Why does Christmas and horror go together so well?

 Oops, forgot to post this before December 25th. But really, any time of year is perfect to watch creepy Christmas movies so here's a list of my fave scary or just plain weird/fantastical Christmas movies.

Black Christmas (1974) - also known as Silent Night Evil Night, this Canadian slasher movie set the template for later movies such as Halloween, and it's still effective today (unlike the two awful remakes). Part of the reason it's held up so well is how little we learn about the killer, "Billy". Aside from his disturbing obscene phone calls to the sorority, he remains a terrifying enigma right up until the haunting final scene. The other reason this is worth a watch is because of the cast, who are actually treated like well-rounded characters. Unlike most exploitation movies of the time, the female characters are given more to do than scream, get naked and be killed (not always in that order). There's plenty of humour and even a nice feminist arc to Olivia Hussey's character, with her confronting her asshole boyfriend (2001's Keir Dullea) over his insistence she not get an abortion. Pre-Lois Lane Margot Kidder and genre legend John Saxon are also very entertaining. Saxon plays the cop trying to figure out where the killer's calls are coming from (spoiler alert: they're coming from inside the house!) This is a movie I definitely recommend as an annual viewing tradition.

Gremlins - a sadistic Christmas classic, nuff said.

Tim Burton's Christmas Trilogy (Edward Scissorhands, Batman Returns and The Nightmare Before Christmas) - okay, not technically horror, but they all have their share of creepy moments and are all classic movies, too.

The Polar Express - this movie is just terrifying.

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale - a Finnish film about the sinister creature behind the Santa legend and definitely the weirdest one on this list.

Krampus - Michael Dougherty's take on the festive legend is a later addition to the list, and while it's not perfect it does recapture some of the fun creepiness of 80s family horror movies like Poltergeist and the aforementioned Gremlins.