We all have a mental list of our favorite holiday movies. Yours might include IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, or MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET. I love those, too; however, sometimes I’m in the mood for something less traditional. If you find yourself looking for alternatives to watch this time of year, here’s a list to lead you down a darker—yet, still festive!—holiday path.
1) THE THIN MAN (1934). A witty, dark murder mystery, starring my all-time favorite screen couple, Nick and Nora Charles. He’s a former detective and full-time alcoholic who gets pulled back into a case during Christmas time; she’s his rich and delightfully funny wife. Nora: “How many drinks have you had?” Nick: “This will make six Martinis.” Nora (to the waiter): “Will you bring me five more Martinis, Leo? Line them up right here.”
2) BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974). A sorority house is terrorized by a stranger over Christmas break. Crazy people! Murder! 1970s sorority girls! I mention this movie in Arcadia #3, BINDING THE SHADOWS. Ignore the recent remake and go for the classic, directed by the same guy who made A CHRISTMAS STORY.
3) GREMLINS (1984). Young Billy gets a cute Mogwai for Christmas named Gizmo, only things go bad when the little cutie is fed after midnight. Tiny, crazed devils running around after everyone: what’s not to like? Maybe this influenced the Imps in the Arcadia series.
4) BRAZIL (1985). Terry Gilliam’s dystopian masterpiece is retro-futuristic, sci-fi noir, and just plain charming. Sometimes people forget it takes place at Christmas. If you like steampunk, this film has been cited as an influence by several writers.
5) TALES FROM THE CRYPT (1972). A British horror anthology film, based on stories from EC Comics. The first story, “And All Through the House,” stars Joan Collins, who kills her husband on Christmas Eve while a homicidal man dressed as Santa Claus stalks the neighborhood. Suspenseful, bloody fun!
Author Bio
Jenn Bennett is an award-winning artist and author of the Arcadia Bell urban fantasy series from Pocket Books. Born in Germany, she’s lived and traveled extensively throughout Europe, the U.S., and the Far East. She lives near Atlanta with one husband and two very bad pugs.
Meet Arcadia Bell: bartender, renegade magician, fugitive from the law. . . .
Being the spawn of two infamous occultists (and alleged murderers) isn’t easy, but freewheeling magician Arcadia “Cady” Bell knows how to make the best of a crummy situation. After hiding out for seven years, she’s carved an incognito niche for herself slinging drinks at the demon-friendly Tambuku Tiki Lounge.
But she receives an ultimatum when unexpected surveillance footage of her notorious parents surfaces: either prove their innocence or surrender herself. Unfortunately, the only witness to the crimes was an elusive Æthyric demon, and Cady has no idea how to find it. She teams up with Lon Butler, an enigmatic demonologist with a special talent for sexual spells and an arcane library of priceless stolen grimoires. Their research soon escalates into a storm of conflict involving missing police evidence, the decadent Hellfire Club, a ruthless bounty hunter, and a powerful occult society that operates way outside the law. If Cady can’t clear her family name soon, she’ll be forced to sacrifice her own life . . . and no amount of running will save her this time.
MAGICAL TRICKS. DEMONIC TREATS. After narrowly escaping her fate as a sacrificial scapegoat, Arcadia Bell is back to normal. Or at least as ordinary as life can be for a renegade magician and owner of a tiki bar that caters to Earthbound demons. She’s gearing up for the busiest day of the year—Halloween—when a vengeful kidnapper paralyzes the community. The influential head of the local Hellfire Club taps Cady to track down the fiendish bogeyman, and now that she’s dating red-hot Lon Butler, the Club’s wayward son, she can hardly say no.
Cady and Lon untangle a gruesome thirty-year trail of clues that points to danger for the club members’ children. But locating the person behind the terror will require some metaphysical help from Cady’s loyal bar patrons as well as her potent new Moonchild powers—and she’d better figure it out before the final victim disappears and her own darkest secret becomes her biggest enemy.
Dating a demon, defeating evil, running a tiki bar: Arcadia Bell is a great occult mage in many respects. But then there’s the challenge of her boyfriend’s precocious teenage son…
Arcadia “Cady” Bell may have saved the Hellfire Club’s children from a local bogeyman, but she and her Earthbound demon boyfriend, Lon Butler, now face a more disturbing problem: his teenage son’s new demonic abilities. Jupe Butler can persuade you to do anything—or so he thinks. To test the limits of his newfound power, Cady invites the co-owner of Tambuku Tiki Lounge to be the teen’s guinea pig during an afternoon boat cruise. But when an angry storm whips the Pacific into a frenzy and Jupe puts them all in serious danger, will Cady’s magick trump a teenager’s excess confidence?
Pre-order:
In the third book in this beloved and “riveting” (Romantic Times) urban fantasy series, demon-friendly tiki bar owner Arcadia Bell discovers more about her own evolving, and possibly destructive, magical abilities when her bar is the target of a demonic crime wave.
Renegade mage and bartender Cady Bell has had a rough year, but now the door to her already unstable world is coming completely unhinged. When a citywide crime wave erupts, Cady’s demon-friendly tiki bar is robbed by Earthbounds wielding surreal demonic abilities that shouldn’t exist. With the help of her devilishly delicious boyfriend, Lon Butler, Cady sets out to find the people who wronged her. But the criminals aren’t the only ones experiencing unnatural metamorphoses—Cady’s own Moon Child abilities are evolving beyond her control. Can Cady track down the monsters responsible before the monster inside destroys everything—and everyone—she loves?
About the Blogger
I review Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance books with a focus all things werewolf. Based out of Ottawa, Canada
Owner, designer and main blogger behind Rabid Reads. Avid book reader, snowboard bunny, video gamer and Supernatural fan. I love all things paranormal, werewolves especially. Oh, and I’m Canadian, eh!
OK, my favorite “holiday” movie is not really Christmas themed, we just tend to watch this movie every Christmas eve – Lord of the Rings. If the weather is really frightful, we’ll watch all three movies in our pj’s.
*Grimaces at Gremlins* I remember watching that as a LITTLE LITTLE kid and being scared out of mind. Nightmare inducing.
My picks are a little more happy =P I love Home Alone and the *commentary* on Love Actually. If you haven’t listened to it, I would suggest you do so. The conversations between the director, Hugh Grant, and Bill Nighy are giggle worthy.
It is a 3-way tie between The Christmas Story, ELF, and Charlie Brown Christmas. I love watching Christmas movies, and the best part is introducing them to my kids. Thanks for the giveaway. christinebails at yahoo dot com
My favorite holiday movies are The Muppet Christmas Carol, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Non holiday movies that I always feel like watching are Harry Potter and Lord to the Rings.
This is easy for me…my fav holiday movie(s) are the Home Alone movies!! LOVE LOVE LOOOVE them so much! They always manage to cheery me up and get into the holiday spirit! 🙂
I love the Thin Man movies! Nick and Nora are great! My favorite Christmas movies are Holiday Inn, Christmas in Connecticut and A Christmas Story. Thanks for the contest and Happy Holidays!
OK, my favorite “holiday” movie is not really Christmas themed, we just tend to watch this movie every Christmas eve – Lord of the Rings. If the weather is really frightful, we’ll watch all three movies in our pj’s.
My favorite holiday movie is Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. The original none of those remakes or anything like that. I’m a dork, what can I say? lol
My favorite movie is A Diva’s Christmas Carol, but I love all the cartoon specials.
*Grimaces at Gremlins* I remember watching that as a LITTLE LITTLE kid and being scared out of mind. Nightmare inducing.
My picks are a little more happy =P I love Home Alone and the *commentary* on Love Actually. If you haven’t listened to it, I would suggest you do so. The conversations between the director, Hugh Grant, and Bill Nighy are giggle worthy.
I love 3 Days but it hasn’t been on at Christmas for a while. Tore923@aol.com
ELF is my favorite holiday movie. It used to be Die Hard but Buddy Elf makes me laugh so hard my belly hurts :).
Thank you.
vsloboda(at)gmail(dot)com
My favorite holiday movie is The Nightmare Before Christmas! 😀
It is a 3-way tie between The Christmas Story, ELF, and Charlie Brown Christmas. I love watching Christmas movies, and the best part is introducing them to my kids.
Thanks for the giveaway.
christinebails at yahoo dot com
My favorite holiday movies are Elf and Love Actually.
jochibi AT yahoo DOT com
I enjoy watching Home Alone.
Cambonified(at)yahoo(dot)com
It’s A Wonderful Life!
Thanks,
Leanne
My favorite holiday movie is Miracle on 34th Street.
My favorite holiday movies are The Muppet Christmas Carol, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Non holiday movies that I always feel like watching are Harry Potter and Lord to the Rings.
My favorite holiday movie is Christmas Vacation. I have to watch it every year!!!
I love the traditional movies. My favorites are The Holiday, Polar Express, and White Christmas.
Old fave is National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. New kid friendly fave is Arthur Christmas. The grandpa makes the movie!
Fav holiday movie is Christmas Vacation.
The Holiday and Elf are two of my favorites.
This is easy for me…my fav holiday movie(s) are the Home Alone movies!! LOVE LOVE LOOOVE them so much! They always manage to cheery me up and get into the holiday spirit! 🙂
My favorite holiday movies are White Christmas and Christmas Vacation!
White Christmas
I love the Thin Man movies! Nick and Nora are great! My favorite Christmas movies are Holiday Inn, Christmas in Connecticut and A Christmas Story. Thanks for the contest and Happy Holidays!
The Year Without A Santa Claus- Heat Miser and Snow Miser crack me up! sdylion(at)gmail(dot)com
I’m weird – I like Jack Frosr Killer Snowman
and the sequel is HILARIOUS!!!! PICK ME!
Gosh your book sounds amazing. My favorite holiday movie is Home Alone and National Lampoons. But I also recently really liked Holiday in Handcuffs.
My favourite movie is Elf! So good!
Happy holidays and thanks for the giveaway.
My favorite is Elf.