The Return of the Holiday Slasher
Broken hearts, carving knives, and killer Santas
It doesn’t matter who you ask, everybody loves a good holiday. Some are biased toward the bigger fish like Christmas and Halloween, while others embrace the small fun of those like St. Patrick’s Day and Valentine’s Day. Whichever you choose, it all comes down to enjoying the festivities of the season.
Back in the day of the popular slasher genre, seasonal horror films were all the rage. Movies like Silent Night, Deadly Night, My Bloody Valentine, and hell, even Halloween, caught the interest of audiences all over.
But as other slasher films continued to pour in and clog Hollywood’s drain, the genre as a whole became stale. Sure, holiday movies like New Years Evil and Uncle Sam still came forward, but the silly nature of holiday slashers began to wear off after almost every other production company threw their hat into the genre of hack-and-slash.
As the genre died out, films focusing on gore, disasters, and paranormal horror took over. For a moment in time, there was a focus on movies like Saw or Final Destination, and then… a resurgence happened.
A return to slashers and, in turn, holiday slashers, rose from the ashes like an axe-wielding phoenix.
Thanksgiving (2023): Turkey Tom’s BFF
Back in 2007, Grindhouse—a double feature collaboration between Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez—showed appreciation for exploitation cinema by sneaking in fake trailers between the films. One was the predecessor for Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving, at the time showing a nonexistent slasher about a killer in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Years later, the faux trailer became a reality. Thanksgiving, now a fully fledged out horror film, embraced the classic tropes of slashers: an over-the-top masked killer, characters you cheer on to die, and wildly creative kills. It was a return to form for not just holiday horror, but the slasher genre in general, leaning into the fun premise of the hack-n-slash while giving the audience real suspense and mystery all at the same time.
Not only that, but Thanksgiving finally filled a gap needed in the horror space: a Thanksgiving themed movie. While slashers for Christmas, Halloween, and even April Fools Day existed, Thanksgiving lacked in substance. Sure, we could count those awful Thankskilling movies… but I don’t think we really want to.
Eli Roth was able to prove that the holiday of feasts and gratitude was just as horrifying as the others, and shouldn’t be forgotten so easily.
Heart Eyes (2025): Love (and Murder) is in the Air
One of the newest additions in the slasher genre comes Heart Eyes, a Valentine’s Day themed film with a creepy-cool design for its main antagonist. Blending romcom with horror, it’s a fantastic example of how to approach a slasher film in modern day while embracing the classic tropes that made us fall in love with the genre back in the 80s.
What makes Heart Eyes stand out is its self awareness: it never tries to be anything other than what it is. On the contrary, Heart Eyes leans into the absurdity of classic slashers, using humor and romance as a way to twist the narrative into something more original than just another stalking killer.
While it may share the same holiday with My Bloody Valentine, Heart Eyes creates its own identity.
Sure, both have masked murderers who have it out for lovebirds, but their approaches—and motivations—are completely different. Plus… Harry Warden never had much of a romantic subplot. Sorry, Harry.
The Return of Silent Night, Deadly Night
When we talk about holiday horror, we can’t forget one of the greats: Silent Night, Deadly Night. Arguably one of the most infamous Christmas slashers, the film has had attempts of remakes before, but none ever came close to the original’s cult status.
Now, with recent movies like Black Christmas (2019) and Krampus keeping holiday horror alive and well, it seems as if Billy Chapman might finally be making a glorious return.
Certainly, the interest in holiday horror films are growing. Perhaps it’s because people crave something non-traditional, or maybe they just really enjoy some depravity to go with their eggnog. I couldn’t really tell you.
All I can say is that holiday slashers are seemingly in, and I’m all for it.
Cineverse, the studio behind the Terrifer franchise, announced they were rebooting the classic film sometime last year. Directed by Mike P. Nelson (Wrong Turn, V/H/S/85), the movie is coming to theaters late this year in celebration of the holidays!
Time to check that naughty list twice…
Why Holiday Slashers Work So Well
So why is it that these films are doing so well?
Well, there’s the obvious contrast of holiday cheer vs. gruesome kills, for one. People like seeing innocent things turned sinister, and something about holidays full of joy being used as the backdrops of horrendous killers really itches a scratch.
Maybe it’s because holidays are built on tradition, whereas horror thrives in disruption. When you slap these two things together, you have a recipe for something weirdly satisfying.
But outside of that, it’s also just genius marketing. These films build longevity because the holiday they’re tied to are annual events. Just like Home Alone is an annual tradition to many of us, horror fans have their seasonal rewatches. Whether it be My Bloody Valentine in February, Halloween in October, or Black Christmas in December. A good holiday slasher isn’t made to be watched just once, it’s made to be a yearly ritual.
With that, these films also keep the slasher genre alive. While horror continues to evolve, slashers remain a core part of the genre’s long history. The yearly watches of these holiday slashers ensure that the subgenre doesn’t fade into obscurity.
Conclusion
With Thanksgiving, Heart Eyes, and the upcoming Silent Night, Deadly Night reboot, it’s clear that holiday slashers are here to stay. These films embrace the love of tradition while incorporating bloody chaos. It doesn’t matter the holiday, there’s always something fun about absurd festive mayhem.
As studios continue down this road, we can only hope to see some love for Easter and St. Patrick’s Day…