# Underrated, lesser known Christmas movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [December 24, 2022, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underrated-lesser-known-christmas-movies/977038 "2022-12-24T15:58:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2022, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underrated-lesser-known-christmas-movies/977038/21 "2022-12-27T17:23:41Z")
**A Christmas Horror Story** Four-part anthology film hosted by William Shatner as a DJ relating Xmas tales involving the residents of the strange town of Bailey Downs. The last episode involves a fight to the death between Santa Claus and Krampus with a twist ending. Oh, there are also zombie elves. Foul-mouthed zombie elves. ---
**Author:** ![TPWombat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbce88/32.png) [@TPWombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TPWombat)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underrated-lesser-known-christmas-movies/977038/22 "2023-09-15T21:50:27Z")
Rare Exports, 2010 Finnish movie with Santa Claus as an ancient god entombed in a burial mound [Rare Exports (2010) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1401143/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underrated-lesser-known-christmas-movies/977038/23 "2023-09-15T23:33:19Z")
Nm, wrong thread. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underrated-lesser-known-christmas-movies/977038/24 "2023-09-15T23:38:07Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I had never heard of **this one** until it turned up at two in the morning on CHCH: When _The Great Rupert_ first came out people wondered how they trained the squirrel to act like that. (For those that haven’t seen it, the squirrel in action looked extremely not real.) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underrated-lesser-known-christmas-movies/977038/25 "2023-09-16T00:04:45Z")
When it comes to “unconventional,” I think this one qualifies: > **[The Lion in Winter (1968) ⭐ 7.9 | Biography, Drama, History](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063227/)** > > 2h 14m | PG ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underrated-lesser-known-christmas-movies/977038/26 "2023-09-16T00:07:19Z")
When _ **King Kong** _ came out in 1933, women were reportedly fainting in the aisles because of the “realistic” photography. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underrated-lesser-known-christmas-movies/977038/27 "2023-09-16T01:28:14Z")
I spotted It Happened on 5th Avenue on TCM. My wife liked it so now it’s on our Christmas movie list and sometimes we even watch the movies on the list. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underrated-lesser-known-christmas-movies/977038/28 "2023-09-16T01:36:13Z")
[Holiday Affair](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041473/) starring Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh, Wendell Corey and child actor Gordon Gebert is not very well known. Probably not underrated by much though. It’s also on our Christmas movie list because we know Gordon. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2023, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underrated-lesser-known-christmas-movies/977038/29 "2023-09-18T14:22:25Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > It Happened on 5th Avenue > [@TriPolar](#): > > [Holiday Affair](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041473/) Those are two great ones! I happened to come across _Arthur Christmas_ one day quite a while ago. It was really cute and funny. The character Grandsanta is a riot! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2023, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underrated-lesser-known-christmas-movies/977038/30 "2023-09-18T14:45:13Z")
> [@TPWombat](#): > > Rare Exports, 2010 Finnish movie with Santa Claus as an ancient god entombed in a burial mound The DVD of which includes _Santa Claus Conquers the Martians_ and the original [_Rare Exports_ short](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwRZi5eEQiU) as bonus features. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2023, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underrated-lesser-known-christmas-movies/977038/31 "2023-09-18T14:50:48Z")
Bo & Luke Duke change their names and have become truckers ( 😉 ): > **[Christmas Comes to Willow Creek](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Comes_to_Willow_Creek)** > > Christmas Comes to Willow Creek is a 1987 American made-for-television drama film directed by Richard Lang and produced by Billie André and Blue André, with the screenplay written by Michael Norell and Andy Siegel. > The film stars John Schneider and Tom Wopat (reunited from The Dukes of Hazzard, and one of the few projects in which the pair didn't play the Duke cousins), with Kim Delaney, Zachary Ansley, Joy Coghill and Hoyt Axton. Music for the film includes songs written and recorded by Billy M... ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2023, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underrated-lesser-known-christmas-movies/977038/32 "2023-09-19T15:09:30Z")
Die Hard [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/ca/Die_Hard_%281988_film%29_poster.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/ca/Die_Hard_%281988_film%29_poster.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2023, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underrated-lesser-known-christmas-movies/977038/33 "2023-09-19T15:24:26Z")
One I’ve recommended before is **A Midnight Clear**. Not a feel-good film. It’s about a squad of soldiers in WWII who encounter a German squad. Ethan Hawke, Kevin Dillon, Gary Sinise, John C. McGinley. An excellent cast and a good story. > **[A Midnight Clear (1992) ⭐ 7.1 | Drama, War](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102443/)** > > 1h 48m | R Another that gets little attention is the 1982 version of **A Child’s Christmas in Wales** , starring Denholm Elliott. A charming retelling of the Dylan Thomas story. And lastly, there is Truman Capote’s **A Christmas Memory**. NOT the Patty Duke remake, but the original Studio 57 production starring Geraldine Page that won an Emmy. Almost impossible to find for purchase (other than in a grainy B&W knockoff), but you can see it on YouTube in the original color. Narrated by Capote. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2023, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underrated-lesser-known-christmas-movies/977038/34 "2023-09-19T20:17:09Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > a good story. Based on fact. > **[WW1: Christmas Truce of 1914](https://www.visionofhumanity.org/the-christmas-truce/)** > > This Christmas we reflect on a fleeting brush with peace that occurred in the midst of the chaos of the First World War. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2023, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underrated-lesser-known-christmas-movies/977038/35 "2023-09-19T22:15:30Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Based on fact. Actually, it was based on the novel of the same name by William Wharton. No idea what he based his novel on, but it would seem that a link to the WWI event is tenuous at best. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2023, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underrated-lesser-known-christmas-movies/977038/36 "2023-09-20T13:09:51Z")
[JT (1969)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czewVTzPu_Y) This was shown for years, but is largely forgotten. Trivia note: The writer, Jane Wagner, has been Lily Tomlin’s partner/wife for many years. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2023, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underrated-lesser-known-christmas-movies/977038/37 "2023-09-20T17:47:21Z")
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus based on the book by L Frank Baum. ---
**Author:** ![anny\_m](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@anny\_m](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anny_m)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2023, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underrated-lesser-known-christmas-movies/977038/38 "2023-09-20T20:11:50Z")
I was going to add _The Bishop’s Wife_ – terentii beat me to it. Years ago it was shown every year during the Christmas season. It was remade some years ago as The Preacher’s Wife, starring Denzel Washington; I haven’t seen the remake, but I’ll try to catch the Cary Grant version this year. I had totally forgotten _Bell, Book and Candle_ was a Christmas movie. Another one to try to catch this year. A TV movie (of sorts) that was shown on PBS every year when I was a child was _Amahl and the Night Visitors_. My mother loved it and insisted we all watch it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underrated-lesser-known-christmas-movies/977038.md?page=1)