The holiday season everyone has waited for is finally here. I have made a list of movies that I believe anyone would enjoy. For me the Halloween spirit is not dead yet; therefore I have included at least one Halloween movie I believe students could also watch that does not include the Christmas spirit but could be enjoyed throughout the holiday season. If you have never watched a horror movie throughout the Christmas season, I highly suggest you do so at least once. Therefore the movies I have chosen to rank highest to lowest are Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Gremlins, and Krampus.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space
Killer Klowns from Outer Space is a Chiodo Brothers movie that has a PG-13 rating. It was directed by Stephen Chiodo, filmed in 1988. It consists of Alien clowns descending from space that come to give a wild new experience to Crescent Cove. Their appearance in the movie makes them seem harmful but little do the characters know that their agenda may be a lot more complicated than just making children smile. I believe this movie earns first place, even though it’s not Christmas themed because it’s the type of movie to begin with when watching movies for the winter season.
Gremlins
Gremlins is a childhood movie of mine that I grew up watching. It was released by Warner Bros in 1984, with a PG rating. The movie was directed by Joe Dante who’s known for also directing Small Soldiers. The setting takes place around Christmas and involves fictional creatures known as “Gremlins” who take over the main character’s agenda. I give this movie a rating of second place because the Gremlins were super adorable yet scary, and it reminded me of how I could still enjoy watching spooky movies even throughout the end of year.
Krampus
Krampus is a movie based on European-folklore. The fictional character Krampus is a demon who comes to earth on Christmas to punish the non-believers. The movie was directed by Michael Dougherty in 2015. Throughout the movie Krampus decides to punish a young child who comes from a dysfunctional family, in which the family has to fight for each other if they want to survive Krampus’ wrath. I ranked this movie in third place because I didn’t grow up with it so it didn’t have a nostalgic effect on me, but its plot was worthy of binge watching again after the two years I started watching it.
These movies all display the kindred spirit of Christmas and Halloween together, even though one is completely a Halloween classic it has the essence of bringing people together how Christmas can. Therefore I encourage students to take a chance to watch at least one of these movies throughout winter break. Grab popcorn, cookies, and drinks to enjoy the movies this winter break.
