As a collective audience this time of year, many of us enjoy revisiting holiday films because they themselves have become a part of the festivities. There are the critically acclaimed classics, and then there are those that aspire to be classic – both of which have a special relationship with those seeking holiday cheer. However, it's no secret that holiday films tend to work with the same raw materials: reindeer, santa, snow, pumpkin pie, etc. There are plenty of holiday films, though, that have fallen into obscurity over the years. Some are good, some are bad, but most of them are pretty odd. So, for those seeking a change of pace, here are five of the strangest holiday movies. Let's get weird!
Christmas is approaching, and Santa is no where to be found. No, he hasn't gotten cold feet or anything like that. Santa's sleigh has crash landed in Florida, and is mired in a sandy beach along the coast. Using his apparent telepathic abilities, Santa sends a distress call out to local Floridian children in order to help him save Christmas. Most of the children try to enlist the help of animals to dislodge Santa's sleigh. The laughable acting and production value of this film have made it a cult favorite for the holidays.
)Often pointed to as one of the first ever slasher films, Black Christmas was bold enough to flip the idea of a holiday film into a horror. A sorority house is terrorized by a series of mysterious phone calls as a serial killer plots his madness. This film is a real treat for fans of horror movies who are tired of Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer.
If you have the patience to sit through a film that has a reputation of being "the worst film ever made," then this will interest you. When a colony on Mars experiences unrest after watching too much Earth-TV, they decide to abduct Santa Claus and make him their own. A few martian toymakers and an hour and twenty minutes later, they've worked out a diplomatic arrangement such that Santa Claus can return to Earth, and Christmas is saved. It's just now occurring to me that so many holiday movies end with "And Christmas is saved!" The other interesting thing about Santa Conquers The Martians is that it is the first appearance of Mrs. Claus in film.
This film draws on what made Black Christmas a hit, and combines the horror/holiday genre – only this time, Santa Claus is the axe murderer. Yes, Santa Claus kills people in this movie, and if that sounds controversial it won't surprise you that there was controversy. Mainly, people were angered by the ad campaign that depicted the plot of the movie around Christmastime. Still, there are many who'll say that this film holds up and isn't nearly as bad as one might be led to believe.
This is an Adam Goldberg starring film that subverts the "saving Christmas" ideology with a humorous "saving Hanukkah" plot. Goldberg stars as a Jewish crime fighter known as the Hebrew Hammer (I believe bodily humor is being employed, here). The film is also a parody of so-called "blaxploitation" films of the 1970s, tailored for an urban black audience. Critics gave this film mixed reviews, but even most of the negative reviews admitted it had moments of being ferociously funny.
What are some of your favorite obscure holiday classics?
