Holiday-themed horror films or holiday horror are a subgenre of horror films set during holidays. Holiday horror films can be presented in short or long formats, and typically utilize common themes, images, and motifs from the holidays during which they are set, often as methods by which the villain may murder their victims.Baker, Tom "10 Ridiculous Holiday Horror Films" , What Culture, 11 December 2014. The genre has its own subgenres, such as Christmas horror.
Film scholars Chris Vander Kaay and Kathleen Fernandez-Vander Kaay explain the subgenre as such: The expression 'adding insult to injury' is an excellent encapsulation of the motivation behind the horror movie obsession with holidays (aside from the obvious desire to brand a killer with a theme and costume that can be revisited many times within a lucrative film franchise). The holiday is a place for happiness and family... The horror movie loves nothing more than irony (except perhaps a good death scene), and there is very little more ironic than the fear and isolation of a horror movie taking place right in the middle of the festivities.
List of films The following is a list of holiday horror films that depict or are set during a holiday or holiday season.
1900s Year Film Country Holiday(s) Notes 1901 Scrooge, or, Marley's Ghost United Kingdom Christmas John T. Soister, Henry Nicolella, Steve Joyce; American Silent Horror Feature Films, 1913-1929 - 495
1910s Year Film Country Holiday(s) Notes 1916 The Right to Be Happy United States Christmas
1920s Year Film Country Holiday(s) Notes 1921 The Phantom Carriage Sweden New Year's Eve/New Year Based on the book Thy Soul Shall Bear Witness! 1922 Häxan Denmark-Sweden Walpurgis Night / May Day 1922 The Headless Horseman United States Halloween 1923 A Midsummer Night's Scream United States Midsummer Short film
1930s Year Film Country Holiday(s) Notes 1931 Dracula United States Walpurgis Night/May Day 1933 Mystery of the Wax Museum United States New Year's Eve/New Year 1936 The Devil-Doll United States Christmas
1940s Year Film Country Holiday(s) Notes 1944 Christmas Holiday United States Christmas 1944 The Curse of the Cat People United States Christmas 1945 Dead of Night United Kingdom Christmas Anthology film
1950s Year Film Country Holiday(s) Notes 1955 The Night of the Hunter United States Christmas 1958 The Phantom Carriage Sweden New Year's Eve/New Year Remake of the 1921 film
1960s Year Film Country Holiday(s) Notes 1960 Macario Mexico Dia de Muertos 1960 Psycho United States Christmas 1961 Blast of Silence United States Christmas 1964 Castle of Blood Italy / France All Soul's Eve 1964 At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul Brazil Good Friday 1968 Seeds of Sin United States Christmas
1970s Year Film Country Holiday(s) Notes 1970 La Noche de Walpurgis Spain Walpurgis Night / May Day 1971 The Fifth Cord Italy New Year's Eve/New Year 1971 Web of the Spider Italy/ France/ Germany All Soul's Eve 1972 Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? United Kingdom Christmas 1972 Tales from the Crypt United Kingdom Christmas, Valentine Anthology filmEd. Allan Bryce, Amicus: The Studio That Dripped Blood, Stray Cat Publishing, 2000 pp. 84-93. 1972 Frogs United States Independence Day 1972 Home for the Holidays United States Christmas Television film 1972Silent Night, Bloody Night United States Christmas 1973 The Wicker Man United Kingdom Walpurgis Night / May Day 1973 El Retorno de Walpurgis Spain Walpurgis Night / May Day 1973 The Legend of Hell House United Kingdom Christmas 1974 Persecution United Kingdom Christmas 1974 Black Christmas Canada Christmas 1974 The Bloody Exorcism of Coffin Joe Brazil Christmas 1975 The Sky Is Falling Spanish Easter 1975 Jaws United States Independence Day 1975 Night Train Murders Italy Christmas 1975 Deep Red Italy Christmas 1976 God Told Me To United States Saint Patrick's Day 1976 The Clown Murders Canada Halloween 1976 To the Devil a Daughter United Kingdom Halloween 1977 The Child United States Halloween 1977 Rabid Canada Christmas 1978 Mardi Gras Massacre United States Mardi Gras 1978 Halloween United States Halloween 1979 World Market of Sex Brazil Christmas
1980s Year Film Country Holiday(s) Notes 1980 Terror Train United States New Year's Eve/New Year 1980 To All a Goodnight United States Christmas 1980 Christmas Evil United States Christmas 1980 Maniac United States Christmas 1980 New Year's Evil United States New Year's Eve/New Year 1980 Ms .45 United States Halloween 1981 My Bloody Valentine Canada Valentine's Day Also takes place during Friday the 13th 1981 Halloween II United States Halloween 1981 Frozen Scream United States Halloween 1981 Home Sweet Home United States Thanksgiving 1981 Ghostkeeper Canada New Year's Eve/New Year 1981 The Hand United States Christmas 1982 Humongous Canada Labor Day 1982 Creepshow United States Father's Day / Halloween Anthology film 1982 The Dorm That Dripped Blood United States Christmas 1982 Halloween III: Season of the Witch United States Halloween 1982 Trick or Treats United States Halloween 1982 Hospital Massacre United States Valentine's Day 1982 Bloodbeat United States/France Christmas 1983 The Being United States Easter 1984 Don't Open till Christmas United Kingdom Christmas 1984 Gremlins United States Christmas 1984 Silent Night, Deadly Night United States Christmas 1984 Night of the Comet United States Christmas 1984 Tales of the Third Dimension United States Christmas Anthology film 1984 Sole Survivor United States Christmas 1985 Trancers United States Christmas 1985 The Oracle United States Christmas/ New Year 1985 The Return of the Living Dead United States Independence Day 1985 Silver Bullet United States Independence Day 1985 The Midnight Hour United States Halloween Television film 1985 Cemetery of Terror Mexico Halloween 1986 April Fool's Day United States April Fools 1986 Killer Party Canada/United States April Fools 1986 Slaughter High United Kingdom/United States April Fools 1986 Trick or Treat United States Halloween 1986 Deadly Friend United States Halloween/ Thanksgiving 1987 Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 United States Christmas 1987 Outback Vampires Australia Christmas Television film 1987 Night Visitors United States Christmas Direct-to-video 1987 Blood Rage United States Thanksgiving 1987Bloody New Year's Eve/New Year United Kingdom New Year's Eve/New Year's 1987Dead of Winter United States New Year's Eve/ New Year 1988 The Brain Canada Christmas 1988 Trapped Alive America Christmas Direct-to-video 1988 Lady in White United States Halloween, Christmas 1988 Critters 2: The Main Course United States Easter 1988 Maniac Cop United States Saint Patrick's Day 1988 Night of the Demons United States Halloween 1988 Nightmare Beach United States/Italy Easter 1988 Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers United States Halloween 1988 Deadly Dreams United States Christmas 1988Faceless France Christmas 1988Iced United States New Year's Eve/New Year 1989 3615 code Père Noël France Christmas 1989 Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers United States Halloween 1989 Communion United States Boxing Day 1989 Elves United States Christmas 1989 I, Madman United States Christmas 1989 Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out! United States Christmas Direct-to-video 1989 Ghostbusters II United States Christmas, New Year's Eve/ New Year
1990s Year Film Country Holiday(s) Notes 1990 Graveyard Shift United States Independence Day 1990 Maniac Cop 2 United States Christmas Although it is a direct sequel that takes place immediately after the events of Maniac Cop (which takes place around St. Patrick's Day), Maniac Cop 2 clearly takes place at Christmastime, which creates a significant continuity error throughout the two films. 1990 Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation United States Christmas Direct-to-video 1990 Hardware United Kingdom Christmas 1991 The Boneyard United States Thanksgiving Direct-to-video 1991 Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker United States Christmas Direct-to-video 1991 Omen IV: The Awakening United States/Canada Christmas Television film 1991 Campfire Tales United States Christmas Anthology film 1992 Stepfather III United States Easter, Father's Day Television film 1992 Cronos Mexico Christmas/ New Year 1993 Amityville: A New Generation United States Thanksgiving Direct-to-video 1993 The Nightmare Before Christmas United States Halloween, Christmas 1994 Night of the Demons 2 United States Halloween 1994 Leprechaun 2 United States Saint Patrick's Day The only installment in the Leprechaun franchise to be set around St. Patrick's Day 1995 The Granny United States Thanksgiving Direct-to-video 1995 The Day of the Beast Spain/Italy Christmas 1995 Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers United States Halloween 1995 Jack-O United States Halloween 1996Uncle SamUnited States Independence Day Direct-to-video 1996 Santa Claws United States Christmas 1996 Little Witches United States Easter 1997 Intensity United States Thanksgiving Television film 1997 Night of the Demons 3 United States Halloween 1997 I Know What You Did Last Summer United States Independence Day 1998 Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County United States Thanksgiving Television film 1998 Halloween H20: 20 Years Later United States Halloween 1998 The Minion United States/ Canada Christmas 1999 Zombie! vs. Mardi Gras United States Mardi Gras Direct-to-video 1999 Lovers Lane United States Valentine's Day Direct-to-video 1999 End of Days United States New Year's Eve/New Year 1999 Resurrection United States Easter 1999 Witchouse United States Walpurgis Night / May Day Direct-to-video 1999 Memorial Day United States Memorial Day Direct-to-video
2000s