10 Best Christmas Horror Movies

Joe Dante's Gremlins is a horror movie classic, a Christmas classic and a movie classic in general. The Steven Spielberg-produced horror-comedy was a cultural phenomenon and common reference point in pop culture. The movie was released in 1984 to box-office success and spawned a 1990 sequel.

Although reviews at the time of release were mixed, mostly due to the frightening and intense content that parents did not predict when taking their children to see it, but the film has gone through a critical re-appraisal since then and is now considered to be one of the best films of the '80s.

The movie is a good old fashioned creature feature sprinkled with elements of comedy and satire on America's consumer culture. Not many Christmas films can say that they spawned one of the most iconic movie monsters of all time. The titular creatures became the focus of considerable merchandising following the film's release. Dolls, action figures and stuffed toys of both gremlins and mogwais were mass-produced along with Topps trading cards based on the movie.

No matter what time of year you watch it, Gremlins is a crowd-pleasing, rip roaring holiday horror jaunt.