The Christmas season is prime movie-watching season. The dark nights and cold weather mean the holidays are the perfect time to get cozy on the couch with a bucket of popcorn and a cup of hot chocolate.
However, it is easy to get stuck in a rut, watching the same handful of movies every year. So, if you’re looking to expand your horizons this year, here are ten overlooked Christmas movies to add to your watchlist, from traditional Christmas tales to experimental titles that put a unique twist on the holiday.
Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas
A Heartwarming Tale About Pushing Through Hardship
Based on Russell Hoban’s children’s book, this 1977 made-for-TV movie was directed by Jim Henson and features many of his usual creative partners, including Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, and Richard Hunt. The movie follows Emmet Otter, a young otter who lives with his mother in the sleepy town of Frogtown Hollow. Alas, life isn’t easy for the pair as they are constantly short on money, forcing Emmet to do odd jobs around the town to make ends meet.
However, when Emmet and Ma hear about a local talent show with a $50 grand prize, both of them decide to enter, hoping to earn enough money to buy the other a Christmas present. Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas combines a warm and good-hearted story with some excellent puppet work, making it the perfect movie to watch with family members of all ages over the holiday season.
Anna and the Apocalypse
A Christmas Movie About The End Of The World
Few people would answer post-apocalyptic if asked about the movie genre best suited to Christmas films. However, 2017’s Anna and the Apocalypse expertly merges horror and the holiday season, leading to a delightfully pulpy package. Anna Shepherd’s life isn’t going well. Her father is angry with her decision to travel for a year before going to university, and all her friends are struggling with their own life issues.
Even worse, on the night of her school’s Christmas show, the locals start turning into zombies, forcing Anna and her rag-tag group of friends into a battle for survival. Anna and the Apocalypse is a fun horror romp that balances silliness with surprisingly deep and relatable character work, making it one of the most memorable zombie movies of the last few years.
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale
A Movie That Puts A Unique Twist On Christmas Myths
Written and directed by Jalmari Helander and arriving on screens in 2010, Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale puts a unique twist on the Christmas mythology we know and love. The movie starts with Juuso and Pietari, two young boys watching a group of miners dig into the Korvatunturi fell, believing it to be a burial mound full of high-value loot. However, things soon spiral out of control as local reindeer start getting slaughtered and townsfolk go missing, leading people to suspect that the true Santa is on the loose.
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale takes traditional Yuletide myths and gives them a folk horror twist, meaning that the movie’s lore often feels like it was ripped directly from the pages of a historical fairytale. Combine this with the movie’s clever visuals, and you’re left with a film that will make you look at Santa in a new light.
8 Women
A Christmas Mystery Combined With A Festive Farce
Christmas is the perfect time to enjoy a murder mystery, and 8 Women is the ideal film for those who prefer mysteries with a camp and creative twist. Directed by François Ozon and released in 2002, 8 Women follows Suzon, a young woman who returns to her family’s sprawling country home for Christmas break. At first, it seems like it is going to be a regular (if slightly eccentric) Christmas, but this goes out the window when Marcel, the family patriarch, is found stabbed in the back.
Realizing that the crime could only have been committed by one of the eight women currently residing in the house, causing old tensions to flare up. However, 8 Women isn’t your standard murder mystery as it combines its dark comedy with several amazingly over-the-top musical numbers, making it an experience unlike anything else.
The Holdovers
A Melencholoy Christmas Movie About The Season’s Outcasts
Directed by Alexander Payne and written by David Hemingson, 2023’s The Holdovers is sure to cement itself as a classic Christmas movie over the next few years. Paul Hunham teaches at Barton Academy, an all-male boarding school in New England. When a major donor’s son loses the chance to attend Princeton because of Hunham’s strict grading, the school’s headmaster punishes him by making him remain in the school over Christmas to supervise the students who can’t spend Christmas with their families.
For the first few days, Paul maintains his usual strictness, forcing the students to follow a strict schedule of study and exercise. However, after an argument, Hunham starts to bond with Angus, a student going through a tough time. Eventually, the pair embark on a surprising journey that helps them see life differently. The Holdovers perfectly blends warmth and melancholy, capturing the complexity of the human experience in a way few films do, making it the perfect movie to enjoy over the holiday season.
The Ref
A Christmas Movie About A Hostage Situation
A black comedy released in 1994, The Ref focuses on Gus, a cat burglar. Gus had planned to rob a mansion on Christmas Eve, but the heist went wrong, forcing him to go on the run. While trying to avoid the police, Gus kidnaps Lloyd and Caroline Chasseur and forces them to take him to their home so he can lay low until he finds a way to flee the city. However, this hostage situation soon takes an odd turn. Llyod and Caroline’s relationship is falling apart, forcing Gus to act as an unwilling mediator as the pair refuse to stop arguing. Even worse, friends and other family members arrive at the house, forcing Gus into increasingly fraught situations as he tries to avoid drawing suspicion.
The Ref puts a unique spin on many of the standard Christmas movie tropes and turns them into an enjoyable farce that captures the less-happy side of holidays. Because of this, it makes a great double feature with perennial Christmas movie favorite National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
Mongoland
Returning Home For The Holidays Can Be A Culture Shock
Directed by Arild Østin Ommundsen, Monogland follows Pia. After spending six months in England, Pia returns home for the holidays. Her main aim is to find and reunite with Kristoffer, her boyfriend, who pulled out of going to England with her at the last minute. However, Pia soon discovers that slipping back into her old life isn’t easy, as most of her friends have become vastly different people while she’s been away.
As she tries to hunt down Kristoffer, Pia encounters several other old friends, all going through their own struggles or are at a crossroads, forcing her to consider what she wants to do in the future and if she is the same person she was six months ago. Monogland perfectly captures the bitter melancholy accompanying returning home for the holidays and seeing your former home change as the years pass.
Feast of the Seven Fishes
A Retro Christmas Movie About Family Drama
Written and directed by Robert Tinnell, Feast of the Seven Fishes arrived on screens in 2018. Set in 1983, the film sees working-class catholic Italian boy Tony Oliverio take his girlfriend, protestant, Ivy League school student Beth, to his family’s traditional Christmas Eve celebration/Naturally, this leads to a lot of tension in the family, which leads to several long-held family secrets coming to light.
Even worse, as the season continues, Tony reveals that his dreams don’t align with what his family wants for him, which upsets several family members who think Tony should play it safe rather than follow his dreams. Feast of the Seven Fishes is a beautifully observed family drama perfect for viewers who associate Christmas with family drama and general chaos.
Joyeux Noël
A Moment Of Peace Helps Capture The Horror Of War
2005’s Joyeux Noël was directed by Christian Carion. It follows six characters who witnessed or participated in the famous World War I Christmas truce, where British and German soldiers put down their weapons and celebrated Christmas together. There is Gordon (a British lieutenant), Audebert (a French lieutenant), Horstmayer (a German lieutenant), Father Palmer (a Scottish army chaplain), Nikolaus Sprink (a German opera singer), and Anna Sørensen (another opera singer and Nikolaus’ fiancée), all of whom are grappling with the situations the war has put them in.
Joyeux Noël is a gripping historical drama that viscerally captures the horrors of war and the enduring power of the human spirit. Through its large cast, the film shows how World War I affected and ruined many lives, leaving lasting wounds that would shape the future of Europe.
Tokyo Godfathers
A Group Of Outcasts Tries To Reunite A Family
Released in 2003, Tokyo Godfathers was directed by the legendary Satoshi Kon, who also worked on classic films like Paprika and Perfect Blue. On Christmas Eve, an abandoned newborn is discovered by Gin, Miyuki, and Hana, three homeless people. The group names the infant Kiyoko and vows to work out who their parents are so they can be reunited.
However, this quest is far from easy, as the group encounters many horrible situations as they travel. Even worse, while trying to find the baby’s home, the gang comes face to face with their pasts and the things they’ve been trying to run from. Combining stunning animation with a moving story that isn’t afraid to shy away from the darker parts of modern life, Tokyo Godfathers is a contemporary Christmas classic that every movie fan must watch.
Jonathon Greenall is a freelance writer, TTRPG designer, and visual artist. They love creating and exploring the often overlooked corners of indie media, spotlighting things that dare to be different.