Comingsoon.net is counting down the days till the holiday season by compiling the best unconventional holiday films. Check out our selections in the gallery below!
Every holiday season, there seems to be the same debate that gets reignited like clockwork: “_____ is a Christmas movie!” “_____ is NOT a Christmas movie!” At the end of the day, this debate is not really necessary—if you get a kick out of watching a non-traditional holiday movie at Thanksgiving, Halloween, or Christmastime, then more power to you.
If this describes you, then this compilation of non-traditional holiday movies might be of great importance to you. No matter what the holiday, it’s likely that there’s an abstract or unconventional pick out there for you. We’ve listed a handful below to help get things started.
unconventional holiday movies
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Black Christmas (1974)
Many associate feelings of joy and cheer and merriment with the Christmas season. Slasher film Black Christmas might say otherwise. The thrillingly violent Christmas movie is sure to offer a much-needed palate cleanser between marathon screenings of Elf and A Christmas Story.
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Die Hard (1988)
Probably the definitive non-traditional Christmas movie, Die Hard sees a heroic New York city cop try to put a stop to a group of terrorists at his wife’s work Christmas party. The role of John McClane, played experly by Bruce Willis, has become practically synonymous with Christmastime.
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E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Steven Spielberg’s iconic sci-fi movie ET. the Extra-Terrestrial just screams fall—from its wooded landscapes to its autumnal costume design, the movie is the perfect film to watch between September and November. For this reason, plus the fact that it features a Halloween sequence, E.T. makes for the perfect nontraditional Thanksgiving or Halloween movie.
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Gremlins (1984)
An 80s classic (and one of a couple movies responsible for the creation of the PG-13 rating), Joe Dante’s Gremlins can serve as a Halloween film because of its family-friendly scares or a Christmas film because of its wintry December setting. What more could you ask for in a nontraditional holiday movie?
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The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Often mistaken for a Tim Burton movie, Henry Selick’s The Nightmare Before Christmas doubles as both a Halloween movie AND a Christmas movie, just like Joe Dante’s Gremlins. Jack Skellington might be a Halloween king, but he makes a fine Santa, too.