Christmas films for the not so jolly this holiday season

1.Gremlins
What is a gremlin? Well, it is a furry, little creature that has the most unusual, high pitched voice and it cannot be exposed to light or fed after midnight otherwise...bad things happen. Gremlins is a fairly older movie but is still a classic around Halloween and the holiday season. The movie begins with a father bringing home a Gremlin for his teenage son after buying it from a little Chinese boy. The family first thinks this little creature is cute and friendly and they give him the name Gizmo. The father warns the son about not feeding Gizmo after midnight, putting him in bright light or spilling water on him but, we all know that one of these has to happen. After some water is accidentally split on Gizmo, little fluff balls pounce off of him and grow until many other Gremlins have emerged. However, more cute creatures may seem like a good thing but, unfortunately, the new Gremlins are destructive and later, not so furry. They continue to multiply through out the movie, destroying the little town they are in and attacking its citizens. The destruction is lead by Stripe, the worst Gremlin of all who can be identified by the bright, white strip of hair he has on his head. Sadly, for those pessimistic holiday people, this movie does have a happy ending and Christmas is not ruined.
2.The Nightmare Before Christmas
Whether you like the holidays or not, you'll love this movie by Tim Burton, if you haven't seen it already. The Nightmare Before Christmas can be seen as a rivalry film between Halloween and Christmas as main character Jack Skellington, a skeleton from Halloweentown feels that he is missing something from his life. Jack takes a walk through the trees, which all have doors on them and finds the Christmas door, of which he is vastly attracted to. Jack enters through the colourful door into the world of Christmastown to discover all the lights and colour and goes back to Halloweentown with his new discoveries. He then decides that he will become " Sandy Claws" by kidnapping the true Santa Claus in order to take over Christmastown. Sally, a sadly sewn together rag doll, who is in love with Jack, foresees his plans failing and her predictions become reality when Jack mistakenly captures the Easter Bunny instead of Santa Claus and Sally is captured by Oogie Boogie. Jack essentially causes the worlds of Halloweentown and Christmastown to clash together, mixing two worlds which should really not be mixed. Of course, by the end, Jack restores Christmas and saves Santa Claus and the people of Halloweentown finally understand the meaning of Christmas.


3.The Grinch
Holiday hooby whatty? Loathing the holiday season? Even if you despise Christmas or celebrate another holiday, you will absolutely love this brilliant remake of the classic holiday film How the Grinch Stole Christmas starring funnyman Jim Carrey. The classic tale of the furry, green outcast of Whoville who hates Christmas so much that he decides to steal it, will have you experiencing a range of emotions from feeling sorry for the Grinch, feeling angry at the Grinch, that warm, fuzzy holiday feeling and of course, some suspenseful moments as well. The Grinch will bring you back to the days when Dr. Seuss was your king and when rhyming was the coolest thing ever as a great majority of the dialogue in the film is cleverly rhymed and very witty, despite this being a children's film. Although at times, the Grinch does mumble and you can't quite understand what he is saying, you will still be laughing at Carrey's comic gestures and expressions and when he is coherent, his devilishly entertaining comments. The costumes and set in this movie also must be noted as they are simply fantastic and allow the viewer to escape into a world of magic and make believe. By the end of the film, the Grinch who stole Christmas ultimately brings it back, presents and all, and wins the hearts of the Whos in Whoville.


4. Jack Frost
So, really not feeling those holiday vibes? Sick of hearing those festive holiday tunes everywhere you go? Here is something for those humbugs who are not feeling so festive or for year round horror film lovers who like to incorporate their love of scary movies over the holidays. We all generally know Jack Frost as the lovable snowman who comes to life and sings and dances and makes the holiday season just wonderful, especially for the children. However, in this gruesome tale, Jack Frost is nothing of a sort. Instead of being a friendly snowman, Jack Frost happens to be a serial killer who is turned into a snow like creature after the prison truck he is in collides with a truck filled with experimental acid that melts the killer's body and then the body mixes with snow. Jack Frost becomes a super serial killer snowman who is not only terrifying to look at but has the ability to freeze and unfreeze at any given time and also has the super powers of shooting icicles at people. It is recommended that you do not suggest this as the movie to watch with your family over the holidays. If looking for a happier rendition of Jack Frost, the film starring Michael Keaton is a sure hit without the diabolical snowman. Or, if a big fan of the horror, check out Jack Frost 2: Return of the Mutant Snowman for some more horrific holiday fun.


5.Black Christmas
One of the greatest slasher movies of all time! Black Christmas, first made in 1975 and filmed in Annesley Hall here at Vic, tells the story of a group of sorority girls having a little party at Christmas. All is fun and games until mysterious phone calls start and one of the girls goes missing. The girls eventually find a dead body in the park and one by one, the girls are murdered by a psycho killer who has been hiding in the attic. For an updated version of Black Christmas, check out the remake which will be in theaters this holiday season. This movie is perfect for those who wish to turn the holiday season upside down...also not recommended as a family viewing.