10 Not-So-Traditional Christmas Flicks

It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, the Rankin & Bass stop-motion specials and many timeless others all the way up to December 25th. But, this Yuletide, we here at WhatCulture would like to give you the chance to branch away from the norm and introduce into your annual tradition some movies that are either a little off-kilter, may not be quite suitable for the little ones, or that you didn't even know had anything to do with Christmas. Here's a list of not-so-traditional Christmas flicks for those a little tired of Charlie Brown and friends.

10. Gremlins (1984)

If this was a list of my personal favorite Christmas films, Gremlins would be the undisputed champion. While it has taken a while to get the recognition it deserves around this time of year, Joe Dante's madcap horror-comedy finally seems to be joining the illustrious ranks of the Grinch and the Muppets, and it rightly deserves it. The tale of the adorable mogwai Gizmo and his owner/friend Billy is one of the best films to come out of the 1980's and easily one of the best movies to show to a kid in an effort to get them into horror films. While the titular creatures are often terrifying, they are also unabashedly silly and offer the audience as many laughs as they do screams. This is one the whole family can enjoy, if your family finds a miserly old woman being rocketed out of a window as funny as mine does.