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It's supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but the pressure to fill the holidays with good, clean, family fun can get exhausting. So why not relax and kick up your feet with a few adult Christmas movies?
To reward yourself for enduring weeks of sappy commercials, kid-friendly reruns, sanctimonious specials and the general rose-colored glasses mentality of the season, curl up with a bottle of wine (or several) and revel in these films that aren't afraid to take on the holiday spirit from a grown-up point of view.
Bad Santa
A predilection for rude humor is a must in this Billy Bob Thornton-led 2003 dark comedy about an alcoholic scammer named Willie who poses as a mall Santa and plots to rob the stores on Christmas Eve with his sidekick, Marcus (Tony Cox). Willie's plans are foiled, however, when he encounters Sue (Lauren Graham) and "The Kid" (Brett Kelly) with the advent calendar. It's the perfect refresher when your inner cynic is fed up with artificial holiday cheer. After you've enjoyed Willie's first adventure, you'll definitely want to catch him again in the 2016 sequel.
Black Christmas
Missing Halloween? Relive the gory days with this still-seasonally appropriate slasher flick. The dread-fueling 1974 horror classic follows a group of sorority girls who become victims of grisly murders over Christmas break after receiving a series of disturbing phone calls. The original has a special place in our black hearts, but its remakes have just as many jump scares. So, for more Christmas carnage, check out the 2006 adaptation and the 2019 version.
Watch Black Christmas on Peacock
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas
Everyone's favorite stoner besties, Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn), attempt to mitigate holiday disaster in their third big-screen adventure, which sees them reunite after years of estrangement. The 2011 cult Christmas flick is filled with all the outrageous, irreverent humor fans have come to expect from the duo — with a side of touching friendship moments. (If you're looking to binge on the buds' other wacky adventures, you're in luck: Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004) is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, and Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008) is available to stream on Max.
Watch A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas on Max
Gremlins
Gleefully watch as a herd of little monsters wreak havoc on an idyllic small town at Christmas time. Gremlins (1984) subverts the holiday clichés you're tired of watching on repeat every year and includes possibly the most upsetting "How I learned that Santa isn't real" story of all time.
The Night Before
Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anthony Mackie star as a trio of lifelong friends seeking an epic final night of debauchery before committing to grown-up holiday traditions. Hilarious cameos by everyone from Miley Cyrus to Ilana Glazer will keep you on your toes during the shenanigans in this 2015 apocalyptic comedy.
Rent or buy The Night Before on Amazon Prime Video
Die Hard
John McClane's (Bruce Willis) heroism in the face of a terrorist threat takes place on Christmas Eve, and therefore — despite what the naysayers would have you believe — Die Hard (1988) is an honorary addition here. And one that requires yearly viewing at that.
Rent or buy Die Hard on Amazon Prime Video
Office Christmas Party
A slew of comic powerhouses, including Kate McKinnon, Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman, join forces in this 2016 workplace comedy. Clay (T.J. Miller) and his fellow co-workers at a computing tech firm embark on a more-naughty-than-nice quest to throw an unforgettable office Christmas bash to impress a potentially job-saving client.
Rent or buy Office Christmas Party on Amazon Prime Video
Trading Places
When snooty executive Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd) and savvy street conman Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy) find their lives reversed as part of an expensive bet, hijinks ensue — though not without dashes of controversial humor. It's Murphy, Aykroyd and a holiday-time switcheroo in this 1983 classic that's definitely worth putting the kids to bed early for.
Rent or buy Trading Places on Amazon Prime Video
A Bad Moms Christmas
Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn and Kristen Bell reprise their roles as a rebellious trio of moms who receive the not-so-exciting surprise of their mothers visiting for Christmas. Chock-full of laugh-out-loud quips and wisecracks, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski and Cheryl Hines also join in on the fun in the boisterous 2017 sequel.
Rent or buy A Bad Moms Christmas on Amazon Prime Video
Violent Night
A group of mercenaries will probably rue the day they ever decided to take a wealthy family hostage on Christmas Eve. In 2022's Violent Night, making the naughty list this way has deadly consequences as Santa Claus (David Harbour) arrives to save the holidays with butt-kicking action and a less-than-saintly cheer like you've never seen him before.
Watch Violent Night on Amazon Prime Video
Krampus
You'd better not lose your Christmas spirit — or else! Sarah (Toni Collette) and Tom (Adam Scott) learn this lesson the hard way when their clashing at Christmastime conjures the folkloric demon Krampus to their dysfunctional household, bringing doom and destruction in its wrath in the 2015 horror movie.
The Lodge
A happy holiday turns cold when two children are snowed in during Christmas at a remote winter cabin with their soon-to-be stepmother (Riley Keough), whose visions of her cultist past trigger terrifying behavior for the three in this 2019 horror thriller. Even worse, their father's return home seems unlikely with each sleepless night.
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