15 best scary Christmas movies to watch this holiday season

TIM BURTONÕS THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS - Why celebrate the spookiest time of the year for only 13 nights when you can celebrate for 31!? Freeform has expanded their annual Halloween programming event to "31 Nights of Halloween" bringing more thrills and chills to the entire month. From Oct. 1, the network will be invaded by everyoneÕs favorite witches, a murderous barber, out of control dinosaurs and everything else that goes bump in the night. (DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC./ABC)JACK SKELLINGTON (CHRIS SARANDON)
TIM BURTONÕS THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS - Why celebrate the spookiest time of the year for only 13 nights when you can celebrate for 31!? Freeform has expanded their annual Halloween programming event to "31 Nights of Halloween" bringing more thrills and chills to the entire month. From Oct. 1, the network will be invaded by everyoneÕs favorite witches, a murderous barber, out of control dinosaurs and everything else that goes bump in the night. (DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC./ABC)JACK SKELLINGTON (CHRIS SARANDON)
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The holiday season is officially here, but not every Christmas movie is full of good cheer. Here are the 15 best scary movies to watch during the holidays!

‘Tis the season to be jolly! Christmas is only a few weeks away, and many of you are probably getting ready to cozy up in front of the fireplace and watch a good holiday movie. However, there are who celebrate the season a bit differently.

Instead of watching Love Actually or Serendipity, you may be the type who enjoys scary Christmas movies. If so, we’re here to help. We’ve got the oldies like The Nightmare Before Christmas and cult classics like Jack Frost and Gremlins, and that’s just the tip of the holiday iceberg. There are plenty more scary Christmas movies to enjoy, and we’re excited to share them with you. So get in your comfy pajamas, grab some popcorn, get the fireplace going, and get ready to scream your head off.

Happy watching!

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Tim Burton’s 1993 classic film The Nightmare Before Christmas isn’t exactly scary per se, but it’s still one of the best creepy movies to watch during the holiday season, combining elements of Halloween and Christmas. Also, it’s the type of scary Christmas movie you can watch as a family. There’s no blood, gore, or killer snowmen running around. Instead you’ve got Tim Burton’s imagination rendered in thrilling stop-motion animation.

The story follows Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloweentown (Chris Sarandon/Danny Elfman), as he accidentally comes upon Christmastown. He was tired of having to scare people, so this discovery gives him a burst of cheery energy.

And what did he do with this new enthusiasm? Attempt to take over Christmas by kidnapping Santa Claus (or “Sandy Claws” as he dubs him) so he can take over the role himself. Of course, Jack’s plans don’t go as he expected.

And there is the merry, scary story of The Nightmare Before Christmas. Along with the voices of Sarandon and Elfman, this movie has an all-star voice cast that includes Catherine O’Hara! Yes, bébé, that’s right!

This is one of the best scary Christmas movies on this list, and while it isn’t actually that scary, it has the perfect blend of all things spooky and jolly for everyone to enjoy!

The Nightmare Before Christmas is available to stream for Disney+ subscribers.