Tired of watching the same old festive classics? Here's our guide to the best left field Christmas movies that deserve your attention during the holidays.
There’s nothing quite like sinking into the sofa and putting on a Christmas film once everybody's eaten their own weight in yummy food. And when it comes to holiday picks, there are go-to Yuletide classics.
You can’t go wrong with rewatching It’s A Wonderful Life for the umpteenth time; The Muppet Christmas Carol remains a stone cold masterpiece; Home Alone is a fine viewing choice; Home Alone 2: Lost In New York is a finer viewing choice; and Die Hard is definitely a Christmas movie, despite what the Brits are on about.
While no judgement shall be passed on those belonging to the Elf school of holiday positivity or those who find comfort in switching their brains off with formulaic rom-coms about a workaholic from the Big City heading back to her small hometown and rediscovering the true meaning of Christmas in the arms of her first love who has now become a smouldering lumberjack with bisceps the size of Douglas Firs, there's no denying that the saccharine charms of the same old movies can become tiresome.
Fear not, as there are plenty of alternatives, which are low on the forced cheer and still fully qualify as Christmas movies.
So, if you’re looking for something a bit more unconventional to watch this week, here are eight films which deserve to be considered as traditional seasonal classics.
Black Christmas (1974)
Let’s kick things off with a horror classic, shall we? While there’s no shortage of Christmas horror movies, if you’re looking for a good scare, Bob Clark’s Black Christmas is a must-see. Strange phone calls to a sorority house during the Christmas season set the stage for one of the best holiday slashers around. Cue: baricading the house before Kevin McCallister was an itch in his daddy’s underwear, gruesome murders, blood on the snow, and some surprisingly progressive depictions of women at a time when big screen victims were significantly less nuanced. Whatever you do, stay away from the 2006 remake. That one would ruin the festive spirit.
L.A. Confidential (1997)
James Ellroy’s epic noir was transposed onto the screen by the late Curtis Hanson in what can only be called a masterpiece. Set around the Christmas period, the narrative kicks into gear with what the newspapers dub “Bloody Christmas” - a police brutality scandal that sparks an investigation and sets _L.A. Confidential’_s plot in motion. What follows is a sordid tale of corruption, murder and prostitution – with a stellar cast to boot. Christmassy, n’est-ce pas?
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
While The Shining is a snow-caked family movie which should be added to the pantheon of classic Christmas horrors, Eyes Wide Shut is Stanley Kubrick’s anti-Christmas movie, and well worth considering as Yuletide viewing. Because let’s face facts: this is a strange time of the year, when everyone feels pressured to slip on the mask of joviality – which can lead to anxiety and relationship complications... So why not put on the Venetian mask of jealousy and join Tom Cruise as he attempts to grapple with his wife’s sexual desires? Kubrick's final film is a rich and hypnotic psychosexual adventure, filled with bourgeois transgressions and orgies, and Christmas is an integral part of the film. Whether it's the colour palette, the presence of decorations in almost every shot, or the way Kubrick deconstructs the ornamental and consumerist nature of the silly season, this strangely cosy film is worth a Chrimbo go. Remember: the password is "Fidelio".
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Writer-director Shane Black has a habit of setting his films around Christmas. Whether it’s Lethal Weapon, The Long Kiss Goodnight or Iron Man 3, the backdrop of the holidays provides the ideal environment for his particular brand of mayhem. He even makes the holiday season a character itself. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is no different – a detective neo-noir / comedy of errors that features Robert Downey Jr, Val Kilmer and Michelle Monaghan getting caught up in a twisty murder mystery. Here, Christmas becomes the ideal vector to scathingly critique the Hollywood machine and comment on how innocence is corrupted by greed. It’s the cinematic Christmas treat you shouldn’t pass on.
In Bruges (2008)
Martin McDonagh’s feature directorial debut is a bonafide Christmas film, no doubt about it. Granted, two sweary hitmen (Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell) being sent to the quaint city of Bruges to lay low following a botched job that ended with the death of a small boy doesn’t initially scream festive merriment... But take a moment to consider the evidence: the holiday setting; the snowy embodiment of end-of-year blues; the copious profanity (which is to be expected around the stressful Christmas period); and above all, the fact there's a “Christmas tree somewhere in London with a bunch of presents underneath it that’ll never be opened.” In Bruges is about guilt, the possibility of forgiveness, and the promise of salvation through redemption. That, and really hoping you don’t die in f**king Bruges. All key Biblical themes, which make it an unsung Christmas classic.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011)
When David Fincher’s adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s international best-selling novel hit cinemas in 2011, it was marketed as “The Feel Bad Movie Of Christmas”. And boy, they weren’t kidding. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is the ultimate antidote to syrupy Christmas fare. It follows disgraced journalist Mikael (Daniel Craig), who is hired to unlock a decades-old mystery involving a wealthy family. He teams up with the titular hacker (Rooney Mara) and uncovers the horrors of rape, murder and incest. Hardly cheery, granted, but it's a trip to bleak winter wonderland worth taking. Fincher’s take superior to the Swedish original (which was already damn good), and his version even ends with a lingering shot on a discarded Christmas present, as loving expectations go unmet. What could be more in keeping with the spirit of Christmas?
Carol (2015)
Another film starring the wonderful Rooney Mara, but this time in a completely different register. Todd Haynes’ 50s melodrama is a tale of longing and tender melancholy, centred around the bond between a society woman Carol (Cate Blanchett) and a younger shopgirl Therese (Mara). Adapted from Patricia Highsmith’s novel “The Price of Salt”, this Christmas-set love story may be an elegant, slow-burning and gorgeous defiance of holiday movie conventions, but it still features all the desire and emotional catharsis every Christmas love story aches to provoke.
Phantom Thread (2017)
The great thing about Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread is that it’s perfect for every occasion, working as both a Valentine’s Day film and a stealth Christmas rom-com. Many will say that’s it’s the tale of a toxic power struggle between an overgrown man-child with very specific asparagus requirements and an increasingly assertive woman who realises the lengths she must go to in order to keep their relationship alive. Fair assessment. However, this deceptively funny film – which features both a Christmas party and a New Year’s bash – has a distinct holiday feel to it. It was even released on 25 December in 2017, meaning that it was intended to be watched during the holidays. So, cook yourself a mushroom omelette on Christmas morning and appreciate the true meaning of love. No matter how warped that may be.
There we have it. Merry Christmas, one and all – especially those who choose to go off the beaten track when it comes to their holiday screenings.
