10 Not-So-Traditional Christmas Flicks

1. Jaws the Revenge (1987)

Jaws is my favorite movie and I wouldn't be alone in that sentiment. This means I've seen all the sequels multiple times and while they all have their respective merits, Jaws the Revenge (the fourth and final in the series) is an indefensible travesty. Except for one scene, and it happens to be the opening. Sean Brody (son of Roy Scheider's chief from the first two films) is trying to clear a floating piece of debris from a shipping channel and is attacked by the shark (who is personally killing members of the Brody family. Yeah, don't ask) while a group of Christmas carolers drown out his screams of agony. It's surprisingly effective and violent, but it's all downhill from there. The film primarily takes place in the Bahamas, so the Christmas setting is almost non-existent, but it decorates the background and a key few scenes. Jaws the Revenge is almost universally regarded as one of the worst studio releases of all time, and it happens to feature both Bruce Wayne's butler (Michael Caine) and the kid from The Last Starfighter (Lance Guest). But, if you have a taste for junk cinema and plenty of eggnog in your system, Jaws the Revenge is an easy target for relentless riffing and a worthy candidate for the best worst movie of the season. Take a sip of eggnog each time the shark's skin wrinkles and when you can see the shark's mechanical apparatus under its belly and you'll be drunker than most of your relatives in no time. There are a plethora of unknown Xmas movie gems waiting to be unearthed. What are some of your nontraditional Christmas movies that we may have missed? Sound off in the comments below and have a Merry Movie-watching season!