6. Tales from the Crypt (1972 and 1989)
The notorious EC comics have been adapted to the small and big screen a number of times, originally in 1972 by British production house Amicus. In their outing of
Tales from the Crypt (an anthology film consisting of five separate stories and a wraparound), there is an adaptation of the killer Santa story called "...And All Through the House" in which a wife (played by a sultry Joan Collins) kills her husband and tries to hide the body while a news report announces that a lunatic wearing a Santa suit is running loose. Of course, the two cross paths and it turns out that the wife just made Santa's naughty list this year. While the Amicus film's take on the tale is serviceable, the real version to watch is the 1989 HBO television series episode. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, it's an almost pitch perfect realization of the gallows humor the comics were known for, and Larry Drake's performance as the murderous Saint Nick is a treasure to behold. If you don't squeal with dark glee at his ending delivery of the line, "Naughty or nice?", I don't want to know you.