Do We Need More Dark Comedic Holiday Movies?
Image Source: CultureSlate
It is that time of the year when the weather is getting cold, we are spending more time indoors, and families are sitting down to enjoy their favorite holiday films, but what about horror fans? Sure, there are some holiday horror films, but I think there should be way more of them than we currently have. Let’s take a look at what holiday horror films are currently available and why it is time that we get more of them.
I love the holiday season, but the holiday film industry has been letting us down for years. If you take a look at what holiday horror films are currently available, you are going to notice a trend. The films typically fall into one of three categories, and there are only a few that I can think of that don’t. The first category is cheesy films that are almost too painful to watch. A few of the films that would fall into this category are The Mean One, It’s a Wonderful Knife, and Better Watch Out. These films might be fun for one watch through, but overall, they leave you wanting those two hours back.
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Image Source: IMDb
he second category is thriller – these are films that people call holiday horror, but they are actually more of a thriller. A few films that would fall into this subgenre are Violent Night, P2, and ATM. These films are interesting and a lot of times really good, but they aren’t horror. The third category is remakes, which I feel speaks for itself. The most common film in this category is Black Christmas. The original film was released in 1974 and led to two remakes released in 2006 and 2019. While these films are fun to watch, it’s disappointing that studios just keep remaking the same films. The only films that I can think of currently that do not fit into one of these categories would be Gremlins, Krampus, Anna and the Apocalypse, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. These films are great, but they are few and far between.
There is a need for more horror films in general because in the last few years, most of the horror films being made are either part of a franchise like Terrifier 3 and Halloween Ends or are remakes. There are so many talented writers and directors in Hollywood that it makes no sense for there to be so few unique horror films. Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving, which was released in 2023, was not only a massive hit with horror fans, but it was a breath of fresh air. The film was completely unique and featured a holiday that we don’t typically see in horror. It is time for studios to start leaning into folklore and urban legends from around the world that center around the holidays. Krampus is a film that most horror fans watch this time of year, and I would love to see more films like this. While I am specifically thinking about Christmas, I would also love to see another Thanksgiving film or even see someone do a horror comedy with President’s Day or any other holiday. Let’s be honest, the Easter Bunny is terrifying and would make the perfect villain for a horror comedy or even a slasher film where the villain dresses as the character.
Box office numbers over Thanksgiving weekend showed that moviegoers are coming back to theaters in droves, so I am hoping that this will lead to studios leaning into the idea of new and creative holiday horror films. Imagine how successful a holiday weekend would be if we had high-budget, unique horror films released near their respective holiday.
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