8 festive films to watch with the family this Christmas

To celebrate the release of The Witches, available on Blu-Ray and DVD from Monday, December 14th 2020, we are taking a look at the spookiest family films to watch this Christmas.

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Home Alone (1990)

Whilst Gremlins is great and Elf is ace. Bad Santa is bitchin’ and The Muppets Christmas Carol is sensational, inspirational, celebrational, and Muppetational. Die Hard is dead good, Miracle On 34th Street is magic, and It’s A Wonderful Life is truly, well, wonderful.

None of them, though, can confidently state that they are the Bees Christmas Movie of All Time. Only one film can claim that title, and that film is Home Alone, which is undoubtedly and without question the Best Christmas Movie of All Time. There might be space for a debate as to whether Home Alone 2: Lost In New York deserves the prestigious label but, really, with Home Alone being the original article I think it’s only right that we let it stand as number one.

Gremlins (1984)

You might have forgotten that Gremlins begins at xmas starring Billy Peltzer being gifted a mogwai as a present. The mogwai, affectionately named Gizmo, quickly reproduces and then chaos ensues.

His town is overrun when a bunch of the little creatures turn into murderous reptilian monsters. The moral of the story here is that you should never buy a gift that comes with the warning “don’t feed after midnight.”

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1996)

This Tim Burton-produced classic tells the story of Jack Skellington, a resident of Halloween Town who decides he is bored of his reign in Halloween Town and instead wants to explore the world of ChristmasTown.

Swept up in the magic and joy that is xmas, he believes that the holiday should be shared with the people of Halloween Town and so he makes it his mission to help them incorporate some yuletide traditions into their usual spooky routines.

A perfect in-between film when you’re not quite ready to say goodbye to Halloween, but are ready to welcome in the Christmas festivities.

Elf (2003)

It’s hard to remember a time when Will Ferrell wasn’t one of comedy’s biggest stars. While Anchorman made him a dorm room favorite, Elf was the film that turned him into a candy-gobbling, box office-conquering phenomenon. Ferrell’s Buddy, an adult man who grew up thinking he’s an elf, travels to New York to find his biological father, played with greasy smarm by James Caan. By tapping the child-like sense of mischief present in his best SNL characters, director Jon Favreau weaponizes Ferrell’s manic energy for a Christmas movie that’s sweeter than a candy cane but doesn’t give you a post-sugar-rush headache. It’s the perfect stocking stuffer: thoughtful, funny, small, and not a pair of socks.

Jack Frost (1998)

Though not traditionally positioned as a scary film, the premise of Jack Frost is pretty terrifying.

This 1998 dark fantasy drama stars Michael Keaton as a father who is killed in a car accident before coming back to life as a snowman. Before first adapting to life as a snowman, he must gain the trust of his son and widow. Keaton’s Jack realises he has been given a second chance to make up for lost time.

Equal parts scary, strange and sad, this film is set to pull on your heartstrings and send you on an emotional rollercoaster.

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Another Burton classic, Edward Scissorhands sees Johnny Depp playing an artificial humanoid named Edward, an unfinished creation who has scissor blades instead of hands. The young man is taken in by a suburban family and falls in love with their teenage daughter Kim, played by Winona Ryder.

Burton is said to have conceived Edward Scissorhands from his childhood upbringing in suburban Burbank, California.

The film adaptation was fast-tracked after Burton’s critical and financial success with Batman. It would go on to receive numerous nominations at the Academy Awards, British Academy Film Awards, and the Saturn Awards, as well as winning the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.

It marks the fourth collaboration between Burton and film score composer Danny Elfman, and both consider Edward Scissorhands their most personal and favourite work.

Love Actually (2003)

Setting aside its meme-able cue-card scene, Love Actually isn’t as sticky-sweet as its heartstring-pulling reputation might suggest. Writer-director Richard Curtis (Notting Hill) specializes in tart-tongued retorts, silly verbal gags, and witty banter, which help leaven some of the movie’s cheesy sentimentality. So do Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Emma Thompson, and the late Alan Rickman, all on hand to add touches of class and melancholy as you struggle to resist this divisive rom-com’s sugary charms.

The Witches (2020)

Though the 1990 adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic tale has amassed a cult following over the years, we think that Robert Zemeckis’ The Witches rightfully earns it’s place on this list of spooky family favourites.

With a stellar cast including Chris Rock, Octavia Spencer and Stanley Tucci starring alongside Anne Hathaway as the terrifying Grand High Witch, this film is fun for the whole family this Christmas.

The Witches is available to own on Blu-Ray & DVD from Monday, December 14th, 2020.

Here are five more favourites?

Arthur Christmas (2011)
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

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