In recent years, there’s been an odd trend in movies: the rise of the violent/horror Christmas film.
It feels like violence and horror is antithetical to a holiday focused on hope, peace, joy, and love—the coming of Christ—but the genre seems to be growing. Whether it’s a movie about Krampus (a demon of folklore who punishes bad children), Santa getting violent, or the Terrifier movies (we won’t link to that IMDB), there appears to be a demand in our modern culture for these types of films. But why is that?
The first reason is purely practical. Horror movies (and thrillers) are often cheaper and easier films to make compared to other genres. This means that there will often be a lot of them and having a strong theme to base them on is a quick marketing win. It’s not hard to come up with a quick plot about a killer clown on Christmas and name it Silent Night or some other brainless Christmas pun (It’s a Wonderful Knife is a real movie).
On top of this, as our culture seems to become more and more fascinated with true crime, killers, and the darker aspects of humanity, it makes some weird sense that we might be drawn to some darker storylines during this time of year too.
But maybe there’s a reason that’s a little more spiritual. Biblically, the arrival of Jesus is set in a dark time in Israel’s history, having been in exile for centuries, and the voice of God having been silent since the prophet Malachi. Even in Jesus’ time, his arrival is heralded by the tragedy of Herod ordering the killing of innocent children.
While we’ll make no defense of over-the-top, bloody horror movies, they can represent the evil that still exists in our world. But part of the hope of Christmas is that God has not abandoned us in the darkness. Jesus has come to bring peace to our chaotic and evil world, and His arrival spells the beginning of its downfall and ultimate end.
Conversation Starter: Why do you think the Christmas horror genre exists?