Movies like The Real Santa (2017)
The best movies like The Real Santa (2017) are Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025), Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) and The Children (2008). If The Real Santa hooked you with its horror, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSilver Bullet (1985)6.7/10 from 745 votes
- NewestSilent Night, Deadly Night (2025)Released 2025
Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025)
After witnessing his parents' brutal murder on Christmas Eve, Billy transforms into a Killer Santa, delivering a yearly spree of calculated, chilling violence. This year, his blood-soaked mission collides with love, as a young woman challenges him to confront his darkness.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSilent Night, Deadly Night (1984)
After a man dressed as Santa Claus brutally murders Billy Chapman's parents, little Billy then endures the cruelty of a sadistic nun at his orphanage. Years later, when adult Billy has to fill in for an absent in-store Santa, his childhood trauma brings him to the breaking point.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Children (2008)
A relaxing Christmas vacation turns into a terrifying fight for survival as the children begin to turn on their parents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Nasty Piece of Work (2019)
A mid-level corporate employee finds out he’s not getting the Christmas bonus he was expecting, but his boss invites him to earn a promotion by beating his professional rival in a violent competition.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSilver Bullet (1985)
The small city of Tarker's Mills is startled by a series of sadistic murders. The population fears the work of a maniac, but sightings of a mysterious, hairy creature soon spread. People lock themselves up at night, but there's one boy who's still outside…
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTrick (2019)
A detective tries to track down a masked killer who reappears every Halloween to wreak bloody havoc.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Devil Conspiracy (2023)
A powerful biotech company has breakthrough technology allowing them to clone history’s most influential people with just a few fragments of DNA. Behind this company is a cabal of Satanists that steals the shroud of Christ, putting them in possession of Jesus’ DNA. The clone will serve as the ultimate offering to the devil. The Archangel Michael comes to earth and will stop at nothing to end the devil’s conspiracy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHalloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
Ten years after his original massacre, the invalid Michael Myers awakens on Halloween Eve and returns to Haddonfield to kill his seven-year-old niece.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTerrifier 3 (2024)
Five years after surviving Art the Clown's Halloween massacre, Sienna and Jonathan are still struggling to rebuild their shattered lives. As the holiday season approaches, they try to embrace the Christmas spirit and leave the horrors of the past behind. But just when they think they're safe, Art returns, determined to turn their holiday cheer into a new nightmare. The festive season quickly unravels as Art unleashes his twisted brand of terror, proving that no holiday is safe.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Jester 2 (2025)
When teen magician Max crosses paths with the sinister Jester on Halloween night, she must outsmart a supernatural killer whose magic is all too real and whose tricks always end up in blood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhisper (2007)
Sinister things begin happening to kidnappers who are holding a young boy for ransom in a remote cabin.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Am Not a Serial Killer (2016)
In a small Midwestern town, a troubled teen with homicidal tendencies must hunt down and destroy a supernatural killer while keeping his own inner demons at bay.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHalloween II (1981)
After failing to kill stubborn survivor Laurie and taking a bullet or six from former psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis, Michael Myers has followed Laurie to the Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, where she's been admitted for Myers' attempt on her life. The institution proves to be particularly suited to serial killers, however, as Myers cuts, stabs and slashes his way through hospital staff to reach his favorite victim.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Evil (1978)
Shortly after moving into a dark, brooding mansion, a psychologist and his co-workers are terrorized by a horrible evil being.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Body (2018)
In Los Angeles, on Halloween night, a hitman tries to transport a corpse in plain sight, but people he stumbles upon on the street, believing that his sophisticated appearance is a magnificent disguise, constantly stand in his way to congratulate him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Town that Dreaded Sundown (2014)
A masked maniac terrorizes the same small community where a murderer known as the Phantom Killer struck decades earlier.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisNever Let Go (2024)
As an evil takes over the world beyond their front doorstep, the only protection for a mother and her twin sons is their house and their family’s protective bond.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHalloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
Two decades after surviving a massacre on October 31, 1978, former baby sitter Laurie Strode finds herself hunted by persistent knife-wielder Michael Myers. Laurie now lives in Northern California under an assumed name, where she works as the headmistress of a private school. But it's not far enough to escape Myers, who soon discovers her whereabouts. As Halloween descends upon Laurie's peaceful community, a feeling of dread weighs upon her -- with good reason.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Boogeyman (2023)
Still reeling from the tragic death of their mother, a teenage girl and her younger sister find themselves plagued by a sadistic presence in their house and struggle to get their grieving father to pay attention before it’s too late.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisZ (2019)
A family find themselves terrorized by their eight-year-old son's imaginary friend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnna and the Apocalypse (2018)
A zombie apocalypse threatens the sleepy town of Little Haven—at Christmas—forcing Anna and her friends to fight, slash, and sing their way to survival. In a desperate race to reach their loved ones, they soon learn that no one is safe in this new world, and with civilization falling apart around them, the only people they can truly rely on are each other.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSavage Christmas (2013)
When Mitch decides to take his virgin girl friend Sarah away for Christmas, her friends tag along. What was suppose to be a weekend of fun, turned into a Christmas they will never forget. A group of filmmakers bring back a demon from the beyond, who is in search for virgin flesh to transfer its soul into. Sarah is in for the night of her life, as she is the target of the demons desires.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
The Elf (2016)
Nick is haunted by night terrors stemming from a tragic murder he saw when he was young. After inheriting an old toy shop, he discovers a cursed elf doll sealed inside an ancient chest with a naughty list of his family's names written on it. He soon discovers the elf's evil secret.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Psycho Santa (2003)
While en route to a holiday gathering, young Ron teases his wife about the legend of a backwoods Santa with an axe to grind. However, when the legend comes to life, the Christmas bash turns into a holiday bloodbath!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Black Christmas (2006)
As the residents of sorority house Pi Kappa Sigma prepare for the festive season, a stranger begins a series of obscene phone calls with dubious intentions...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisNight of the Missing (2023)
Set on a stormy night on Christmas Eve, a small town female sheriff who secretly is a serial killer gets a visit from a mysterious woman who tells four bizarre stories.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Elves (1989)
While conducting a pagan ritual in the woods with her friends, Kirsten inadvertently awakens the spirit of a demonic Christmas elf involved in a neo-Nazi plot to bring about the master race. After the rent-a-Santa in her department store is murdered, an unemployed, alcoholic ex-cop takes the job and the two set out to unravel the mystery.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisChristmas Evil (1980)
Garbed in his red suit, Harry, a toy factory worker, decides that the only thing he can do to save the spirit of Christmas is to become Santa Claus himself and make all of the naughty townspeople pay... in blood!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisSilent Night, Zombie Night (2009)
A week before Christmas a viral outbreak turns the citizens of Los Angeles into the walking dead. On the brink of severing ties with both his wife and longtime partner, L.A.P.D. officer Frank Talbot finds himself trapped with them. As death closes in their survival is further threatened by the fact that both men love the same woman.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Once Upon a Time at Christmas (2017)
In the twelve days leading up to Christmas, the residents of the snowy and isolated town of Woodridge are being murdered in a variety of gruesome ways by a psychotic Santa and Mrs. Claus. While the small-town cops scramble to protect the townsfolk, the killings seem to center around one young woman who may be the final victim on Santa's list. As the slaughter continues and the bodies pile up, it seems that nothing and no one may be able to stop the murderers before they complete their own deadly take on the twelve days of Christmas.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Real Santa?
The closest matches to The Real Santa are Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025), Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) and The Children (2008). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Real Santa?
Start with Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025), the closest match to The Real Santa.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Real Santa?
Silver Bullet (1985), rated 6.7/10 by 745 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Real Santa?
Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Real Santa?
Yes: Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025), Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) and The Children (2008).
How are movies similar to The Real Santa chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Real Santa, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.