‘Tis the season to be jolly and one of the best ways to get into the spirit is by binging the classics. What’s Christmas without It’s A Wonderful Life?
As the big day draws nearer, why not broaden the holiday horizon and explore some of these alternative Christmas movies?
1. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
No one celebrates Christmas quite like the Griswold crew. Family patriarch, Clark (Chevy Chase), sets out to achieve the impossible and have a “fun old-fashioned family Christmas” as relatives come to stay. When has life ever been that easy for Clark? In record time, hijinks ensue with the Griswolds hilariously failing miserably to keep the peace.
The fourth installment to National Lampoon’s Vacation series is ideal for Christmas Eve viewing every year and never grows old. Laughs are constantly rolling in with classic slapstick humor, including the old plank to the face schtick.
2. Batman Returns (1992)
There’s never a dull moment in Gotham City, and Christmas is no exception! Set during the holiday period, Batman has his hands full when Penguin (Danny DeVito) wreaks havoc alongside tycoon, Max Schreck (Christopher Walken), and to make matters worse, Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer) is intent on seeking revenge on the men who wronged her – hell hath no fury than an unhinged feline scorned.
Michael Keaton’s second shindig as the caped crusader was met with great criticism for its darker and violent approach to the material, but don’t be fooled by a box office bust status because Batman Returns is possibly one of the strongest sequels in the entire Batman saga.
3. The Family Stone (2005)
Meredith (Sarah Jessica Parker) receives more than she bargained for when she tags along with her boyfriend, Everett (Everett), to his family home for Christmas. Siblings clash, Meredith sticks her foot in it more than once, and Diane Keaton gives a heart-breaking performance. All that follows is comical antics as the couple finds themselves bonding with unsuspecting companions.
Complete with a star-studded cast, The Family Stone is everything from joyful to bittersweet and everything in-between.
4. Krampus (2015)
It’s not exactly the classic Christmas set-up one may be used what with satanic Santa and all, but who doesn’t love a good festive feud amongst loved ones? Max Engel (Emjay Anthony) sure doesn’t and can’t imagine anything worse than spending the holiday period cooped up with his quarreling family; only, his nightmare is just beginning and they must put their differences aside to fend off a child-eating Jack-in-the-Box and murderous gingerbread men
Krampus is an adventure from start to finish, to say the least. Taking confinement horror to the next level, there is nothing but the worst parts of Christmas all crammed into the Engel’s home.
5. Christmas with the Kranks (2004)
Jamie Lee Curtis and Tim Allen are the eponymous Kranks searching for some spontaneity in their lives after their daughter, Blair (Julie Gonzalo), moves away from home. Upon hearing of their decision to skip out on Christmas, the neighbors rally together to change their minds, resulting in frantic capers.
This is one for the whole family to enjoy with its overall silliness, making for a very easy watch and keeps everyone on their toes.
6. Daddy’s Home 2 (2017)
After making amends, Dusty (Mark Wahlberg) and Brad (Will Ferrell) must deal with a new challenge in the form of their own fathers (John Lithgow and Mel Gibson) joining them for the holidays. Now with his own stepdaughter, Dusty receives a taste of his own medicine when her dad, Roger (John Cena), tags along.
One of the greatest moments in this movie comes at the very end with an impromptu rendition of Band Aid’s ‘Do They Know Its Christmas’ that shows off the cast’s musical abilities.
7. Dead End (2003)
On a late Christmas Eve drive to the in-laws, Frank (Ray Wise) takes a detour down a desolate road and unwittingly subjects his family to a night of terror. Stalked by a woman in white and a mysterious hearse, the family struggles to come to terms with what is real as they are picked off one by one.
Dead End is a particularly festive flick full of surprising twists and turns. The Christmas spirit is well and truly diminished as each death becomes more gruesome than the last.
7 Unconventional Christmas movies to watch this week
Source: Pinoy White Knights
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