Here is a list of various horror* movies related to holidays throughout the year. Although not EVERY holiday has a horror movie, you'd be surprised at how many of them do! I'm sure this list is far from complete (feel free to comment with ones I've missed), and every year brings new movies. I "celebrate" special occasions with horror, and now you can too!
*Note: I'm focused on horror mostly. Some will be more "horror-comedy". And I'm including some that aren't horror for Halloween (because Halloween is "horror adjacent" in my mind. lol).
Although I could pick any point in the year as a starting point, I'm going with the big one.....
Although ANY horror movie could be considered a "Halloween movie" to some, I'm a little more strict. To qualify, the movie must be set on/near Halloween or otherwise involve it in some direct way (with few exceptions noted). I'm sure I'm missing some, but here's what I think of as "Halloween movies/shows". Not all are great, but all are Halloween-related:
Halloween (1978)(and all the sequels and remakes [though H3 is my favourite])
Night of the Demons (1988)(and sequels, and remake)
The Houses October Built (both)
Hell House LLC (both)
Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981)
Trick or Treats (1982)
The Midnight Hour (1985)
Trick Or Treat (1986)
Clownhouse (1989)
Jack-O (1995)
Ginger Snaps (2000)
May (2002)
House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
Satan's Little Helper (2004)
Hellbent (2004)
The Hazing (2004)
Boo (2005)
Halloween Night (2006)
The Pumpkin Karver (2006)
Trick R Treat (2007)
House of Fears (2007)
Murder Party (2007)
Late Fee (2009)
Wrong Turn 5: Bloodlines (2012)
Black Eve (2012)
Extraordinary Tales (2013 - this one doesn't directly mention Halloween, but it's Poe. Plus it's bleak enough to qualify)
All Hallows Eve (2013), All Hallows Eve 2 (2015), & Terrifier (2018) *Note: Terrifier 2 is slated to be released in 2020.
Tales of Halloween (2015)
Gravy (2015)
Hellions (2015)
The Funhouse Massacre (2015)
31 (2016)
The Barn (2016)
Truth or Dare (2017)
Halloween Tales (2017)
Neverknock (2017)
Hell Fest (2018)
Goosebumps 2 (2018)
Hurt (2018)
Into The Dark's first episode: "The Body" (2018)
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)
Haunt (2019)
Bonus mention: "13 Nights of Elvira" (2014)(or anything featuring Elvira, but these aired in October 2014)
The below movies are comedy or family films, but are definitely Halloween-related (I do include the "The Addams Family" movies, because they're "Halloween adjacent"):
It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
Halloween with the New Addams Family (1977)
Halloween is Grinch Night (1977)
The Worst Witch (1986)
Elvira Macabre Halloween TV Special (1986)
The Addams Family (1991)
Addams Family Values (1993)
Hocus Pocus (1993)
The NIghtmare Before Christmas (1993)
Halloweentown (1998)(& sequels)
The Haunted Mansion (2003)
Stan Helsing (2009)
The Addams Family (2019 animated film, coming 11th October)
American Horror House: Toy Story of Terror! (2012)
Fun Size (2012)
Caesar & Otto's Paranormal Halloween (2015)
Boo! A Madea Halloween (2016) & Boo 2! A Madea Halloween (2017)
And all the "Treehouse of Horror" episode of "The Simpsons".
Surprisingly, the only posts I have on Halloween (what? You thought I wouldn't tie this into my blog somehow? lol) are coupons and giveaways from Spirit Halloween. So here is the entry with the coupon for this year (good until the end of the month, so hurry!).
Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead
Known to Catholics as All Souls Day. This is a holiday to celebrate those who've passed on, as well as to remind ourselves that life is finite. So paint your sugar skulls (calaveras), offer up some marigolds and food/drink to your ancestors, and enjoy some tamales and pan de muertos with cervezas (beer), and enjoy these movies!
Macario (1960)
All Souls Day (2005)
El Muerto: The Dead One (2007)
The Lady of the Dead (slated to be released 2020)
Or just watch the 1985 original and 2008 remake of "Day of the Dead", for a less traditional approach. lol.
I have no prior posts at all on this holiday, sorry.
Veterans Day (US)
A day to honour those those who fought in war and survived. This is a day for the LIVING soldiers, as opposed to Memorial Day.
Jacob's Ladder (1990 & 2019 remake)
The Jacket (2005)
The Torturer (2008)
I have no prior posts at all on this holiday, sorry.
Thanksgiving:
While you're gobbling down your Tofurky (or Quorn "Turk'y Roast", if you're like me. Or seitan turkey. Or Vegducken), why not enjoy a glass or ten of wine and some cheesy Thanksgiving horror? Again, all are set on/near Thanksgiving.
Blood Freak (1972) (Not set on Thanksgiving, but you can't go wrong with a killer human/turkey mutant!)
Home Sweet Home (1981)
Blood Rage (1987)
Intensity (1997)
Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County (1998)
Boogeyman (2005)
Thanxgiving (2006)
Séance (2006)
Thanksgiving (2006; short film)
Thanksgiving (2007; short film)
ThanksKilling (2009) & ThanksKilling 3 (2012)
Kristy (2014)
My prior blog posts about Thanksgiving are Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Part II, and Thanksgiving Part III.
Christmas/Yule
In December, many folks start dreaming of a white Christmas (or Yule), trimming the tree while washing down cookies with Eggnog. For some, it's the lighting of the Menorah and spinning of the Dreidel. As for me? My thoughts turn to mutant killer snowmen, murderous elves, holiday zombies, killer gingerbread men, Krampus, evil Santas, and so on! Non-horror fans will be shocked by how long this segment is (I think it even surpasses the list of Halloween movies...and this list may not be complete!), but all that holly-jolly cheer must make a lot of people want to kill!
Alas, there's only one Hannukah-themed horror movie I'm familiar with, and it isn't out yet. It's name? "Hanukkah" (2020). I'm anxious to see this one, especially as it stars the late Sid Haig!
Scrooge, or, Marley's Ghost (1901 silent short)
The Right to Be Happy (1916 silent film)
Dead of Night (1945) (The segment called "The Christmas Party")
Who Slew Auntie Roo? (1971)
Tales from the Crypt (a segment in the 1972 movie, and an episode in the show)
Silent Night, Bloody Night (1972)
Home for the Holidays (1972)
Black Christmas (1974) (and the 2006 remake, and upcoming 2019 remake)
To All A Good Night (1980)
Christmas Evil (1980) (aka "You Better Watch Out")
Don't Open Till Christmas (1984)
Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) (and sequels)
Gremlins 1 & 2 (1984 & 1990 horror-comedy)
Child's Play (1988)
Elves (1989)
Santa Claws (1996)
The Munsters’ Scary Little Christmas (1996)
Jack Frost (1997) & Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman (2000)
Feeders 2: Slay Bells (1998)
The Christmas Season Massacre (2001)
A Christmas Nightmare (2001)
One Hell of a Christmas (2002)
Dead End (2003)
Trees 2: The Root of All Evil (2004)
Santa's Slay (2005)
The Gingerdead Man (2005) (and sequels)
Two Front Teeth (2006)
P2 (2007)
Wind Chill (2007)
Treevenge (2007 short)
The Children (2008)
The Blackout (2009)
Silent Night, Zombie Night (2009)
Deadly Little Christmas (2009)
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)
A Cadaver Christmas (2011)
Saint Nick (2011) (aka "Sint")
Stalled (2012)
Silent Night (2012 remake of "Silent Night, Deadly Night")
Silent Night, Bloody Night: The Homecoming (2013 remake of "Silent Night, Bloody Night")
Christmas Cruelty! (aka "O'Hellige Jul!")(2013)
Caesar and Otto’s Deadly Xmas (2013)
Krampus, the Christmas Devil (2013)
Night of the Krampus (2013 short)
Krampus (2015)
Krampus: The Reckoning (2015)
All Through the House (2015)
A Christmas Horror Story (2015)
Secret Santa (two films by this name - 2015 and 2018)
Better Watch Out (2017)
Red Christmas (2017)
Mercy Christmas (2017)
Mother Krampus (2017)
Krampus Origins (2018)
Anna and the Apocalypse (2018)
ELVES (2018)
Santa Jaws (2018)
Dead By Christmas (2018)
Mrs. Claus (2018)
I'm Dreaming of a White Doomsday (2018)
Sick For Toys (2018)
All the Creatures Were Stirring (2018)
My related post is December Holidays.
New Year's
While most people are out at parties or bars, I prefer to ring in the year watching horror (and having some bubbly, of course). Last year, I put movies on in my Facebook horror group, so while I was alone, I wasn't ALONE. Here are the movies I'm aware of that involve New Year's Eve or New Year's Day:
The Phantom Carriage (1921) (& 1958 remake)
Terror Train (1980)
New Year's Evil (1980) (Bonus points if you can find the episode of "Elvira's Movie Macabre" showing it)
Ghostkeeper (1981)
Bloody New Year (1987)
End of Days (1999) (involves a New Year's Eve ritual)
Day Watch (2006) (New Year's Day)
Sickness House (2006)
Steel Trap (2007)
The Signal (2007)
Life Blood (2009)
"Fear Itself" episode entitled “New Year’s Day” (2008)
Antisocial (2013) (involves a New Year's Eve party)
"Into the Dark" episode entitled "New Year New You" (2018)
Again, my related post is December Holidays.
Presidents' Day
Bet you didn't see this one coming, eh? How else would one "celebrate" this day, apart from sales? lol.
President's Day: 'The Tripper' (2007)
"Masters of Horror" episode entitled "The Washingtonians" (2007)
President's Day (2010)
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012)
Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies (2012)
FDR: American Badass (2012)
I have no prior posts at all on this holiday, sorry.
Candlemas
I use the Christian name, since the only horror movie I'm aware of for this holiday (Imbolc to Pagan folk) mentions it as such. Alas, there is no horror movie set on/near Groundhog Day...yet!
City Of The Dead (1960) (aka "Horror Hotel")
I have no prior posts at all on this holiday, sorry.
Valentine's Day
"Who needs a heart, when a heart can be broken?" (Tina Turner, "What's Love Got To Do With It"). For couples in love, Valentine's Day is all about romantic dinners and hearts full of candy. For me, it's about heart-shaped boxes full of bloody hearts, a cupid whose arrows are sharp, and horrible cards that drive one to suicide!
A segment in the "Tales from the Crypt" movie (1972)
My Bloody Valentine (1981 & 2009 remake)
Hospital Massacre (1982) (aka "X-Ray")
Lovers Lane (1999)
Valentine (2001)
Pontypool (2008)
Broken Hearts (2010)
"Into The Dark" episode entitled "Down" (2019)
My blog posts for this holiday are Valentine's Day, Mardi Gras & Valentine's/Singles Awareness Day 2018, and Valentine's Day/Singles Awareness Day 2019.
St. Patrick's Day
Green beer, four leaf clovers, and Leprechauns. Everyone knows the "Leprechaun" movies. But there's more to St. Patrick's horror than Warwick Davis!
Maniac Cop (1988) (involves a St. Patrick's Day parade)
Leprechaun (1993) (and all it's sequels)
Red Clover (2012) (aka "Leprechaun's Revenge")
Unlucky Charms (2013)
Muck (2015)
The Hallow (2015)
The Green Death (2017 short)
Prior posts: St. Patrick's Day, St. Pat's Part II, St Pats 3 & Easter/Ostara (2018), and my Meatless "Corned beef" recipe.
Mardi Gras
The date for this one varies widely but is in February or March, because it's the night before Ash Wednesday (the start of Lent, which is 40 days leading up to Easter. Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the Spring Equinox...a very Pagan way to mark time).
Mardi Gras Massacre (1978)
Prior blog posts can be seen at Mardi Gras and Mardi Gras & Valentine's/Singles Awareness Day 2018.
April Fools' Day
What could be scarier than a day whose sole purpose is to prank others?
April Fool's Day (1986 & 2008 remake)
Killer Party (1986)
Slaughter High (1986)
April Fools (2007)
I have no prior posts at all on this holiday, sorry.
Easter/Ostara
Ah, Easter. Cute little duckies and bunnies. Brightly coloured eggs. Baskets of candy brought by the Easter Bunny. And....Death? That's right! Easter has a surprising number of horror films.
The Being (1983) (Originally titled "Easter Sunday", set around Easter)
Critters 2: The Main Course (1988)
Black Easter (1994)
Little Witches (1996) (Girl spends Easter break at school)
Resurrection (1999)
Bless This Child (2000) (Set around Easter)
Angel of Death (2002)
Peter Rottentail (2004)
Easter Bunny, Kill! Kill! (2006)
Kottentail (2007)
Dead Snow (2009) (Students are on Easter vacation)
Easter Bunny Bloodbath (2010)
Atrocious (2010)
Fist of Jesus (2012 short)
Easter Casket (2013)
Beaster Day - Here Comes Peter Cottonhell (2014)
The Night Before Easter (2014)
Easter Creep Tales (2014 short)
Easter Sunday (2014)
Serial Rabbit (2005), Serial Rabbit 3: Splitting Hairs (2007) and Serial Rabbit V: The Epic Hunt (2017)
Bunnyman (2011), The Bunnyman Massacre (2014), and Bunnyman Vengeance (2017)
Here's a list of Easter horror shorts.
Some add in "Night of the Lepus" (1972)(because...bunnies!) and "Watership Down" (1978)(technically a cartoon, but a rather horrific one). Although a stretch, many are counting "Us" (2019) because of the rabbits.
Posts for these holidays are Some Spring Festivals and St Pats 3 & Easter/Ostara (2018).
Arbor Day
The last Friday of April (in the USA, anyway) is dedicated to the trees. How can trees be scary, you ask? Well...
From Hell it Came (1957)
The Evil Dead (1981 & 2013 remake)
Poltergeist (1982)
Trees (2000)
The Happening (2008)
Arbor Day (2013 short)
I have no prior posts at all on this holiday, sorry.
Walpurgisnacht/May Day
Walpurgisnacht falls on 30th April, and honours Saint Walpurga. Of course, it's tied to witches because 1rst May is Beltane (which being the holiday directly opposite Samhain/Halloween is considered a Pagan holy day. Some say this is the OTHER time of year when the veil between worlds is thin). So let's celebrate!
Häxan (1922 silent documentary on "witchcraft")
The Werewolf vs. The Vampire Woman (1970) (aka "La Noche de Walpurgis")
The Wickerman (1973 & the 2006 remake)
Zero Day (2003) (about the 1rst May shooting at Columbine High)
The Wicker Tree (2001)
I have no prior posts at all on this holiday, sorry.
Cinco De Mayo
Celebrated more in the USA than in Mexico, this holiday has become more an excuse to get drunk than anything. Why not add in some horror? Honestly, any good horror movie from a Mexican director would suit this holiday. But here are a couple suggestions:
Alucarda (1977)
Santa Sangre (1989)
Chronos (1993)
We Are What We Are (2010 & the 2013 remake)
Cinco De Mayo (2013)
Personally, I pop in my DVD of "La Llorona" (2006) (aka "The Wailer"). It also has a couple sequels. And there's also "The Curse of La Llorona" (2019), which I haven't seen.
My post for this holiday is Cinco De Mayo/Mother's Day.
Mother's Day
Let's face it, mom can be scary! There are a LOT of movies involve murderous or insane mothers, evil stepmothers, mothers of monster or demon children, moms who fight to protect their children from horrors, etc.
Mother's Day (1980 & 2010 remake)
Mother's Day Massacre (2007)
Although not directly referencing Mother's Day, all of these horror(ish) films involve mothers:
Psycho (1960)
Strait-Jacket (1964)
Rosemarys Baby (1968)
Carrie (1976 & 2013 remake)
Friday The 13th (1980)
Mom (1991)
The People Under The Stairs (1991)
The Hand That Rocks The Cradle (1992)
Dead Alive (1992 horror comedy) (aka "Braindead")
Mother's Boys (1994)
Serial Mom (1994 dark comedy)
Mommy (1995)
The Others (2001)
The Girl Next Door (2004)
Dark Water (2005)
The Orphanage (2007)
Inside (2007)
Coraline (2009)
Mama (2013)
The Badadook (2014)
Goodnight Mommy (2015)
Hereditary (2018)
Again, my post for this holiday is Cinco De Mayo/Mother's Day.
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Memorial Day
Officially, a day to honour the soldiers who died in combat. Unofficially, the start to summer. Why not add some slaughter to the celebration? Not all of these are set on/around Memorial Day, but dead soldiers also kind of fit....
Deathdream (1974)
Memorial Valley Massacre (1989)
Memorial Day (1999)
"Masters of Horror" episode entitled "Homecoming" (2005)
The Revenant (2009)
My Memorial Day blog post is at Memorial Day.
Father's Day
And you thought mom was scary? lol. There are nearly as many horror movies about dads as there are mothers. Here's a few I'd suggest for this day.
Creepshow (1982) (Segment entitled "Father's Day")
Father's Day (2011)
Knock Knock (2015)
Although not set on/around Father's Day, here are a few other ideas:
The Last House on the Left (1972 & 2009 remake)
The Amityville Horror (1978 & 2005 remake)
The Shining (1980) (which can also work for the 4th July, btw...)
The Stepfather (1987) (and it's sequels)
The People Under the Stairs (1991)
Frailty (2002)
Prior blog post is Father's Day/ Litha .
Midsummer (Summer Solstice, Litha)
The longest day of the year. That CAN'T be scary, right? RIGHT?
Midsommer (2003)
Solstice (2008)
Rage: Midsummer's Eve (2015)
Midsommer (2019)
Also recommended: The Harvesting (2015)
Again, prior blog post (I combined a lot of holidays, I'm seeing): Father's Day/ Litha.
Independence Day (4th of July)
A holiday to mark the US declaring independence from Britain. Often, celebrations involve parades, fireworks, food, and LOTS of booze. Let's just add a little mayhem, shall we?
The Return of the Living Dead (1985) (Horror-comedy set on 3rd July and spilling over onto the 4th)
Cape Fear (1991)
Uncle Sam (1996)
Independence Day (1996) (More Sci-Fi than horror, but....)
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
Final Destination 3 (2006) (Involves a 4th of July celebration)
The Bay (2012)
You Are Not Alone (2014)
Honorable Mentions: "2001 Maniacs" (2005). While not set on/near 4th July, it definitely has a feel to it. All those flags and the celebrating and food....
"The Purge" (2013) and it's sequels.
My 4th July entry can be found at Independence Day.
Harvest festivals: Lammas/Lughnasadh and Mabon (Autumn Equinox)
At the beginning of August, many Pagans celebrate the first of the three harvests. And on the Autumnal Equinox in September, the second harvest. The third (and final) is Samhain/Halloween itself!
If you can find it, "The Dark Secret of Harvest Home" (1978 TV Mini-series) references "Harvest Home", another name for Mabon. More likely, you'll need to watch any harvest-themed or farm-related horror movie. Here are some ideas:
Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981)
Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
The Children of the Corn (1984) (& sequels)
Dark Harvest (1992)
Night of the Scarecrow (1995)
Signs (2002)
Harvest Moon (2007)
Husk (2011)
The Girl in the Cornfield (2016)
Sadly, I have no blog posts for these. I'm sorry.
Labor Day (US)/Labour Day (Canada)
Often considered the unofficial end to summer, it's actually a day to recognize the working people. Generally, people celebrate it with cookouts, beer, travel, and so on. The only semi-horror movie I know of that even MENTIONS Labour Day is "Serial Mom" (1994). However, here are some suggestions of horror movies set in a workplace of some sort (from office buildings to fast food joints to renovation job sites to hospitals...obviously, I could never name them all!):
Motel Hell (1980)
The Mangler (1995)
Office Killer (1997)
Severance (2006) (Actually set on an office retreat meant to build trust)
Drive Thru (2007)
Exam (2009) (Sometimes, finding work can be a killer!)
Infestation (2009)
Session 9 (2009)
The Innkeepers (2011)
Compliance (2012)
Inhuman Resources (2012)
Bloodsucking Bastards (2015)
The Belko Experiment (2016)
Mayhem (2017)
Office Uprising (2018) (This is a fun one!)
Labor Day is my prior blog post
Birthdays
We all have them...until we don't.
Alison's Birthday (1981)
Happy Birthday To Me (1981)
Bloody Birthday (1981)
Deadly Birthday Party (2014)
Happy Birthday (2016)
Happy Death Day (2017)
Happy Death Day 2 U (2019)
I have no prior posts for this occasion (perhaps because it's so personal?), sorry.
Anniversaries
There aren't any full-length horror movies dealing wth anniversaries (as far as I know, feel free to comment with any you're aware of). But here's a horror short entitled "Happy Anniversary"!
Again, I have no prior posts for this occasion (perhaps because it's so personal?), sorry.
Multiple
Here are a couple horror anthologies that deal with multiple holidays:
Tales From the Grave Volume 2: Happy Holidays (2005) (Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas)
Holidays (2016) (Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Halloween, Christmas, New Year's Eve)
Conclusion
I'd like to close this out with a list of (LEGAL) sites to stream horror movies for free. For obvious reasons, I'm not going to share those of questionable legality. lol. Some may no longer be around (I KNOW Hulu no longer has free videos), but it's still worth checking out.
I hope you enjoyed reading this list, as much as I enjoyed typing it. lmao. Seriously, until next time....