10 Best Christmas Horror Movies

This 1984 horror movie aimed to be a dark Christmas slasher in the vein of Black Christmas, but wound up failing at most hurdles. The film follows a man who embarks on a killing spree on Christmas Eve dressed as Santa. The rampage comes as a result of his parents' violent murder on Christmas when he was a child and his subsequent upbringing in an abusive Catholic orphanage.

It became the subject of significant controversy as a result of the film's posters and promotional material, which depicted a killer Santa Claus. Critical reaction was harshly negative, largely due to the movie's premise. Popular movie reviewer Gene Siskel even went so far as to call out the names of every member of the film's production on air before saying, "Shame on you."

While it isn't quite on the same level as the shoestring budget schlock like Jack Frost, it is still a pretty low brow slasher that doesn't bring anything new to the genre. Silent Night, Deadly Night did moderately well at the box office, but enjoyed a healthy second life upon its home release.