful of Christmas horror films just for you. From slasher Santas in Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) to a sadistic battle for survival in the Hulu Original Midnight Kiss (2019), these are the ultimate horror-tinged picks for your holiday watchlist.

Christmas Horror Movies

1. Gremlins (1984)

When little Billy breaks the strict rules for caring for his curious new pet and Christmas present, a swarm of mischievous — and increasingly menacing — creatures descend on his small town. Dive into the holiday horror that made this film an enduring cult favorite.

Watch: Gremlins

2. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Who doesn’t love Christmas movies? And this beloved Tim Burton spooky Christmas classic delivers. Enjoy the magic of Christmas along with Jack Skellington, Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, as he attempts to bring the holiday cheer of Christmas Town back home with him.

Watch: The Nightmare Before Christmas*

*The Nightmare Before Christmas is available with the Disney+, Hulu Bundle Basic/Premium. Access content from each service separately.

3. A Christmas Carol (2019)

It may not be a Christmas slasher, but this dark and haunting spin on Charles Dickens’ cautionary Christmas tale delivers enough eerie chills to linger long after the final ghost fades. Originally airing on FX as a three-part series, A Christmas Carol is available to stream in movie form now on Hulu.

Watch: A Christmas Carol

4. Violent Night (2022)

This funny Christmas movie is brutal, bloody, and feels like a gloriously festive twist on Die Hard. In this holiday showdown, a jaded Santa crashes a high-stakes holiday heist when mercenaries take a wealthy family hostage, forcing him to tap into his surprisingly savage past to save the day. Watch this one when you want your Christmas fear served with a side of festive fury.

Watch: Violent Night*

*Live TV plan required to watch live content on Hulu. Regional restrictions, blackouts, and additional terms apply.

5. Black Christmas (2019)

Hawthorne College is emptying for the holidays, but Riley and her sorority sisters aren’t alone. As a hooded figure stalks campus, leaving a bloody trail behind, the women refuse to play the victims. Instead, they band together to take down the Christmas killer before he strikes again — creating a chilling feminist spin on the slasher genre and giving the holiday season a sharp, bloody edge.

Watch: Black Christmas

6. No Exit (2022)

On her way home from visiting her mother, a college student is stranded at a remote mountain rest stop as a blizzard closes in. When she stumbles upon a kidnapped child hidden inside a stranger’s van, the seemingly harmless group sheltering with the child becomes a pool of suspects — forcing her into a deadly game of trust and survival as she tries to uncover the kidnapper before the storm traps them all.

Watch: No Exit

7. Pooka! (2018)

Is Pooka naughty or nice? When a down-on-his-luck actor gets a job dressing up as “Pooka,” the most popular toy of the year, he finds that putting on the suit changes him in more ways than one. 

Watch: Pooka!

8. Thanksgiving (2023)

One year after a deadly Black Friday riot, a masked killer returns and turns Thanksgiving into open season. When a handful of seemingly random killings soon reveal a calculated plan for revenge, Thanksgiving becomes a full-blown fight for survival.

Watch: Thanksgiving

9. Santa’s Slay (2022)

What if St. Nick isn’t really who we think he is? In this scary Santa movie, the jolly man in red is actually a demon who lost a bet with an angel and is forced to become the kind-hearted man we know and love. Now that the bet is over, the real Santa Claus is here to spread Christmas cheer fear.

Watch: Santa’s Slay

10. New Year, New You (2018)

What happens when you reconnect with childhood friends but the memories aren’t quite warm and fuzzy? In New Year, New You, a group of old pals gets together on New Year’s Eve to reconnect after years apart. Upon their reunion, memories from their childhood come back to haunt them with deadly results.

Watch: New Year, New You

11. It’s a Wonderful Knife (2023)

It’s a Wonderful Life — but with a horror twist. A year after saving her town from a killer on Christmas Eve, Winnie wishes she was never born. When she wakes up in a nightmare parallel universe where she doesn’t exist, she quickly realizes her worth.

Watch: It’s a Wonderful Knife

12. Midnight Kiss (2019)

Every New Year’s Eve, a group of gay best friends and their gal pal play a game called “Midnight Kiss” to ensure each friend has someone to kiss at midnight. But when a masked newcomer wants to join in, the game turns into a sadistic battle for survival in this Hulu Original holiday horror.

Watch: Midnight Kiss

13. Pilgrim (2019)

Inspired by real events, this holiday nightmare follows the Barker family, whose well-meaning matriarch invites a group of Pilgrim reenactors to live with them for Thanksgiving. But when the guests refuse to break character — and their devotion turns disturbingly extreme — the family discovers that some lessons in gratitude come at a terrifying cost.

Watch: Pilgrim

14. There’s Something in the Barn (2023)

An American family inherits a secluded farm in Norway, only to discover a troublemaking barn elf lurking on the property. As they attempt to coexist with the mischievous creature, their quiet holiday getaway turns into a chaotic mix of folklore and festive frights.

Watch: There’s Something in the Barn* 

*There’s Something in the Barn requires STARZ® on Hulu add-on subscription. STARZ and related channels and service marks are the property of STARZ Entertainment, LLC. All other titles and related trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

15. Silent Night, Fatal Night (2003)

When bestselling author Mallory Dearborn chooses to end her hit detective series, her unstable manager refuses to accept it. He spirals into obsession, traps her in a secluded cabin, stages her death, and demands one last book. As Mallory plots her way out, her own fight for survival becomes the darkest story she’s ever written — echoing the claustrophobic terror of Misery.

Watch: Silent Night, Fatal Night*

*Live TV plan required to watch live content on Hulu. Regional restrictions, blackouts, and additional terms apply.