10 Best Holiday Horror Movies, Ranked

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The masked killer wielding an axe on the poster for Thanksgiving

There’s something universally comforting about holidays throughout the year. They can be a day for leisure or quality time with friends and family, so perhaps that’s why horror movies set on the holidays land differently with viewers. The danger feels more pronounced when cast against the sacredness of a cherished day of celebration.

While Halloween and Christmas each have universally recognized horror films, many holidays had their moment in the blood-soaked spotlight. From Valentine's Day to Thanksgiving and New Year's, these are the best horror movies set during different holidays, ranked by how well they use their special date and setting and their overall quality.

10 'Terrifier 3' (2024)

Directed by Damien Leone

David Howard Thornton as Art the Clown holding an axe and laughing in Terrifier 3.

Quickly growing into one of horror’s most popular franchises, the Terrifier series continues to break new ground as it breaks new bones in increasingly violently imaginative ways. While the storytelling was minimal in the first feature-length entry, Terrifier 3 reflects a tighter focus from writer-director Damien Leone on the mythology behind the murderous clown Art (David Howard Thornton). With the first two films set on Halloween, Leone decided Art needed a new holiday to make memories on and moved the third film to Christmas.

Art has so quickly risen as a popular character that just the picture of him leering in a Santa suit was enough to get fans excited for a new night of carnage. Terrifier 3 is sure to start new debates about “Is it a Christmas movie,” but what can’t be debated is that each film improves slightly on the last. Horror fans who like their movies light on the gore should move quickly past the Terrifier series, as the scenes can be uncomfortable viewing for the light-hearted. With no end in sight for the franchise, perhaps Art puts on a bunny suit next.

Terrifier 3

Release Date October 11, 2024

Director Damien Leone

Runtime 125 Minutes

Writers Damien Leone

9 'Terror Train' (1980)

Directed by Roger Spottiswoode

The killer attacks Alana (Jamie Lee Curtis) in 'Terror Train'

A night-time train on New Year’s Eve is the setting for the slasher classic Terror Train. A fraternity party on a rented train is shaping up to be a night of drunken chaos, but a killer on board is there to guarantee not everyone rings in the new year. As it turns out, the fraternity took part in a prank that led the victim to be institutionalized, and the killer wants their pound of flesh for the indiscretion.

Terror Train stars horror icon Jamie Lee Curtis, who was already being fitted for the crown of scream queen before starring in Terror Train, having previously appeared in Halloween, The Fog, and Prom Night. The claustrophobic setting of the train puts a new spin on a standard slasher concept, with the audience trying to determine the identity of the masked killer before Curtis beats them to the punch. A remake of Terror Train was made in 2022, but the original is the one to watch for New Year’s Eve horror.

Terror Train

Release Date October 3, 1980

Cast Jamie Lee Curtis , David Copperfield , Ben Johnson

Runtime 97 Minutes

Writers T.Y. Drake

8 'My Bloody Valentine' (1981)

Directed by George Mihalka

A miner holding up a screaming woman in My Bloody Valentine

In My Bloody Valentine, the small mining town of Valentine Bluffs decides to hold a Valentine’s Day dance for the first time in 20 years, but a killer in mining gear stages a violent protest. The dance inadvertently caused the deaths of a group of miners when negligent supervisors left their posts to attend, causing an explosion that led to a cave-in. The sole survivor, driven mad when forced to resort to cannibalism, subsequently killed the supervisors and removed their hearts, promising to do the same to anyone who attempted to host the annual party.

My Bloody Valentine was a commercial disappointment upon its release, but it received more appreciation in later years, even spawning a 3D remake in 2009. The original cut of My Bloody Valentine was long unseen after substantial edits of violent scenes were made to get the film down to an R-rating. A later uncut version was released by Scream Factory, giving audiences a chance to decide for themselves which version was better.

Release Date February 11, 1981

Cast Paul Kelman , Lori Hallier , Neil Affleck , Don Francks , Cynthia Dale , Alf Humphreys , Keith Knight , Patricia Hamilton

Runtime 93 Minutes

Writers John Beaird

7 'Thanksgiving' (2023)

Directed by Eli Roth

Patrick Dempsey as Sheriff Eric Newlon in Eli Roth's Thanksgiving

When a Black Friday sale ends in a tragic riot, a murderous pilgrim seeks revenge in 2023's Thanksgiving. The film follows the residents of Plymouth, Massachusetts, as they find themselves ill-prepared for an axe-swinging murderer set on interrupting their holiday preparations. Based on the fake trailer in the Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez double feature Grindhouse, the film is a nod to low-budget slashers that used holidays as their ticket-selling gimmick.

Thanksgiving is not without its gory scenes because it's an Eli Roth movie, but there’s also a heaping amount of levity that makes the movie shine when it’s present. Thanksgiving is a fast-moving slasher that balances an effective whodunit plotline with creative kills, finding new ways to deliver old scares. A throwback to slasher films of the past, Thanksgiving could easily be a new holiday viewing tradition.

Release Date November 17, 2023

Cast Addison Rae , Patrick Dempsey , Jalen Thomas Brooks , Nell Verlaque , Milo Manheim , Gina Gershon

Runtime 106 Minutes

6 'The Substance' (2024)

Directed by Coralie Fargeat

Elisabeth Sparkle, played by actor Demi Moore, blows a kiss at the camera in The Substance

Actress Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) seeks to reinvent herself, literally, in the creative horror film The Substance. When Elisabeth is unceremoniously fired by her empty suit of a television producer, Harvey (Dennis Quaid), for being too old, she turns to an experimental drug called The Substance. By injecting the drug, Elisabeth creates a new identity, Sue (Margaret Qualley), who becomes the new toast of the town. Before long, the two cannot coexist, and the battle between the two personas leads to fatal results with an outrageous and gory ending on a New Year’s Eve broadcast gone terribly wrong.

The Substance was one of the most buzzed-about films of 2024 due to the brilliant satire and original vision of director Coralie Fargeat. Moore is heartbreaking in her performance as the emotionally devastated Elisabeth, and Qualley keeps proving why she’s one of the most sought-after young actors working today. The Substance is one of the most stylish and bloody films that will guarantee no one will have a worse NYE experience than Sue.

Release Date September 20, 2024

Cast Demi Moore , Margaret Qualley , Dennis Quaid , Gore Abrams , Hugo Diego Garcia , Olivier Raynal , Tiffany Hofstetter , Tom Morton , Jiselle Burkhalter , Axel Baille , Oscar Lesage , Matthew Géczy , Philip Schurer

Runtime 140 Minutes

Writers Coralie Fargeat

5 'Trick ‘r Treat' (2007)

Directed by Michael Dougherty

Sam receives Halloween candy in Trick 'r Treat

A werewolf, a serial killer, and souls seeking vengeance or just some of the characters that cross paths in the Halloween horror comedy Trick ‘r Treat. Five different stories are woven together for a breezy exploration of the dark and darkly comedic. Trick ‘r Treat captures the sense of fun present in anthology series such as Tales From the Crypt while also managing to create creepy scenarios with effective visuals.

The writing is pulpy horror greatness, with the stories in Trick ‘r Treat tied together in a satisfying way that guarantees a second viewing to find missed clues. A standout performance from Dylan Baker as a murderous parent is black comedy gold, but all the actors, including Brian Cox and Anna Paquin, look like they’re enjoying hamming it up for the sleeper hit. In a genre where the worst film can still manage a trilogy and a spinoff franchise, it’s wildly disappointing that a sequel for Trick ‘r Treat was never made.

Trick 'r Treat

Release Date November 27, 2015

Runtime 1hr 22

Writers Michael Dougherty

4 'Midsommar' (2019)

Directed by Ari Aster

Dani smiling at the end of 'Midsommar' with her crown of flowers.

A group of students celebrate Midsummer in the worst place possible in director Ari Aster’s Midsommar. Still grieving the suicide attempt of her sister that also claimed the lives of her parents, Dani (Florence Pugh) reluctantly attends a midsummer festival in Sweden with her boyfriend and his friends. As the rituals of the festival get darker, Dani is beckoned to a new way of life that will come at the cost of those close to her.

As has been the case with all of Aster’s work, Midsommar is divisive among horror fans who disagree on the merits of the film. Midsommar is a film that finds its horror in unease and dread, so fans of bloodshed probably won’t get the same satisfaction from the story that Aster fans do. Pacing aside, Pugh carries the film with one of the best performances of her career in a film that is as beautiful to look at as it is unsettling.

Midsommar

Release Date July 3, 2019

Cast Julia Ragnarsson , Rebecka Johnston , Henrik Norlén , William Jackson Harper , Gunnel Fred , Anna Åström , will poulter , Archie Madekwe , Louise Peterhoff , Björn Andrésen , Isabelle Grill , Jack Reynor , Florence Pugh , Liv Mjönes

Runtime 147 minutes

3 'Gremlins' (1984)

Directed by Joe Dante

The gremlins go Christmas caroling in Gremlins.

The most family-friendly of all scary movies, Gremlins is a Christmas-themed horror film the whole family can watch. Billy (Zach Galligan) receives an exotic pet in the form of a mogwai named Gizmo, but he has to follow three simple rules: don’t get him wet, don't expose him to bright light, and don’t feed him after midnight. With the responsibility level of an adult man who lives with his parents, Billy can’t enforce the rules and soon his hometown is overrun with green scaly gremlins.

The sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, used the concept of the gremlins to make a zany live-action cartoon, but the first movie remains a dark modern-day fable. The excellent character design of the gremlins made an instantly recognizable new creature that, along with the mogwais, became fan favorites. The franchise may only consist of two films, but interest in the property remains high, with the recent Max cartoons Gremlins: Secret of the Mogwai and Gremlins: The Wild Batch.

Release Date June 7, 1984

Cast Phoebe Cates , Corey Feldman , Zach Galligan , Hoyt Axton , Polly Holliday , Howie Mandel

Runtime 106 minutes

2 'Black Christmas' (1974)

Directed by Bob Clark

Andrea Martin as Phyl, Margot Kidder as Barb, and Olivia Hussey as Jess in Black Christmas

Considered one of the original slasher films, Black Christmas remains a classic example of how scary the genre can be when done right. An obscene caller stalks the members of a sorority house, and when he’s not dialing their number, he’s taking their lives. Olivia Hussey stars as Jess, a sorority sister who recently finds out she’s pregnant and considering an abortion despite her boyfriend's frustration with the decision.

What makes Black Christmas so effective is the notion of the killer being inside the sorority house while calling. The perceived safety of being inside a house with locked doors is challenged if the locks only serve to keep the victim and killer trapped inside together. Hussey and Margot Kidder turn in memorable performances and help elevate Black Christmas into one of the greatest horror films of all time.

Black Christmas

Release Date December 20, 1974

Cast Olivia Hussey , Keir Dullea , Margot Kidder , John Saxon , Andrea Martin , Marian Waldman

Runtime 98 Minutes

Writers Roy Moore

1 'Halloween' (1978)

Directed by John Carpenter

The Shape lurks behind Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) in the final moments of Halloween

The town of Haddonfield, Illinois, is receiving a return visit from its worst resident in John Carpenter’s Halloween. Jamie Lee Curtis stars as Laurie Strode, the babysitter working on the wrong street when escaped mental patient Michael Myers returns to leave a trail of destruction in his old neighborhood. In order to survive, Laurie will have to rely on her wits and a little luck to avoid Myer’s wrath (for this film, at least).

Carpenter’s original intent for Halloween was to create an anthology series out of the sequels. Alas, if Halloween III: Season of the Witch proved anything, it was that fans were only going to accept Michael Myers as the antagonist. It’s hard to argue with a winning formula, as the Halloween series has more than 10 films in its franchise with no signs of stopping. Halloween is the definitive holiday horror movie, widely regarded as one of the best in the entire genre.