10 'Alternative' Christmas Films That Still Employ Classic Festive Themes

By Baz Greenland /

1. A Very, Merry Monster Christmas: Gremlins

Wouldn't everyone like a cute little mogwai for Christmas? Better still, buy one, get several more of your family. Just add a little free water from your tap and you've got fluffy pets for all your friends and family at no extra cost. The trouble is, they can't all be as adorable as Gizmo. (Though I'd argue that they're plenty of fun!) Gremlins is another film where the characters literally have to fight to survive just to get through to Christmas day. They gremlins start of cute but they're soon transforming into slimy, clawed beasts who terrorise the snowy town of Kingston Falls. Attacking Father Christmas. Carolling for bitter, twisted Mrs Deagle, before sending her stair lift rocketing her literally to her death. These monsters cause a path of death and destruction in their wake. But again...as with many of these films in this article, Gremlins has a heart too. It's about finding your family, coming together even in the most terrible of circumstances. Gizmo and Billy prove to be a great paring, blowing gremlins to kingdom come and taking down their monstrous leader Stripe. And Kate rediscovers what it means to have festive spirit, having lost her dad tragically many years before, stuck in her chimney with a broken neck, dressed as Father Christmas, where he wasn't discovered for several days... Gremlins is a twisted, fun little film that has a lot of fun rampaging through a Christmassy town of Kingston Falls before our heroes finally prevail. Because what is Christmas without a little hope?