We all know the big ones… what’s a less famous one worth watching?
Maybe this isn’t that obscure, but Klaus (2019) is an excellent Christmas movie. It’s become a yearly staple since the first time we watched it.
This may be too big: Arthur Christmas. It was made by Aardman (Wallace and Gromit, Shawn the Sheep) but using CG instead of claymation. I honestly don’t like the animation as much as their claymation, but they did a good job with it.
It’s the best representation of the “Christmas spirit” in my opinion. The story is great and the character arcs bring a tear to my eye.
Wanted to thank you for this rec, it now sits right next to Klaus on my Christmas watchlist!
In the UK The Great Escape (1963) has become synonymous with Christmas through a mixture of nostalgia, seasonal hope and just plain repetition in the broadcast schedules:
Tokyo Godfathers (2003)
- Klaus (2019)
- The night before (2015)
- 8-Bit Christmas (2021)
- Red One (2024)
8bit Christmas was great for a child of the 80s like me. Violent Night is a guilty pleasure.
Anna and the Apocalypse has become one of my family’s traditions. Coming-of-age teen comedy set in the days before Christmas break, but also a zombie horror movie, and also a musical.
Kind of low-budget and some of the cast is shaky, but it’s incredibly ambitious and very fun.
I don’t know if it’s considered lesser known but I don’t hear enough about it so I think it is; While You Were Sleeping from 1995. It’s my absolute favourite movie.
2018’s Christmas Chronicles was an instant staple for us.
Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather is my favorite Xmas movie. It’s technically 2 90 minute episodes.
Red One was stupid and fun.
DreamWorks’ the Grinch is actually a fun watch.
I mentioned this in another thread recently:
Cooper’s Christmas (aka Cooper’s Camera)
Jason Jones, Samantha Bee, Dave Foley and the very excellent Mike Beaver.
It’s my favourite Canadian Christmas comedy B-movie, a very specific genre to be sure.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Oh shit, I just grabbed that one from the thrift store since I haven’t seen it before, perfect timing to check it out then!
The Holdovers is fantastic.
There’s a ton of versions of “a Christmas Carol” but Scrooged is absolutely worth a watch despite the age.
The ghosts are all fantastic and you can’t go wrong with Bill Murray
These are relatively popular but a bit untypical: The Holdovers, The Snowman, The Family Stone, The Shop Around the Corner, Prancer, Eyes Wide Shut (nsfw), The Green Knight, Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point, The End of the Tour.
