1) Gremlins

You shouldn't need to ask why Gremlins is top of our Scary Christmas Movies list. Four words: the electric whisk scene. Scared yet? We're not sure on which planet Gremlins should be marketed towards children but on a top ten list with films that include "slay," "nightmare" and "bikini" in their titles, the modestly named Gremlins may sound like a soft option.

Gremlins
For Goodness' Sake Don't Feed Them After Midnight!!!!

It's shown around this time on television every year but rather than being rightfully scheduled after the watershed as all satanic, scarring, "never-sleep-again" movies should be, it's usually nestled in the cosy post-dinnertime slot to make sure that kids who've retreated to the sofa after their heavy Christmas dinner cannot escape the horrors of Joe Dante's 1984 Gremlins.

Watch The 'Gremlins' Trailer [If You Dare]:

Billed as a comedy horror, the film follows the story of Zack Galligan's Billy Peltzer who is given a cute and furry Mogwai creature called Gizmo by his father with the strict instructions not to feed it after midnight or throw water on it. A glass of water is spilt on Gizmo, leading to five more Mogwai creatures popping out to play. However, these new creatures are evil and trick Billy into feeding them after midnight leading to unparalleled terror with a reptilian transformation and killer monsters on the rampage.