10 Best Alternative Christmas Movies

3. Gremlins

Isn't there just a little part of you that wants to go wild amongst the decorations and insanely-grinning family members, breaking up the cosy conformity and delivering a big fat middle finger to Santa Claus and his remorseless money-extracting holiday? Of course there is, and wily director Joe Dante partly catered to that urge with Gremlins, a creature feature that stomped all over Christmas like a horse on a hamster.

The It's A Wonderful Life-inspired setting of Kingston Falls was soon besieged by grotty green mini-monsters, causing chaos and committing mass murders in every street. Emerging from the unlikely form of a cuddly mogwai, the Gremlins are the festive equivalent of receiving a teddy bear as a present, only to find it stuffed with maggots instead of sawdust. "Sleigh bells ring, are you listening...?" Not really, I'm busy blowing myself up in a microwave!

Contributor
Contributor

I am a journalist and comedian who enjoys American movies of the 70s, Amicus horror compendiums, Doctor Who, Twin Peaks, Naomi Watts and sitting down. My short fiction has been published as part of the Iris Wildthyme range from Obverse Books.