It’s that time of year again when we like to snuggle up on the couch and binge watch Christmas-themed movies until we’re well and truly brimming with seasonal cheer. And when it comes to cinematic Yuletide outings, while we’re partial to more cynical, adult-oriented fare, ultimately, we’re most fond of family-friendly flicks that embrace the spirit of the season in an unabashedly sincere fashion.
Yet even these all-ages affairs aren’t entirely devoid of dark content. Indeed, quite a few Christmas movies targeted at young viewers (and their parents) contain scenes that are so sombre, we’re not quite sure how they made the final cut. Don’t believe us? Then check out this round-up of the darkest moments in family Christmas movies – we promise you’ll never look at several of your festive favorites the same way again!
The Santa Clause – Scott Calvin Inherits The Santa Claus Mantle
The Santa Clause has gone on to become a modern classic since it first arrived in theatres back in 1994, which is a little odd when you consider the tragic incident that sets the film’s plot in motion. Think about it: smarmy toy sales executive Scott Calvin only inherits the Santa Claus mantle after his predecessor is mortally injured falling off a roof, which is…less than cheery.
True, it’s hardly the most violent of big screen departures – Santa even waves goodbye before vanishing – but the big guy still bites the bullet here. To be honest, the only thing more disturbing than the way Scott lands his new responsibilities is the horrifyingly nonchalant reaction of everybody up at the North Pole upon hearing the news!
The Nightmare Before Christmas – Jack’s Terrifying Christmas Eve Delivery Run
Prior to the release of The Nightmare Before Christmas, Disney executives were reportedly concerned the movie would be too intense for younger moviegoers – and these fears weren’t entirely unfounded. For while this stop-motion animated feature is a visual delight, it’s also a movie informed by the Gothic sensibilities of producer Tim Burton, which is to say that it’s a bit, well, scary.
Now, there’s a lot on display here that could frighten more impressionable viewers. But for our money, the most alarming sequence must be when wannabe Santa Jack Skellington makes his Christmas Eve delivery run. Indeed, Jack’s well-intentioned (but utterly horrifying) macabre “gifts” – which include swarms of bats and at least one Christmas Tree-devouring snake – were more than enough to traumatize a whole generation of kids!
The Polar Express – The Hobo Torments Our Hero
Admittedly, virtually every frame in Robert Zemeckis’ adaptation of the The Polar Express makes our skin crawl, thanks to the infamously unnerving CGI used to render the film’s cast of characters. Still, it’s hard to top the sequence where our unnamed pre-teen protagonist is taunted by an Ebenezer Scrooge puppet operated by the Hobo.
Hands-down one of the scariest dolls ever to grace the silver screen, this marionette menace gives us the creeps – so we can only imagine the effect it has on youngsters! Sure, there’s always room for a bit of darkness in a family film, but this sequence arguably goes too far, and jars with the otherwise wholesome vibe that permeates the rest of the movie.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas – The Grinch’s Childhood Trauma
Clocking in at a relatively slim 69 pages, Doctor Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! doesn’t really have much room to explore the origins of its titular Yuletide bandit. As a result, we never learn why the Grinch has such an anti-Christmas agenda – the best explanation we get is that he was born with a heart two sizes too small (so, dude has, like, a condition).
By contrast, director Ron Howard had a whopping 105 minutes at his disposal when he was reimagining Seuss’ storybook as a live-action Jim Carrey vehicle in 2000, which allowed him to delve into the Grinch’s past. According to Howard and screenwriters Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman, the green-furred misanthrope’s hatred for the festive season stems from his troubled upbringing – as related in a bleak flashback that we’re in no hurry to re-visit.
Jingle All The Way – The Black Market Warehouse
Jingle All The Way is arguably the worst entry on action icon Arnold Schwarzenegger’s filmography – a cringeworthy misfire that doesn’t work as either a heartfelt story about a father learning to put his family first, or as a satire of the consumerist aspects of the season.
One of the most dubious scenes in this 1996 comedy involves Schwarzenegger’s Howard Langston visiting a black market warehouse to secure a sold-out action figure for his son. That might sound like rock bottom, but things get even worse: Arnie ends up brawling with the Santa Claus costume-clad counterfeiters – which is straight-up depressing in a Christmas movie aimed at a junior demographic.
Mickey’s Christmas Carol – Scrooge’s Hellish Ordeal
1983 animated short Mickey’s Christmas Carol is a largely uninspired affair, content to plod through the familiar narrative of Charles Dickens’ novella without properly adding the famous Disney spin to it. However, that’s not to say that film is entirely bereft of any creative flair, either.
On the contrary, director Burny Mattinson and his team of animators do a masterful job of ratcheting up the drama during Ebenezer Scrooge’s encounter with the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come. Here, Scrooge finds himself plunging into his own grave, which soon gives way to reveal the fires of Hell itself – a nightmarish vision that manages to outdo the spooky atmosphere evoked by Dickens’ original text!
Miracle On 34th Street – Kris Kringle Is Committed
The 1994 remake of Miracle on 34th Street is virtually guaranteed to fill your heart with festive cheer – however, it’s not without its downer moments, either. Take the aftermath of Kris Kringle’s arrest on trumped up assault charges, which is about as gloomy as it gets.
In a decidedly moody montage, kindly old Kris Kringle – a department store Santa who may or may not be the genuine article – winds up committed to a sanatorium, while in the outside world, children and adults alike agonize over his predicament. It’s hard not be moved when confronted with such imagery, and before too long, poor Kris isn’t the only one feeling a bit depressed!
Jack Frost – Jack’s Fatal Car Crash
Full disclosure: Jack Frost’s darkest moment takes place largely off-screen. After all, director Troy Miller was hardly going to depict protagonist Jack’s fatal car crash in graphic detail, considering this 1998 comedy-drama is pitched at an all-ages audience!
Even so, despite the accident itself unfolding off-camera, its outcome – Jack shuffles off this mortal coil, leaving behind a grieving widow and 11-year-old son at Christmas – is undeniably brutal. But then, we’re not entirely sure whether star Michael Keaton’s return as a sentient snowman isn’t an even more horrifying fate, when you think about it…
A Christmas Carol (2009) – Jacob Marley Visits Scrooge
Here’s another adaptation of A Christmas Carol – this time, Robert Zemeckis’ all-CGI spin on Dickens’ beloved story. Fortunately, unlike Zemeckis’ previous Christmas offering, The Polar Express, the pixel-powered actors on show here aren’t all that disturbing…except when they’re supposed to be!
Indeed, by leaning heavily into the “ghost story” elements of Dicken’s novella, this 2009 film regularly ventures into eerie narrative territory. Scrooge’s encounter with the spirit of his late business partner Jacob Marley sets this sinister tone early in the piece, as Gary Oldman’s motion capture performance and the grotesque digital effects really hammer home anguish of Marley’s spectral existence.
It’s A Wonderful Life – George Bailey Contemplates Suicide
It’s A Wonderful Life is often written-off by more cynical modern viewers as an exercise in schmaltzy storytelling, which couldn’t be farther from the truth. Yeah, the framing device featuring a novice angel eager to earn his wings is beyond naff, but the sombre sight of lead character George Bailey on the verge of taking his own life quickly eclipses it!
There’s plenty more darkness where that came from, too: the scenes set in an alternate timeline robbed of George’s good deeds are almost as gritty as a comic book dystopia, for instance. But most importantly, It’s a Wonderful Life is ultimately a movie about how life doesn’t always turn out the way you wanted it to – pretty downbeat, no?
