{"id":300514,"date":"2025-12-05T13:54:15","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T13:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/300514\/"},"modified":"2025-12-05T13:54:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T13:54:15","slug":"im-sick-of-corny-christmas-movies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/300514\/","title":{"rendered":"I’m sick of corny Christmas movies"},"content":{"rendered":"

We all know the yuletide classics<\/a>: the careworn VHS tapes of yore and the ones we can quote from at length, be it the goofy charm of Elf, the tearjerking timelessness of It\u2019s a Wonderful Life<\/a>, or the loveable antics of Home Alone (voted the UK\u2019s favourite Christmas film in a British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) poll this year). I certainly have a soft spot for them myself, and it never really feels like Christmas until I see James Stewart\u2019s face on my telly.<\/p>\n

But some of us may be a little bit weary of the same old films every year. So here\u2019s an alternative list of eight kinda-Christmas classics to get in the spirit without the sleigh bells and tinsel.<\/p>\n

8. Gremlins (1984)<\/p>\n

\"PhoebePhoebe Cates and Zach Galligan on the set of Gremlins (Photo: Warner Bros\/Amblin E\/Sunset Boulevard\/Corbis\/Getty)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to forget quite how mean-spirited Joe Dante\u2019s wacky 80s monster movie actually is; but this strange, anarchic film packs quite a punch. It also has an unusually high body count \u2013 including a dead Santa Claus stuck in a suburban chimney \u2013 for an ostensibly child-friendly mainstream Christmas film. <\/p>\n

I won\u2019t recount the plot to you \u2013 just don\u2019t feed them after midnight \u2013 but let Gremlins be a reminder to us all: don\u2019t try to be too exotic with the yuletide pet-giving, and get the kids a cat. <\/p>\n

Streaming on Now<\/a><\/p>\n

7. Dial Code Santa Claus (1989)<\/p>\n

\"'Deadly\u2018Dial Code Santa Claus\u2019 is like \u2018Home Alone\u2019 if Macaulay Culkin had actually killed those robbers (Photo: UGC)<\/p>\n

Have you ever watched Home Alone and thought to yourself: what would happen if Macauley Culkin actually killed these robbers with his violent booby traps? Look no further than French oddity Dial Code Santa Claus, a film that the director insisted was the obvious influence for Home Alone itself. <\/p>\n

This violent home invasion movie is not for the faint of heart, featuring a psychotic villain who hunts down an innocent kid and his elderly grandfather in their giant empty home. It\u2019s darkly hilarious, genuinely thrilling, and edge-of-your-seat stuff, but don\u2019t expect it to play nicely. No one in this movie does.<\/p>\n

Streaming on Shudder<\/a><\/p>\n

6. Die Hard (1988)<\/p>\n

\"BruceBruce Willis is fighting to save and reunite his family at Christmas in \u2018Die Hard\u2019 (Photo: 20th Century Fox\/Getty)<\/p>\n

Yes, it is a Christmas movie. Maybe it hasn\u2019t made it to everyone\u2019s rotation just yet, but what better option than an ass-kicking action movie<\/a> with quotable quips <\/a>to liven up the sentimentality of the season? This is one to pull out if things are getting too sappy, and with Bruce Willis<\/a> fighting to save and reunite his family at Christmas, it still has a pleasant undertone of family togetherness despite its gruff cynicism and violent content.<\/p>\n

Streaming on Disney+<\/a><\/p>\n

5. Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence (1983)<\/p>\n

\"Kino.Tom Conti and David Bowie star in a epic Second World War film (Photo: FilmPublicityArchive\/ United Archives\/Getty)<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s one for the dads \u2013 and dad-adjacent \u2013 who love to catch an epic Second World War film around this time of year. If you\u2019re tired of The Great Escape (1963), try this fascinating exploration of the dynamics between Japanese guards and British prisoners of war, starring none other than David Bowie<\/a> in a devastating role as the captured Major Celliers. <\/p>\n

Directed by Japanese filmmaker Oshima but mostly in English, it\u2019s a brand-new perspective on an old and familiar story of Allied heroes and Japanese villains, digging into the complexities of these dire scenarios. It also features Japanese actor-director Takeshi Kitano and multihyphenate composer Ryuchi Sakamoto in major roles. It might not really be a Christmas movie, but it\u2019s a stunning anti-war movie and its key moments are all about a Christmas greeting.<\/p>\n

Available to rent or buy on Prime Video<\/a>, YouTube<\/a> and Apple TV<\/a><\/p>\n

4. Black Christmas (1974)<\/p>\n

\"'Black\u2018Black Christmas\u2019 is seen as one of the first slasher flicks (Photo: Warner Bros)<\/p>\n

Bob Clark was one of the finest makers of smart, exciting low-budget American movies in the 70s, and it just so happened that Black Christmas \u2013 starring Margot Kidder a few years before she\u2019d star as Lois Lane in the original Superman movies \u2013 is one of them. Opening with unnerving strains of \u201cSilent Night\u201d, the film begins with a college sorority\u2019s annual Christmas party, when a man calls up and makes chilling, aggressive sexual comments to the girls.<\/p>\n

Sometimes seen as one of the first slasher flicks \u2013 setting the template a few years before Halloween \u2013 Clark employs all the now-familiar tropes. Is the call coming from inside the house? You\u2019ll have to watch to find out.<\/p>\n

Streaming on Tubi<\/a><\/p>\n

3. Trading Places (1987)<\/p>\n

\"DanDan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy play two men doing a disastrous life swap against a Christmassy backdrop (Photo: Paramount Pictures)<\/p>\n

Set between Christmas and the New Year, John Landis\u2019s film about the haves and have-nots of 80s Philadelphia is Christmassy mainly in its backdrop, and one memorable New Year\u2019s Eve party in fancy dress on a train. But for me, it\u2019s become an annual favourite, featuring comedy heavy-hitters Eddie Murphy<\/a> and Dan Aykroyd as two men from opposite sides of society being forced into a disastrous swap of lives, jobs, and homes for a bet by a pair of evil stockbroker brothers.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a stacked cast, with Jamie Lee Curtis<\/a> as a worldly sex worker with a heart of gold and an unforgettably droll performance as a fancy butler from Denholm Elliot, and its social commentary is still relevant. Plus, it\u2019s genuinely one of the funniest films I\u2019ve ever seen.<\/p>\n

Streaming on Paramount+<\/a> and Now<\/a><\/p>\n

2. Carol (2015)<\/p>\n

\"CateCate Blanchett smoulders as Carol in a film about forbidden love (Photo: Wilson Webb\/Studio Canal)<\/p>\n

Few Christmas love stories are as stylish and satisfying as Todd Haynes\u2019s Carol, with those exquisite knit twin-sets, beribboned boxes and super-dry martinis. His period-specific mid-century love affair is the antithesis of what we\u2019d expect from a feel-good holiday classic \u2013 slowly paced, reserved, full of glacial silences and quiet longing. When the chic Carol (Cate Blanchett<\/a>) asks for holiday shopping advice from a gauche young shopgirl in a Santa hat (Rooney Mara), an illicit romance blooms. <\/p>\n

The women simmer beneath their cool exteriors but are stymied by their relationships with men and Carol\u2019s desire to keep custody of her young daughter. Before they part, the pair take a weekend trip away from the frosty confines of Manhattan. The chemistry is undeniable, but it\u2019s the emotional restraint of the denouement that makes Carol all the more affecting.<\/p>\n

Available to rent or buy on Prime Video<\/a>, Curzon<\/a>, Sky Store<\/a> and Apple TV<\/a><\/p>\n

1. Blast of Silence (1961)<\/p>\n

\"LionelLionel Stander plays a bitter hitman in a film noir shot on Christmas Eve in New York City (Photo: FilmPublicityArchive\/United Archives\/Getty)<\/p>\n

A lesser-known slice of film noir shot on Christmas Eve in New York City, Blast of Silence is a short and pungent swipe at any sentimentality around this time of year. A bitter hitman, played by gruff-voiced actor Lionel Stander, stalks the streets, moving against the tides of decorations and shoppers. <\/p>\n

His internal monologue in voiceover, bemoaning all the suckers around him, feels as surprising and misanthropic as it must have done back in 1961. At only 77 minutes long, it\u2019s well worth throwing this one on for a surprisingly dark take on festive cheer.<\/p>\n

Available to buy on Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\tYour next read<\/p>\n


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