In Morbidly Beautiful's second head-to-head competition, we're pitting the best holiday horror films against each other to crown the undisputed "Holiday Hero". In a series of five rounds, 32 films will compete for the title, with winners advancing each round based on your votes. 32 films ("The Frosty 32") will be narrowed down to 16 ("The Spirited 16"), then 8 ("The Great 8"), then 4 ("The Festive 4"), and finally a championship round between the final 2 contenders ("The Triumphant 2").
Each round will be open for one week of voting, with the ultimate champion crowned on December 19th!
Click on the name of each film to read more about it, watch the trailer, and find out where you can stream the film if you haven't seen it. Our goal is to introduce you to amazing new horror films you may not have seen, so you can see how those films stack up to the ones you probably already know and love. And be sure to share your votes on social.
Little Billy witnesses his parents being brutally murdered by Santa. Years later, when he has to fill in for an absent in-store Santa Claus, his childhood trauma materializes once again.
WHERE TO STREAM: Rent for $1.99 on Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, or Redbox.
A toy factory worker, mentally scarred as a child upon learning Santa Claus is not real, suffers a nervous breakdown after being belittled at work, and embarks on a Yuletide killing spree.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Fubo, Roku (w/ ads), Vudu Free, Directv, Showtime, Flix Fling, or Shudder.
It's the eve of Christmas in northern Finland and an archaeological dig has just unearthed the real Santa Claus. But this particular Santa isn't the one you want coming to town. When all the local children begin mysteriously disappearing, young Pietari and his father Rauno, a reindeer hunter by trade, capture the mythological being and attempt to sell Santa to the misguided leader of the multinational corporation sponsoring the dig. Santa's elves, however, will stop at nothing to free their fearless leader from captivity.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Prime, Hulu, Hoopla, Vudu Free, Tubi, Kanopy, or Crackle.
Thomas, a very intelligent and resourceful child, is left alone with his beloved and fragile granddad on Christmas Eve, when a psychopath dressed as Santa Claus breaks into their mansion and starts chasing them. Thomas will do whatever he can to save himself and his granddad, leaving much of his childhood innocence behind.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Shudder.
Santa Claus is actually a demon who lost a bet with an angel, so he became the giver of toys and happiness. But this year the bet is off, and Santa is about to return to his evil ways.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Tubi.
A horror film that depicts St. Nicholas as a murderous bishop who kidnaps and murders children when there is a full moon on December 5.
WHERE TO STREAM: Rent on Amazon, Google Play, or YouTube for $2.99.
A deranged masked Santa-Slayer comes to town for some yuletide-terror. He leaves behind a bloody trail of mutilated bodies as he hunts his way to the front steps of the town's most feared and notorious home.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free onn Prime, Vudu Free, or Tubi.
The police force of a remote Midwestern town search for a killer Santa Claus who is picking off citizens on Christmas Eve.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Fubo, Tubi, or Pluto TV.
A deranged masked Santa-Slayer comes to town for some yuletide-terror. He leaves behind a bloody trail of mutilated bodies as he hunts his way to the front steps of the town's most feared and notorious home.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free onn Prime, Vudu Free, or Tubi.
When Billy Peltzer is given a strange but adorable pet named Gizmo for Christmas, he inadvertently breaks the three important rules of caring for a Mogwai, and unleashes a horde of mischievous gremlins on a small town.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Sling or rent for $3.99 oon YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu, and others.
After a freak accident kills one of her friends, Clover discovers that a group of elves have been scattered throughout town, each representing the seven deadly sins. It’s a race against time to survive the elves’ wrath before Christmas ends…
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Prime or Tubi.
Serial killer is genetically mutated in car wreck on the way to his execution. After which, he becomes a murdering snowman hell-bent on revenge for the sheriff who caught him.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Prime, Hoopla, Vudu Free, Tubi, Crackle, or Shudder.
An evil yet adorable Gingerbread man comes to life with the soul of a convicted killer, and this real life cookie monster wreaks havoc on the girl who sent the killer to the electric chair.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Tubi.
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.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Vudu Free or Tubi.
A horror comedy based on the ancient legend about a pagan creature who punishes children on Christmas.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Fubo, FXNow, or Directv. Or rent for $3.99 on Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, and others.
Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy, peace and goodwill. But for some folks in the small town of Bailey Downs, it turns into something much less festive.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Hoopla or Shudder.
A young woman discovers that she is the focus of an evil Nazi experiment involving selective breeding and summoned elves, an attempt to create a race of supermen. She and two of her friends are trapped in a department store with an elf, and only Dan Haggerty, as the renegade loose-cannon Santa Claus, can save them.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch Elves (1989) for free on YouTube.
A deranged masked Santa-Slayer comes to town for some yuletide-terror. He leaves behind a bloody trail of mutilated bodies as he hunts his way to the front steps of the town's most feared and notorious home.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free onn Prime, Vudu Free, or Tubi.
A sorority house is terrorized by a stranger who makes frightening phone calls and then murders the sorority sisters during Christmas break.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Peacock, The Roku Channel, The Criterion Channel, Tubi, Kanopy, or Shudder.
An escaped maniac returns to his childhood home on Christmas Eve, which is now a sorority house, and begins to murder the sorority sisters one by one. A remake of the 1974 horror movie, Black Christmas.
WHERE TO STREAM: Rent on Amazon.
Angela, a corporate climber, gets stuck working late on Christmas Eve and finds herself the target of an unhinged security guard. With no help in sight, the woman must overcome physical and psychological challenges to survive.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Peacock.
After leaving their company Christmas Party together, David Hargrove and Emily Brandt’s impromptu first date takes an unexpected turn when their coworker, Corey, asks them to make a late-night stop at an ATM. What should be a routine transaction turns into a desperate struggle for survival when an unknown man appears outside the vestibule. With the wintry temperatures dipping below freezing, and the morning sunrise still hours away, they have no choice but to play the man’s deadly game of cat-and-mouse.
WHERE TO STREAM: Rent for $3.99 on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, or YouTube.
Four months after the death of her husband, a woman on the brink of motherhood is tormented in her home by a strange woman who wants her unborn baby.
WHERE TO STREAM: Rent on iTunes/Apple TV, or buy on Apple TV, Google Play, Amazon, or YouTube.
A relaxing Christmas vacation turns into a terrifying fight for survival as the children begin to turn on their parents.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on HBO Max or Tubi.
Christmas Eve. On his way to his in-laws with his family, Frank Harrington decides to try a shortcut, for the first time in 20 years. It turns out to be the biggest mistake of his life.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for fee on IMDbTV or Tubi.
A demented widow lures unsuspecting children into her mansion in a bizarre "Hansel and Gretel" twist.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Prime, Directv, or Epix.
A deranged masked Santa-Slayer comes to town for some yuletide-terror. He leaves behind a bloody trail of mutilated bodies as he hunts his way to the front steps of the town's most feared and notorious home.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free onn Prime, Vudu Free, or Tubi.
On a quiet suburban street tucked within a 'safe neighborhood', a babysitter must defend a twelve-year-old boy from strangers breaking into the house, only to discover that this is far from a normal home invasion.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Prime, Hoopla, Vudu Free, Tubi, Crackle, Shudder, or Sling.
While urban exploring in an abandoned amusement park, three cosplaying girls accidentally unleash the vicious holiday beast known as Krampus. With the help of Santa Claus, can these girls stop Krampus from his killing spree?
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Prime or Tubi.
Tired of scaring humans every October 31 with the same old bag of tricks, Jack Skellington, the spindly king of Halloween Town, kidnaps Santa Claus and plans to deliver shrunken heads and other ghoulish gifts to children on Christmas morning. But as Christmas approaches, Jack's rag-doll girlfriend, Sally, tries to foil his misguided plans.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Disney Plus, or rent from Apple/iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu, and others.
A small suburban town receives a visit from a castaway unfinished science experiment named Edward.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Starz, Directv, or Sling; or rent for $2.99 from Redbox and the Playstation Store (availble on other VOD platforms as well).
An ugly sweater party turns into a bloodbath when an evil Christmas sweater possesses one of the partygoers.
WHERE TO STREAM: Rent for $1.99 on Amazon.
Two Japanese sisters come to Los Angeles for the first time, during their travels they are invited to a Chicken Party, a place to make international friends. At first the party is nice and fun, but by the end of the night it turns into a nightmare and the sister must get out before they are killed.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Prime.
When an awkward date on Christmas Eve leads a couple into a strange theater, they're treated to a bizarre and frightening collection of Christmas stories, featuring a wide ensemble of characters doing their best to avoid the horrors of the holidays. From boring office parties and last-minute shopping, to vengeful stalkers and immortal demons, there's plenty out there to fear this holiday season.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Hoopla, Shudder, or Sling.
A zombie apocalypse threatens the sleepy town of Little Haven – at Christmas – forcing Anna and her friends to fight, slash and sing their way to survival, facing the undead in a desperate race to reach their loved ones. But they soon discover that no one is safe in this new world, and with civilization falling apart around them, the only people they can truly rely on are each other.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free onn Prime, Hulu, Directv, or Epix.
A deranged masked Santa-Slayer comes to town for some yuletide-terror. He leaves behind a bloody trail of mutilated bodies as he hunts his way to the front steps of the town's most feared and notorious home.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free onn Prime, Vudu Free, or Tubi.
Little Billy witnesses his parents being brutally murdered by Santa. Years later, when he has to fill in for an absent in-store Santa Claus, his childhood trauma materializes once again.
WHERE TO STREAM: Rent for $1.99 on Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, or Redbox.
It's the eve of Christmas in northern Finland and an archaeological dig has just unearthed the real Santa Claus. But this particular Santa isn't the one you want coming to town. When all the local children begin mysteriously disappearing, young Pietari and his father Rauno, a reindeer hunter by trade, capture the mythological being and attempt to sell Santa to the misguided leader of the multinational corporation sponsoring the dig. Santa's elves, however, will stop at nothing to free their fearless leader from captivity.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Prime, Hulu, Hoopla, Vudu Free, Tubi, Kanopy, or Crackle.
Santa Claus is actually a demon who lost a bet with an angel, so he became the giver of toys and happiness. But this year the bet is off, and Santa is about to return to his evil ways.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Tubi.
A deranged masked Santa-Slayer comes to town for some yuletide-terror. He leaves behind a bloody trail of mutilated bodies as he hunts his way to the front steps of the town's most feared and notorious home.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free onn Prime, Vudu Free, or Tubi.
A deranged masked Santa-Slayer comes to town for some yuletide-terror. He leaves behind a bloody trail of mutilated bodies as he hunts his way to the front steps of the town's most feared and notorious home.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free onn Prime, Vudu Free, or Tubi.
When Billy Peltzer is given a strange but adorable pet named Gizmo for Christmas, he inadvertently breaks the three important rules of caring for a Mogwai, and unleashes a horde of mischievous gremlins on a small town.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Sling or rent for $3.99 oon YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu, and others.
Serial killer is genetically mutated in car wreck on the way to his execution. After which, he becomes a murdering snowman hell-bent on revenge for the sheriff who caught him.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Prime, Hoopla, Vudu Free, Tubi, Crackle, or Shudder.
A horror comedy based on the ancient legend about a pagan creature who punishes children on Christmas.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Fubo, FXNow, or Directv. Or rent for $3.99 on Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, and others.
Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy, peace and goodwill. But for some folks in the small town of Bailey Downs, it turns into something much less festive.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Hoopla or Shudder.
A deranged masked Santa-Slayer comes to town for some yuletide-terror. He leaves behind a bloody trail of mutilated bodies as he hunts his way to the front steps of the town's most feared and notorious home.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free onn Prime, Vudu Free, or Tubi.
A sorority house is terrorized by a stranger who makes frightening phone calls and then murders the sorority sisters during Christmas break.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Peacock, The Roku Channel, The Criterion Channel, Tubi, Kanopy, or Shudder.
Angela, a corporate climber, gets stuck working late on Christmas Eve and finds herself the target of an unhinged security guard. With no help in sight, the woman must overcome physical and psychological challenges to survive.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Peacock.
A relaxing Christmas vacation turns into a terrifying fight for survival as the children begin to turn on their parents.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on HBO Max or Tubi.
Christmas Eve. On his way to his in-laws with his family, Frank Harrington decides to try a shortcut, for the first time in 20 years. It turns out to be the biggest mistake of his life.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for fee on IMDbTV or Tubi.
A deranged masked Santa-Slayer comes to town for some yuletide-terror. He leaves behind a bloody trail of mutilated bodies as he hunts his way to the front steps of the town's most feared and notorious home.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free onn Prime, Vudu Free, or Tubi.
On a quiet suburban street tucked within a 'safe neighborhood', a babysitter must defend a twelve-year-old boy from strangers breaking into the house, only to discover that this is far from a normal home invasion.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Prime, Hoopla, Vudu Free, Tubi, Crackle, Shudder, or Sling.
A small suburban town receives a visit from a castaway unfinished science experiment named Edward.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Starz, Directv, or Sling; or rent for $2.99 from Redbox and the Playstation Store (availble on other VOD platforms as well).
An ugly sweater party turns into a bloodbath when an evil Christmas sweater possesses one of the partygoers.
WHERE TO STREAM: Rent for $1.99 on Amazon.
A zombie apocalypse threatens the sleepy town of Little Haven – at Christmas – forcing Anna and her friends to fight, slash and sing their way to survival, facing the undead in a desperate race to reach their loved ones. But they soon discover that no one is safe in this new world, and with civilization falling apart around them, the only people they can truly rely on are each other.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free onn Prime, Hulu, Directv, or Epix.
A deranged masked Santa-Slayer comes to town for some yuletide-terror. He leaves behind a bloody trail of mutilated bodies as he hunts his way to the front steps of the town's most feared and notorious home.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free onn Prime, Vudu Free, or Tubi.
Little Billy witnesses his parents being brutally murdered by Santa. Years later, when he has to fill in for an absent in-store Santa Claus, his childhood trauma materializes once again.
WHERE TO STREAM: Rent for $1.99 on Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, or Redbox.
A deranged masked Santa-Slayer comes to town for some yuletide-terror. He leaves behind a bloody trail of mutilated bodies as he hunts his way to the front steps of the town's most feared and notorious home.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free onn Prime, Vudu Free, or Tubi.
A deranged masked Santa-Slayer comes to town for some yuletide-terror. He leaves behind a bloody trail of mutilated bodies as he hunts his way to the front steps of the town's most feared and notorious home.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free onn Prime, Vudu Free, or Tubi.
When Billy Peltzer is given a strange but adorable pet named Gizmo for Christmas, he inadvertently breaks the three important rules of caring for a Mogwai, and unleashes a horde of mischievous gremlins on a small town.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Sling or rent for $3.99 oon YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu, and others.
A horror comedy based on the ancient legend about a pagan creature who punishes children on Christmas.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Fubo, FXNow, or Directv. Or rent for $3.99 on Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, and others.
A deranged masked Santa-Slayer comes to town for some yuletide-terror. He leaves behind a bloody trail of mutilated bodies as he hunts his way to the front steps of the town's most feared and notorious home.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free onn Prime, Vudu Free, or Tubi.
A sorority house is terrorized by a stranger who makes frightening phone calls and then murders the sorority sisters during Christmas break.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Peacock, The Roku Channel, The Criterion Channel, Tubi, Kanopy, or Shudder.
A relaxing Christmas vacation turns into a terrifying fight for survival as the children begin to turn on their parents.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on HBO Max or Tubi.
A deranged masked Santa-Slayer comes to town for some yuletide-terror. He leaves behind a bloody trail of mutilated bodies as he hunts his way to the front steps of the town's most feared and notorious home.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free onn Prime, Vudu Free, or Tubi.
A small suburban town receives a visit from a castaway unfinished science experiment named Edward.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Starz, Directv, or Sling; or rent for $2.99 from Redbox and the Playstation Store (availble on other VOD platforms as well).
A zombie apocalypse threatens the sleepy town of Little Haven – at Christmas – forcing Anna and her friends to fight, slash and sing their way to survival, facing the undead in a desperate race to reach their loved ones. But they soon discover that no one is safe in this new world, and with civilization falling apart around them, the only people they can truly rely on are each other.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free onn Prime, Hulu, Directv, or Epix.
A deranged masked Santa-Slayer comes to town for some yuletide-terror. He leaves behind a bloody trail of mutilated bodies as he hunts his way to the front steps of the town's most feared and notorious home.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free onn Prime, Vudu Free, or Tubi.
A deranged masked Santa-Slayer comes to town for some yuletide-terror. He leaves behind a bloody trail of mutilated bodies as he hunts his way to the front steps of the town's most feared and notorious home.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free onn Prime, Vudu Free, or Tubi.
When Billy Peltzer is given a strange but adorable pet named Gizmo for Christmas, he inadvertently breaks the three important rules of caring for a Mogwai, and unleashes a horde of mischievous gremlins on a small town.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Sling or rent for $3.99 oon YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu, and others.
A deranged masked Santa-Slayer comes to town for some yuletide-terror. He leaves behind a bloody trail of mutilated bodies as he hunts his way to the front steps of the town's most feared and notorious home.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free onn Prime, Vudu Free, or Tubi.
A sorority house is terrorized by a stranger who makes frightening phone calls and then murders the sorority sisters during Christmas break.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Peacock, The Roku Channel, The Criterion Channel, Tubi, Kanopy, or Shudder.
A zombie apocalypse threatens the sleepy town of Little Haven – at Christmas – forcing Anna and her friends to fight, slash and sing their way to survival, facing the undead in a desperate race to reach their loved ones. But they soon discover that no one is safe in this new world, and with civilization falling apart around them, the only people they can truly rely on are each other.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free onn Prime, Hulu, Directv, or Epix.
A deranged masked Santa-Slayer comes to town for some yuletide-terror. He leaves behind a bloody trail of mutilated bodies as he hunts his way to the front steps of the town's most feared and notorious home.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free onn Prime, Vudu Free, or Tubi.
A deranged masked Santa-Slayer comes to town for some yuletide-terror. He leaves behind a bloody trail of mutilated bodies as he hunts his way to the front steps of the town's most feared and notorious home.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free onn Prime, Vudu Free, or Tubi.
A sorority house is terrorized by a stranger who makes frightening phone calls and then murders the sorority sisters during Christmas break.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free on Peacock, The Roku Channel, The Criterion Channel, Tubi, Kanopy, or Shudder.
A deranged masked Santa-Slayer comes to town for some yuletide-terror. He leaves behind a bloody trail of mutilated bodies as he hunts his way to the front steps of the town's most feared and notorious home.
WHERE TO STREAM: Watch for free onn Prime, Vudu Free, or Tubi.