There are holiday horror movies that wholly commit to the yuletide theme, and then there are holiday horror movies you might not even recall being set over or around Christmas. This week’s streaming picks are dedicated to the latter category. These horror titles make it clear that they’re set around the holidays without that ever factoring much into the plot… if at all.
That makes them perfect watches when you’ve already exhausted the holiday horror classics and want something a little outside the box. Or way out of the box, in some instances.
As always, here’s where you can stream them this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
The Brain – Freevee, Prime Video
Dr. Anthony Blakely (Re-Animator’s David Gale) uses his TV show and a giant meatball of a mutant brain to brainwash his audience. It’s up to a plucky teen prankster to save the day. The Brain is the brainchild of director Ed Hunt and screenwriter Barry Pearson, who’d previously teamed up to deliver the creepy kid slasher film Bloody Birthday. They aim for the self-help/self-esteem craze of the period by way of low-budget sci-fi horror that feels apropos of the atomic ‘50s. It’s wacky, “anything goes” type of cheesy fun. While the abundant Christmas décor makes it clear what time of year this story takes place, the holiday never factors into the plot in any meaningful way.
The Conjuring 2 – HBO Max, Netflix
THE CONJURING 2 | image via Warner Bros.
Ed and Lorraine Warren travel to North London to help a struggling family deal with one terrifying haunting. James Wan’s sequel dials up the terror and introduces a few memorable ghosts. That includes the scene-stealing demonic nun, Valak. As if that’s not enough, it happens to be the holiday season. Ed and Lorraine may be busy fighting evil here, but they also make time to spread some holiday cheer. At least for one quiet, super sweet holiday serenade.
Inside – The Roku Channel
Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s debut is one mean sucker punch of a movie. It’s a ruthless entry into home invasion horror that doles out punishment and pain, a peak of New French Extremity. The plot sees a very pregnant but depressed woman forced to fight off another woman determined to claim her unborn baby at any cost. It’s grim and gruesome and happens to be set over Christmas. Does Inside get into the holiday spirit beyond a few tell-tale signs of the setting? No, but you’ll be too busy holding your breath to notice.
Maniac Cop 2 – AMC+, Arrow, Freevee, Plex, Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, Shudder, Tubi, Vudu
From writer Larry Cohen and director William Lustig, this sequel wastes no time dispatching the protagonists of the previous entry. That means a new pair of heroes to battle undead maniac cop Matt Cordell (Robert Z’Dar), and this time he’s enlisted an ally in the form of a serial killer. Expanded mythology, new characters, and double the baddies are the tip of the entertaining iceberg here. It’s a sequel that manages to top the original, and in true ’90s style, Maniac Cop 2 even comes with a rap theme song. All set over Christmas, of course.
Rabid – Kanopy, Prime Video, Tubi
After Rose (Marilyn Chambers) is severely injured in a motorcycle accident, her boyfriend Hart (Frank Moore) brings her to a nearby clinic, where the doctor performs experimental plastic surgery. It results in the bizarre development of an armpit stinger and an unquenchable thirst for human blood. Rose’s victims wind up becoming blood-thirsty zombies. The outbreak is peripheral, as the focus always remains on Rose’s struggle with what she’s becoming. It’s an engaging, tragic vampire story in only the way David Cronenberg could deliver. Though the holiday connection is minimal, a memorable and horrifying scene occurs at a mall with Santa Claus.
