Flickreel’s Top 5 Alternative Christmas Films

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… to watch as many movies as possible! As there are countless films perfect for the season of goodwill, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to choose an alternative selection of Christmas flicks, perfectly suited to those of you who prefer watching Silent Night, Deadly Night 2 to the Queen’s Speech; or for those of you who actually like Brussels sprouts. We’ve also got a standard Top 5 Christmas Films feature for you too, but right now, let’s get a little weird for Christmas…

5. Gremlins (1984)

One of the darkest PG-rated films ever made, Gremlins had a long and rough ride to the screen following numerous production problems. But despite its setbacks, Joe Dante’s movie blends horror, comedy, and cute fuzziness into a exhilarating mix so good, we’ve made it our first pick for a bonafide bizarro Christmas classic. When inventor Randall Peltzer struggles to find a christmas present for his son, he happens upon a bizarre store in Chinatown that sells antiques. There, he finds a mystical – but infinitely cute – creature called a Mogwai. The pet comes with three extremely important rules which are not to be broken under any circumstances: don’t expose the Mogwai to bright light; never get it wet; and never, ever feed it after midnight. The ensuing chaos that follows sees Randall’s son Billy, now the owner of the Mogwai – who has been given the name Gizmo – try to solve the problems created when the creature multiplies and hatches an evil twin called Stripe, and then having to attempt to save his hometown from being overrun by mean gremlins. At its heart, Gremlins offers a poignant Christmas message, while also acting as a thinly veiled attack on consumerism, and gets to the core of what Christmas is really about: getting presents.

4. Bad Santa (2003)

Any movie that begins with Billy Bob Thornton relieving himself doesn’t exactly lend itself to Crimbo cheer. But even though it’s disgusting, uncouth, and thoroughly non-PC, Bad Santa has its heart in the right place. The premise is brilliant: Thornton is Willie, a conman who travels from town to town with his partner-in-crime Marcus (Tony Cox), playing Santa in numerous shopping malls before stealing from the department stores on Christmas Eve. When he makes an unexpected friend in the form of Thurman – a kid who is constantly being bullied – and believes that Willie is in fact the real Santa Claus, Willie eventually comes round to seeing the error of his ways; but that’s not before he’s cursed at the poor little kids who have come to visit him; stolen a car; and generally wreaked drunken havoc everywhere he goes. Bad Santa is crude, rude, and gut-bustingly funny; but does it stand up as a great alternative Christmas film? Absolutely. Just don’t put it on with the family in the room – granny probably won’t be a fan.

3. Iron Man 3 (2013)

In the summer of 2013, you watched a Marvel movie without realising it was also a Christmas flick. Iron Man 3 sees Tony Stark lose his armour in the fight against The Mandarin, a megalomaniacal terrorist who uses the airwaves to send messages of destruction to the world. While Stark, now stripped of the safety of Iron Man, must solve the mystery of a military cover-up; the worrying reappearance of an old acquaintance; and the truth about the Mandarin, it all takes place at Christmas time. Iron Man 3’s winter-time Tennessee is a beautiful snowy backdrop to the bulk of proceedings, giving you that special Christmassy feeling, while the movie itself is essentially a catalogue of incredible gifts to buy your loved ones: a 100-foot tall stuffed bunny rabbit; a nifty device that allows a peek inside your own brain; or a boxset of Downton Abbey. The film’s director, Shane Black, is known to have yuletide leanings. In various writing and directing roles, he’s set movies Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, The Long Kiss Goodnight, and Lethal Weapon over that special time in December. Iron Man 3 was the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first subversive film, in this respect; not only did it deconstruct the superhero myth to an extent, but it was also a warm-hearted ode to Noel.

2. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Almost every child has seen The Nightmare Before Christmas, and odds are, you did too. Another thing you might remember is just how frightening the movie was. The film has an ingenious central idea: that the different holidays of Christmas, Halloween, Easter and so on, all occupy different realms. Jack Skellington, the King of Halloween Town, delights in all things scary; however, as time goes on, he becomes tired with the same routine; year after year; Halloween after Halloween. One day in the woods, he stumbles upon a set of portals to the different realms, and upon visiting Christmas Town, he decides to celebrate the holiday in his own world – culminating in him taking over the role of Santa Claus when the real Santa is kidnapped. Packed to bursting point with incredible songs, ingenious visual wit and characters that are complex yet memorable, The Nightmare Before Christmas will have you singing – and possibly puking – well into Boxing Day.

1. Die Hard (1988)

The ultimate alternative Christmas film is also the greatest action movie ever made. You know the drill: John McClane, a New York cop, gets stuck in the bowels of a skyscraper when an apparent group of terrorists take over the building, turning the tower into a hotbed for great one-liners and many, many explosions. Before he turned into a half-assed, near-invincible superhero by the time of the fifth Die Hard movie, the original is still the best. Bruce Willis stars in the role that will make him an extremely likeable hard-assed, yet entirely vulnerable character who uses nothing but his smarts to get the better of Alan Rickman’s Gruber and his motley crew of burly Swedes. Of course, the entire film takes place on Christmas Eve, and the plot involves McClane attempting to reconcile matters with his wife, Holly. As such, Die Hard is clearly about being with your family at Christmas time, and doing whatever you can to get back to them. We’ve all experienced trying to get back in time for Christmas, no matter what delayed trains, flights, or work commitments get in the way. The delayed 6:15 is our Nakotimi Plaza. Plus, the song that runs over the credits is Let it Snow – need we say more?