Unconventional Christmas Movies

Check Out These 5 Unconventional Holiday Classics!

One of the greatest things about the Holiday season is the opportunity to cozy up with a hot chocolate, snuggle up with someone you love, and watch one of the many joyful movies celebrating the season. But if you’re tired of watching Love, Actually for the thousandth time, and are craving something a bit more edgy or serious, here are some little-known but fascinating alternative Christmas movies.

Happy Christmas (2014)

Looking for a Christmas movie that’s a little more low-key, a little more melancholy? Then you should check out 2014’s Happy Christmas. Conceived by mumble core director Joe Swanberg, this low-budget indie stars Anna Kendrick as Jenny, a down on her luck twenty-something who moves in with her brother Jeff (Joe Swanberg) and his wife (Melanie Lynsky) in Chicago during Christmastime. While other directors might use this as a jumping off point for a zany familial comedy, Swanberg keeps the action low-key and real, allowing the audience to get a glimpse into a troubled but loving brother-sister dynamic.

A Christmas Tale (2008)

Dysfunctional families are a staple of holiday cinema, but until you’ve seen the Vuillard clan of 2008’s A Christmas Tale, you have no idea how deep the dysfunction can go. Dream-like, operatic, and surreal, this artistic French drama from Arnaud Desplechin stars Catherine Deneuve as the ailing matriarch of the Vuillard family, whose need for a bone-marrow transplant reunites her children at home for an intense and combative Christmas. If you’re looking for something a bit more high-brow and thought-provoking to watch around the Christmas tree this year, A Christmas Tale is the movie for you.

Black Christmas (1974)

Would you prefer your Christmas movies with a bit more scary? Then you should check out the 1974 Canadian cult classic horror film Black Christmas. One of the pioneers of the slasher genre, this unconventional yuletide treat centers on a group of sorority sisters terrorized by an unknown madman. Gory, scary, and even a bit funny, Black Christmas is a fantastic choice for horror-lovers wanting to watch something that fits the Christmas season.

Doubt (2008)

Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis all share the screen in John Patrick Shanley’s adaption of his Pulitzer prize winning play Doubt. Set during the apex of the holiday season at a 1964 Bronx Catholic school, and centering on a possible abuse scandal within the parochial school, this film features incredible dialogue and confrontations with some of cinema’s most incredible actors. Intense, ambiguous, and biting, this 2008 drama doesn’t need action or violence to get your heart rate pumping- just fantastic dialogue and amazing performances.

Children of Men (2006)

While the only film on this list not actually set at Christmas, Alfonso Cuaron’s 2006 film Children of Men is possibly the most faithful to the original intent of the Christmas season. Set in a dystopian future where all births have mysteriously ended, Children of Men tells the story of a mysterious virgin birth that could possibly save the world. This intense and touching allegorical Nativity story may not be the cheeriest of Christmas films, but its centering on refugee issues, war, and finding hope in simple humanity make this film more relevant than ever before.

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