In preparation for staving off any boredom over Winter Break, we’ve compiled a list of winter-themed horror movies from the Media Services collection. Happy Holidays, whether you spend them in tranquility or bracing for jump-scares. Our hope for one and all is that nothing about semester’s end is more frightful than these films!
The Lodge, 2019
This 2019 Swedish film starts with the classic winter horror premise of being snowed in. In this case it is a family stranded in a rural lodge with no means to contact the outside world. As the number of strange and inexplicable events keeps increasing, the stranded family does their best to survive.
Black Mountain Side, 2014
A group of archaeologists on an expedition to a remote Canadian outpost get stuck with no way to contact anyone for help after uncovering a 14,000 year old artifact. On top of the psychological effects of solitude and isolation, the team also grapples with odd occurrences centering around the artifact.
Misery, 1990
This early 90s film was based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. After a car crash, a famous author gets help from a nurse who takes him back to her house for medical care. She just so happens to be a fan of his work and decides that she wants to keep him with her in her house to write new stories for her.
Gremlins, 1984
A teenager named Billy gets some interesting new pets for Christmas known as mogwai. He has three very strict rules to follow regarding their care. The mogwai trick Billy into breaking the rules so they can transform into the titular Gremlins and wreak havoc across the city.
Let The Right One In, 2008
Let the Right One In double dips in genres through a central plot of young love that ties into the supernatural horror elements of the film. This Swedish film focuses on the odd relationship between Oskar and Eli, two children in 1982 Blackeberg, Sweden, and their unique methods for dealing with the local bullies.
30 Days of Night, 2007
This supernatural horror film takes place in the rural northern town of Barrow, Alaska. Every year this city gets 30 days straight without sunlight which creates one long 30-day night. Unfortunately, a blizzard sweeps through the town and knocks out all forms of communication. With the town in a month-long polar night and without communications a pack of vampires decides to take advantage of the buffet.
Krampus, 2015
The titular Krampus is a festive demon from German folklore who was summoned by accident to the Engel family holiday celebrations. Krampus works his way through the family and punishes its members for losing their “Christmas Spirit”.
Dead Snow, 2009
A group of Norwegian medical students get an undead surprise while out on a ski trip. This comedy horror film follows the students as they try and escape Zombified Nazis who are trying to ransack and destroy the town.
Black Christmas, 1974
Black Christmas is a seasonal slasher through a sorority house. A winter storm snows in a group of Pi Kappa Sigma sisters. Unfortunately for them a serial killer who lived in the house prior to its sorority days has escaped from prison the same night and wants his old home back to himself.
The Shining, 1980
The psychological horror film The Shining follows the Torrance family who are the winter caretakers for a remote hotel out in the mountains. However, in addition to the Torrances, the hotel is host to a number of sinister presences who torment the father, Jack Torrance, and drive him to a violent madness. CR
Student blogger Cas Regan (she/they) is a Junior at IU in the Earth Science B.S. program with minors in Chemistry and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). In addition to classes and working for Media Services, they are also the VP of the Beekeeping Club at IU and spend their free time caring for the club’s hives at IU’s Hilltop Gardens.
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