The movie industry has managed to sprinkle the holiday spirit into every genre of film. Whether you want a holiday family, rom-com or even horror film, there’s probably something for you.
Horror
“Black Christmas,” released in 1974, is anything but jolly. The movie features a group of sorority sisters during their holiday break when they begin to receive anonymous phone calls. With the murder of a local 13-year-old girl and the disappearance of one of their sorority sisters, the girls suspect there is a serial killer on the loose.
In “Violent Night,” released in 2022, Santa takes a break from delivering presents on Christmas Eve when a team of mercenaries breaks into a family compound and holds them hostage. Santa surprises the mercenaries when he appears ready to fight to save the family.
Rom-coms
If you love Ryan Reynolds, you will love "Just Friends." Released in 2005, the movie opens with Chris Brander (Reynolds) at his high school graduation party. Deep in his awkward phase, Chris tries to tell his popular best friend Jamie (Amy Smart) how he feels about her. Chris gets friend-zoned in front of the entire party. Unable to deal with humiliation, Chris decides to leave town and never come back.
Ten years later, Chris is a successful record executive in Los Angeles where he is assigned the job of taking a nightmare pop star to Paris. On the flight to Paris, a fire forces the plane to land in his hometown and Chris spends Christmas in his childhood home for the first time in 10 years. He runs into Jamie at his hometown bar while trying to avoid the pop star he’s traveling with. Chris takes his second attempt to get out of the friend-zone with Jamie for the first time since high school.
For those who have had to endure the painful “why are you still single?” questions from your relatives at family functions, you might relate to Emma Roberts in Netflix’s 2020 film, “Holidate.” Roberts plays Sloane, a girl in her mid-to-late 20s, who faces the struggle of being the only single person in her family during the holidays. After another dreadful Christmas at the kids’ table, she runs into a stranger named Jackson (Luke Bracey). The two make a pact to be each other's “plus ones” for every holiday throughout the year.
With the family
A Christmas movie based in Indiana? Yes, please! “A Christmas Story” was filmed in 1983 but takes us back to Christmas in the 1940s. Narrated by his older self, Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley) shares what his life was like as an 8-year-old boy with his little brother, cranky dad and sweet, but overworked, mother and all the chaos families endure during the holidays.
“A Christmas Story” is not only one of my family's all-time favorites, but it is also one of our best traditions. Networks TNT and TBS host the annual “24 Hours of 'A Christmas Story',” starting at 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve. The marathon lasts until 8 p.m. on Christmas day. If you are looking for a new holiday tradition, this is a great one to start.
The Holiday season can be stressful, and sometimes all you need is a little perspective. “It's a Wonderful Life” does just that. The 1946 film follows the life of George Bailey (James Stewart), a man with big dreams of traveling who pushes them aside to take care of his community. One Christmas Eve, George becomes full of regret that he never left his hometown, Bedford Falls, causing him to feel like he has failed at life. George is overwhelmed with feelings of failure and begins to spiral. In his time of need, a guardian angel named Clarence (Henry Travers) is sent down to remind George of how meaningful his life is by showing him what Bedford Falls would look like if he were never born.
Feeling nostalgic?
“Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmas,” released in 1999, shows some of our favorite characters coming together to mix both the magic of Disney and the holidays through three interconnected stories. The first story, “Stuck on Christmas,” is about Donald Duck’s nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie, when their wish of having Christmas every day comes true. The second story, “A Very Goofy Christmas,” shows how far Goofy is willing to go to make sure his son, Max, doesn’t lose his belief in Santa Claus. The third story, “Gift of Magic,” is about Mickey and Minnie, and their sacrifices for the other to have the perfect Christmas gift.
Whether you are in the mood to laugh, cry or scream during the holiday season, there is a movie for you. The holidays only come around once a year, so take advantage of all the great films before they are put back on the shelf until next year.
