The Naughty List: Alternative Christmas Films

'Stranger Things' star David Harbour takes on the role of Santa in this 2022 action comedy. When a group of mercenaries attack the estate of a wealthy family, Santa Claus must step in to save the day and Christmas.

A group of college students attending a Christmas party at a sorority house that has a sinister past are stalked by a bloodthirsty killer disguised as Mrs. Claus.

In pursuit of buried treasure, a group of fortune hunters unearth an ancient demonic summoning stone that holds a terrible curse and awakens a timeless evil, the Krampus. After centuries of slumber, Krampus has awoken with a thirst for blood.

When you think of the suburbs, you think safety, but on this Christmas Eve suburbia is anything but safe. Ashley is babysitting a young boy named Luke, but the night takes a turn when a masked intruder armed with a shotgun break in and terrorise her. There's several nods to the classic festive movie, 'Home Alone', including an attempt to smash someone's head in with a swinging paint can, lobbing bricks at someone through an upstairs window, not to mention the snowy suburban settings of Chicago in Illinois, the Christmas carols, and a spider.

Nick is haunted by night terrors stemming from a tragic murder he saw when he was young. After inheriting an old toy shop, he discovers a cursed elf doll sealed inside an ancient chest with a naughty list of his family's names written on it. He soon discovers that the elf was an evil conduit meant to unleash a supernatural killing spree during the Christmas Holidays by whomever set it free.

Interwoven stories that take place on Christmas Eve, as told by one festive radio host: A family brings home more than a Christmas tree, a student documentary becomes a living nightmare, a Christmas spirit terrorizes, Santa slays evil.

An alternative Christmas movie based on the very real legend of the Krampus, described as a horrific and terrifying Christmas devil. A horned beast with long hair and huge fangs, he's very much the stuff of nightmares. A hybrid beast culled from a mixture of Norse and classical mythology, he is said to arrive on the 5th December on Krampusnacht, or Krampus Night.

He arrives ready to beat bad children with birch twigs, and if they're naughty, cart them off to hell. Sounds like an ideal threat to use on naughty children if the line 'Santa won't bring you anything' isn't having the desired effect.

In the movie version of the legend, a dysfunctional family clash over the holidays and their lack of festive spirit unleashes the wrath of Krampus and all hell breaks loose as beloved holiday icons take on a monstrous life of their own, laying siege to the fractured family's home and forcing them to fight for one another if they hope to survive.

Not to be confused with the heart-felt Michael Keaton released a year later, 'Jack Frost'. After an accident that left murderer Jack Frost dead in genetic material the vengeful killer returns as a murderous snowman to exact his revenge on the man who sent him to be executed.

Is Tim Burton's classic a Christmas film or a Halloween film? Well, probably a bit of both. Either way, it's a perfect watch once December is approaching to help your transition into the festive season. Jack Skellington, king of Halloween Town, discovers Christmas Town, but his attempts to bring Christmas to his home causes confusion.

This 80s classic is a Christmas movie disguised as a horror, that almost passes as a family movie, perhaps because its executive producer was Steven Spielberg. The movie follows a young boy called Billy, who inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town at Christmas.

Even though the movie is packed full of snow and has serious Christmas vibes, it was released in the summer. Even the character of Mrs. Deagle is a nod to the pre-reformed character of Ebenezer Scrooge from the classic Charles Dickens novel, 'A Christmas Carol'.

Little Billy witnesses his parents getting killed by Santa after being warned by his senile grandpa that Santa punishes those who are naughty. Now Billy is 18 and out of the orphanage, and he has just become Santa himself.

Legend has it that this was Elvis Presley's favourite horror movie and his tradition was to watch it every Christmas. The movies title is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Christmas song and 1954 film, 'White Christmas', and the film's setting of Bedford is an intentional homage to the Christmas classic, 'It's A Wonderful Life'.

Olivia Hussey and Margot Kidder star among an ill-fated houseful of sorority sisters on a Christmas break, but the festivities turn fatal when obscene phone calls break the serenity and the girls are stalked by a stranger. The plot was allegedly inspired by some real-life murders that occurred in Canada during the holiday season.