American Horror Stories puts its own spin on a classic horror holiday trope -- the killer Santa. In "The Naughty List," a group of social media influencers, aka the Bro House, anger a mall Santa. However, this isn't just any working Santa; he's an imposter better suited to dish out murder than holiday cheer. While Danny Trejo certainly portrays a menacing Santa, it's not the first time the franchise has featured an evil St. Nick. American Horror Story: Asylum also spotlighted a murderous Santa.
While the AHS franchise can't seem to get enough of the killer Santa tales, it's not the only one. Here are seven of the best films and TV episodes that put a dark spin on the jolly figure for those looking to experience a little Christmas-inspired terror.
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale
2010's Rare Exports is a Finnish horror fantasy film that puts a unique spin on the traditional killer Santa trope. A British research team is taking samples from a mountain believed to be the ancient burial mound of Joulupukki, Finland's Santa Claus inspiration. However, what they uncover is more of a species of Santa Claus. The company traps the wild Santas to train and export to locations around the world, hence the title. This R-rated killer Santa flick delivers an original premise filled with black comedy, beautiful cinematography and some fun action sequences and gore. Similarities to John Carpenter's The Thing cannot be ignored, given its fantasy/sci-fi elements.
A Christmas Horror Story
Straight out of Canada, A Christmas Horror Story is an underrated Christmas horror anthology. The 2015 film explores four unique stories but uses a radio DJ (William Shatner) to connect the pieces, similar to fan-favorite Halloween anthology Trick 'r Treat. A Christmas Horror Story spotlights Krampus and Santa Claus, even featuring an epic, fantastical battle between the two. However, it's the revealing ending that shines a new, smart light on the film. Oh, and there's evil, zombie elves, so what's not to like?
Tales from the Crypt: "And All Through The House"
Tales from the Crypt was doing anthology-style TV storytelling long before American Horror Stories. The beloved HBO series became a pop-culture staple and left behind some truly terrifying episodes after its seven-season run. However, those searching for holiday horror need to look no further than Season 1, Episode 2, "And All Through The House." The episode delivers a classic killer Santa story involving an escaped asylum patient dressed as St. Nick attacking a mother and her young daughter on Christmas Eve. Considering the mother just killed her husband, whose body remains in her yard, she fears calling the police for help, adding another element of anxiety-provoking terror.
Funny enough, American Horror Stories' predecessor has a sly connection to "And All Through The House." American Horror Story: Apocalypse features the fictional film A Christmas to Dismembers, which borrows the Tales from the Crypt episode's exact plot.
Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2
Sure, there's the first installment in this wacky holiday horror franchise, but fans of "so bad, they're good" genre films should skip right to Lee Harry's 1986 Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2. The sequel slasher follows an escaped mental patient's quest to get revenge on an abusive nun from his childhood that somehow turns into a ridiculous all-out killing spree. The film has an infamous reputation as one of the worst horror films of all time and was heavily criticized for its abundant use of archive footage from the original film. Nonetheless, Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 earned a significant cult following, primarily thanks to Eric Freeman's (unintentional) dark comedy performance as the deranged Santa killer Ricky Caldwell.
Krampus
While Santa's demonic counterpart has been explored in a variety of films, 2015's Krampus really put him on the map in the U.S. While bickering on the holiday, a young boy loses his Christmas spirit, summoning the horned beast Krampus. As the creature closes in, the family must work together to survive and keep the fire lit to prevent Krampus from slithering down the chimney. Featuring an impressive cast including Adam Scott and Toni Collette, the film delivers the right balance of comedy, creativity and scares. Not to mention the movie's closing scene is pretty inspired, perhaps making up for its goofy CGI gingerbread.
The X-Files: “Sein und Zeit”
The X-Files has served up some pretty terrifying episodes in its original nine-season run. While "Sein und Zeit" might not be for everyone given its connection to the series' mythology, it's certainly scary. The episode puts Mulder on a quest to -- once again -- solve his sister Samantha's disappearance after connecting it to the disappearance of another little girl. Clues lead Mulder and Scully to a Christmas-themed ranch and a suspicious Santa. The truth they uncover is disturbing and unsettling, delivering a killer Satna story that is far more realistic and grounded than the other entries on this list. Plus, the episode's filming accidentally resulted in a crew member getting arrested for kidnapping after leaving a folder containing the prop ransom note at a payphone.
Futurama: "Xmas Story"
Futurama Season 2, Episode 4, "Xmas Story," delivers a robotic killer Santa. Mom's Friendly Robot Company initially designed Robot Santa Claus to judge the naughty from the nice. However, a programming glitch sets his standards hilariously high, causing him to deem everyone -- besides Dr. Zoidberg -- as naughty. Whether he's chopping off heads and filling them with toys or whipping out the heavy artillery, most of his takedowns are Christmas-themed. Robot Santa's brutal kills are straight out of a horror movie, but that didn't stop him from becoming a fan-favorite character. As such, he's reappeared in three subsequent Futurama episodes and one film.
While "The Naughty List" tackled a killer Santa, each episode of American Horror Stories spotlights a unique terror. New episodes of the spin-off series drop each Friday on Hulu.