9 Worst Christmas Movies That Deserve All the Coal

Do you sometimes feel a little Grinchy around the holidays? Is Scrooge someone you can kind of relate to? Well, hey, there’s nothing wrong with that. If you really want to lean into the “bah humbug” spirit, I’ve rounded up the worst Christmas movies ever made.
For the sake of my sanity, I’m mostly skipping those cheap direct-to-video sequels and cheesy made-for-TV specials to focus on the theatrical bombs. (Okay, I might’ve snuck in one direct-to-video sequel because it’s just that bad.) Whether they’re boring, offensive, or plain weird, these “films” are the absolute bottom of the eggnog barrel.

If you’re brave enough to torture yourself, here’s the list. And if you want to see the internet’s most heated holiday takes, check out our video on TikTok where we asked for your input on this very topic.

1. Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas (2014)

Forget about Christmas. This is one of the worst movies of any genre. It’s cringy, preachy, and deserves all the coal in the world. The film attempts to “put the Christ back in Christmas,” but does so with aggressive lectures and offbeat logic that alienates just about everyone. It’s less of a movie and more of a 79-minute sermon delivered by someone who seems to hate the very audience he’s trying to convert.

2. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)

This so-bad-it’s-good holiday tale is campy low-budget sci-fi at its finest. The plot revolves around Martians kidnapping Santa Claus because their children are watching too much Earth television and becoming depressed. It features terrible costumes, flimsy sets, and a young Pia Zadora as a Martian child, making it a cult classic for fans of cinematic train wrecks.

3. Santa with Muscles (1996)

The title for this one really speaks for itself. In Santa with Muscles, Hulk Hogan stars as an evil millionaire who gets amnesia and becomes convinced he’s Santa Claus. The result is a bizarre mix of slapstick comedy and poorly choreographed action. It’s a relic of the ’90s that proves some wrestler-to-actor transitions are rougher than others.

4. Jack Frost (1998)

We failed to mention the wickedly silly 1997 Jack Frost in our Best Holiday Horror Movies rundown, but the 1998 family film with Michael Keaton is just as haunting. The CGI snowman is terrifying to look at, and the plot about a dead father coming back to life as a snow sculpture is fundamentally flawed for a children’s movie. It’s a tonal mess, though I’ll admit, I watched this every holiday season as a kid.

5. Bad Santa 2 (2016)

Did Bad Santa need a sequel? No. Is Bad Santa 2 a humorless mess? Yes, indeed. Where the original film found a perfect balance between vulgarity and heart, this follow-up doubles down on the mean-spiritedness without any of the charm. It recycles the same jokes to diminishing returns, leaving you wishing they had just left the original alone. It’s all a bit depressing.

6. Surviving Christmas (2004)

Most movies on this list caught the eye of the Golden Raspberry Awards, and Surviving Christmas is no exception. In this careless flick, Ben Affleck plays a wealthy, lonely advertising executive who pays a family to let him spend Christmas with them in his childhood home. If that premise sounds creepy and uncomfortable, that’s because it is. The cast has absolutely zero chemistry, and the “comedy” relies entirely on everyone shouting at each other for 90 minutes.

7. Deck the Halls (2006)

Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick play neighbors who go to war over Christmas lights in a feud that’s far more exhausting than entertaining. I saw Deck the Halls when it first hit theaters, and even my childhood self found it to be a slog. It’s a situational comedy that tries to pass off property damage and petty jealousy as holiday cheer. By the time the inevitable sentimental ending rolls around, you’ll be rooting for a power outage to end the misery.

8. The Nutcracker in 3D (2010)

I’m a huge fan of The Nutcracker ballet and the holiday atmosphere it typically brings, but this adaptation is a total nightmare. It turns the beloved story into a dark fantasy film filled with Holocaust allegories that are absolutely terrifying for children. The rat soldiers look like stormtroopers, and the musical numbers are instantly forgettable. Visually repulsive and completely misguided, this film rightfully earned a 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

9. Jingle All the Way 2 (2014)

Just like Bad Santa 2, this is a sequel that absolutely no one asked for. Starring Larry the Cable Guy instead of Arnold Schwarzenegger, it attempts to recreate the frantic energy of the original but fails on every level. The jokes fall flat, the acting is wooden, and it lacks the cynical edge that made the first one a cult favorite.

FAQ about the worst Christmas movies