Winter holidays under the Christmas tree can be different: cozy or chillingly scary, funny or mysterious. EAOMedia has compiled a selection of New Year's films by genre that will fit perfectly into your January weekend.
Thrillers
All Seeing Eye (2022, 18+), film duration 2 hours 8 minutes
This gothic thriller takes the viewer back to 1830, to the isolated and strict West Point Academy. Private detective Augustus Landor (Christian Bale) is investigating the ritual murder of a cadet. His forced ally becomes none other than the future master of horror – the young cadet Edgar Allan Poe. Their journey through a web of secrets and fear reveals a dark story, the ending of which is built on the idea of revenge.
Hand luggage (2024, 18+), film duration 1 hour 59 minutes
Airport security officer Ethan Kopek receives an earpiece on Christmas Eve from a mysterious traveler who blackmails him into letting dangerous luggage through. Ethan tries to resist, signaling his colleagues with invisible ink and cunning maneuvers, but is faced with traitors among his partners and a chase through the terminal, where every scanner and call is a step towards disaster.
The Revenant (2015, 18+), film duration 2 hours 36 minutes
It is based on the story of a real person, trapper Hugh Glass. While on an expedition through the wilderness of the Wild West in the 1820s, he is brutally attacked by a bear and mortally wounded. His comrades, pursued by his enemies, leave him to die alone, and one of them, John Fitzgerald, kills Glass's son. Left to his own devices, driven by a thirst for revenge and an incredible will to live, Glass overcomes inhumane odds to survive and find the traitor.
Comedy
Surviving Christmas (2004, 12+), film duration 1 hour 31 minutes
Lonely billionaire Drew Larson (Ben Affleck) offers a strange family $250,000 to spend Christmas with them and bring back childhood memories, but his intrusion leads to absurd situations and unexpected affection. A light but touching comedy about the search for real warmth in a fake holiday with humor of situations.
Trading Places (2019, 12+), film duration 1 hour 58 minutes
The prosperous career of the talented manager Louis Winthrop III collapses in an instant due to the whim of his employers – the eccentric Duke brothers. After betting one dollar that even a street hustler could run their Wall Street empire, they hire crook Billy Ray Valentine and fire Winthrop. However, this risky game of “changing places” threatens the brothers with unexpected and much more serious consequences than losing a bet.
Bad Santa (2003, 18+), film duration 1 hour 31 minutes
Cynical thief Willie and his dwarf partner rob stores every year dressed as Santa and an elf, but this season, a lonely boy begins to believe in “Santa” and changes his life. A black comedy with rude humor and unexpected humanity in New Year's cynicism.
Horror
Crimson Peak (2015, 18+), film duration 1 hour 59 minutes
Young writer Edith marries a charming baron and moves to his gloomy mansion on the snowy hills, where ghosts of the past come to life and family murder secrets are revealed. Guillermo del Toro's gothic horror with luxurious scenery and the atmosphere of a Victorian winter.
Krampus (2015, 16+), film duration 1 hour 38 minutes
The family gathers for Christmas, but quarrels cause the ancient demon Krampus – a horned monster with chains who punishes the naughty, turning the holiday into a bloody nightmare. A mixture of horror and dark humor with monsters and festive decorations for adrenaline lovers.
Cruel Night (2022, 18+), duration 1 h 52 min
A now-disillusioned, hard-drinking Santa Claus finds himself trapped in the mansion of a wealthy but divided family who is attacked on Christmas Eve by a team of professional and ruthless mercenaries. When it becomes clear that the guards and police will not cope, Santa is forced to remember his past. Using not only Christmas miracles, but also old fighting skills, he enters a bloody battle to save his family and the child who still believes in him.
Cartoons
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993, 12+), duration 1 hour 16 minutes
The King of Halloween, Jack Skellington, accidentally ends up in Christmas Town and decides to take over the holiday by creating an army of zombie toys and skeletons, leading to chaos. Tim Burton's stop-motion masterpiece combines gothic humor, music and the magic of two holidays.
A Christmas Story (2009, 6+), duration 1 hour 36 minutes
Old miser Ebenezer Scrooge hates the joy of Christmas and everything connected with it. On the eve of the holiday, three Spirits appear to him: the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. They arrange a time travel for Scrooge, forcing him to look into his own childhood, see the lives of the people around him and be horrified by the bleak future that awaits him. These nightly visits completely transform his character.
Klaus (2019, 6+), duration 1 hour 37 minutes
The spoiled and lazy postman Jesper is sent to the snowy wilderness – to the far north to the city of Smeerensburg, whose inhabitants have long been divided into two warring clans. His task is to organize a post office, which must send 6,000 letters in a year, otherwise he will lose his inheritance. Desperate, Jesper finds an ally in the person of the gloomy carpenter Klaus, who lives as a hermit in the forest.
