The concept of the holiday movie began back in 1898 with G.A. Smith’s pioneering silent film Santa Claus. The first of its kind to show the depiction of Santa that only runs just shy over a minute.
Since then Hollywood has belted out an array of films that have either been true to the genre such as A Christmas Story; The Holiday; Miracle On 34th Street; Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey or films like Die Hard; Brazil, and Gremlins that have teetered on the edge of identifying as a holiday film.
Then there are the anti-holiday movies and the Christmas horrors. Subgenres of their own like the slasher Silent Night, Deadly Night, Black Christmas, and Christmas Evil, a John Waters favorite, so you are inclined to know what demented viewing you are in for.
Waters even makes the list of unconventional Christmas classics. His 1974 cult film Female Trouble, starring Divine as Dawn Davenport, a bratty teen who is so disappointed by her parents not buying the shoe she wants, throws a fit, and her mother, under the Christmas tree because “nice girls don’t wear cha-cha heels.”
The running theme that conjures up the spirit of most holiday films is what is the true meaning of Christmas? Protagonists like Jack Skellington in Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, George Bailey in the 1946 classic It’s a Wonderful Life, and Frank Cross, the Dickens character in Scrooged, all endure this question of what really matters at this time of year.
Scroll through our picks for Deadlines’ top 50 classic Holiday films that range from tear-jerkers to heart-wrenching horrors, 80s fantasy and 90s nostalgia.
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WONKA, 2023
Image Credit: Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection Dir. Paul King, starring Timothée Chalamet, Rowan Atkinson, Olivia Coleman, Keegan-Michael Key, Hugh Grant & Calah Lane
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VIOLENT NIGHT, 2022
Image Credit: Universal Pictures Dir. Tommy Wirkola starring David Harbour.
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HAPPIEST SEASON, 2020
Image Credit: TriStar Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection Dir. Clea DuVall, starring Burl Moseley, Alison Brie, Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Mary Holland, Victor Garber, Mary Steenburgen; children from left: Asiyih N’Dobe and Anis N’Dobe.
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TANGERINE, 2015
Image Credit: Magnolia Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection Dir. Sean Baker, starring Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mickey O’Hagan.
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JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY, 2020
Image Credit: Gareth Gatrell / Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection Dir. David E. Talbert, starring Madalen Mills, Kieron Dyer, Forest Whitaker, Keegan-Michael Key and Hugh Bonneville.
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THE HOLIDAY, 2006
Image Credit: Columbia Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection Dir. Nancy Meyers, starring Kate Winslet, Jack Black, Cameron Diaz and Jude Law.
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ELF, 2003
Image Credit: New Line/courtesy Everett Collection Dir. Jon Favreau, starring Will Ferrell.
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LOVE ACTUALLY, 2003
Image Credit: Universal Pictures/ Courtesy Everett Collection Dir. Richard Curtis starring Bill Nighy, Hugh Grant, Martine McCutcheon and Liam Neeson.
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DR. SEUSS HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS, 2000
Image Credit: Universal/courtesy Everett Collection Dir. Ron Howard starring, Taylor Momsen and Jim Carrey.
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THE ICE STORM, 1997
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox Dir. Ang Lee starring Sigourney Weaver, Kevin Kline, Joan Allen and Christina Ricci.
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LITTLE WOMEN, 1994
Image Credit: Columbia Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection Dir. Gillian Armstrong, starring Claire Danes, Winona Ryder, Trini Alvarado, Kirsten Dunst and Susan Sarandon.
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BATMAN RETURNS, 1992
Image Credit: Warner Bros./courtesy Everett Collection Dir. Tim Burton, starring Michael Keaton, Michelle Pfeiffer and Danny De Vito.
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ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES, 1993
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Barry Sonnenfeld, starring Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd, Christin Ricci, Carel Struychen, John Franklin and Joan Cusack.
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THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, 1993
Image Credit: Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection Dir. Henry Selick, starring Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon), Sally (Catherine O’Hara).
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MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL, 1992
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Brian Henson starring Miss Piggy, Michael Caine, Fozzie Bear, Kermit and Gonzo.
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EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, 1990
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox Film Dir. Tim burton, starring Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder.
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WITCHES, 1990
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Nicolas Roeg, starring Anjelica Huston, Mai Zetterling and Jasen Fisher.
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HOME ALONE, 1990
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox Dir. Chris Columbus, starring Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci Daniel Stern and Catherine O’Hara.
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MOTHER GOOSE ROCK ‘N’ RHYME, 1990
Image Credit: Disney Channel/courtesy Everett Collection Dir. Jeff Stein, starring Shelley Duvall, Art Garfunkel, Woody Harrelson, Debbie Harry, Cyndi Lauper and Little Richard.
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HOOK, 1991
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. starring Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman and Julia Roberts.
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NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION, 1989
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Everett Collection Dir. Jeremiah S. Chechik, starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo and Juliette Lewis.
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SCROOGED, 1988
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Richard Dooner, starring Bill Murray and Carol Kane.
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DIE HARD, 1988
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox Film Dir. John McTiernan, starring Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman.
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THE PRINCESS BRIDE, 1987
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox Dir. Rob Reiner, starring Cary Elwes and Robin Wright.
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PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES, 1987
Image Credit: Paramount/courtesy Everett Collection Dir. John Hughes, tarringSteve Martin, and John Candy.
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BRAZIL, 1985
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Terry Gilliam starring Katherine Helmond, Jim Broadbent, Jonathan Pryce, Kim Greist and Robert De Niro.
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THE GOONIES, 1985
Image Credit: Warner Bros./courtesy Everett Collection Dir. Richard Donner starring Ke Huy Quan (aka Jonathan Ke Quan), Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Corey Feldman and Jeff Cohen.
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SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT, 1984
Image Credit: TriStar Pictures Dir. Charles E. Sellier Jr., starring Lilyan Chauvin, Gilmer McCormick and Toni Nero.
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GREMLINS, 1984
Image Credit: Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection Dir. Joe Dante, starring Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates and Hoyt Axton.
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THE NEVERENDING STORY, 1984
Image Credit: Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection Dir. Wolfgang Petersen starring, Noah Hathaway, Falkor (voice: Alan Oppenheimer), Barret Oliver and Tami Stronach.
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TRADING PLACES, 1983
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. John Landis, starring Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy.
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A CHRISTMAS STORY, 1983
Image Credit: MGM/Everett Collection Dir. Bob Clark, Starring Peter Billingsey (pictured), Melinda Dillon and Darren McGavin.
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FANNY AND ALEXANDER, 1982
Image Credit: Embassy Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection Dir. Ingmar Bergman, starring Ewa Froling, Erland Josephson, Bertil Guve, Pernilla Allwin and Kristina Adolphson.
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CHRISTMAS EVIL, 1980
Image Credit: Edward R. Pressman Productions Dir. Lewis Jackson, starring Brandon Maggart, Jeffrey DeMunn and Dianne Hull.
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BLACK CHRISTMAS, 1974
Image Credit: Everett collection Dir. Bob Clark, starring Olivia Hussey.
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FEMALE TROUBLE, 1974
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. John Waters, starring Susan Walsh, Divine and Cookie Mueller.
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WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, 1971
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Mel Stuart starring Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson and Peter Ostrum.
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THE SOUND OF MUSIC, 1965
Image Credit: 20th Century-Fox Dir. Robert Wise, starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer.
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CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS, 1965
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Bill Melendez.
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MARY POPPINS, 1964
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Robert Stevenson, starring Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews.
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THE APARTMENT, 1960
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir.Billy Wilder, starring Shirley MacLaine and Jack Lemmon.
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MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET, 1947
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox Film Dir. George Seaton, starring Edmund Gwenn and Natalie Wood.
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IT HAPPENED ON 5th AVENUE, 1947
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Roy Del Ruth starring Gale Storm and Don DeFore.
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IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, 1946
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Frank Capra, starring Carol Coomes, Donna Reed, Karolyn Grimes, James Stewart, Jimmy Hawkins and Larry Simms.
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MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS, 1944
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Vincent Minnelli, starring Judy Garland and Tom Drake.
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THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER, 1940
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Ernst Lubitsch, starring James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan.
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REMEMBER THE NIGHT, 1940
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Mitchell Leisen, starring Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck.
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THE WIZARD OF OZ, 1939
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Mervyn LeRoy and starring Margaret Hamilton, Judy Garland and Ray Bolger.
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REVE DE NOEL (THE CHRISTMAS DREAM), 1900
Image Credit: Star-Film Dir. Georges Méliès starring Georges Méliès
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SANTA CLAUS, 1898
Image Credit: George Albert Smith Films Dir. George Albert Smith, starring Laura Bayley, Dorothy Smith and Harold Smith.