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Deck the F***ing Halls: The 7 best R-rated Christmas movies of all time
The holidays don't always have to be for kids.
Most Christmas movies are all about bringing the family together, but sometimes all the sugarplum fairies get a little old. If you’re after a more grown-up Christmas movie to enjoy after the little ones have gone to sleep, there are plenty of great ones to choose from. We have everything from classic horror to over-the-top action to keep you entertained no matter what holiday mood you’re in.
Here are our picks for the best R-rated Christmas movies of all time.
Violent Night (2022)
David Harbour stars as a weary, alcoholic Santa who has had one too many sleigh rides around the world. However, he winds up being the only hope for a family who has been taken hostage on Christmas Eve. This action-packed film hits every story beat you expect from a Christmas film, complete with a shocking amount of violence and swearing along the way. While the concept sounds utterly ridiculous, it works far better than it should thanks to a cast that is clearly having the time of their lives on set.
Trading Places (1983)
Not only was Trading Places one of the biggest comedy films of 1983, but it also helped launch the careers of both Eddie Murphy, who at that point was still an up-and-coming cast member of Saturday Night Live, and Jamie Lee Curtis, who had previously only been cast in slasher flicks. It is a 1980s retelling of The Prince and the Pauper, in which a wealthy man and a poor man trade places in society. While not everything in the movie has aged well (Dan Aykroyd in blackface, for example) it is still a great Christmas movie about making rich, old, white men suffer at the holidays.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Before they teamed up for Iron Man 3, Robert Downy Jr. starred in Shane Black’s 2005 black comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang as Harry Lockhart. Harry is a career criminal mistaken for an actor and sent to Los Angeles to prepare for a role. There is plenty of meta-humor about Hollywood and dark jokes about criminals and incest mixed in, but the cast carries it off with almost effortless charm. Val Kilmer plays a hard-boiled private investigator assigned to give Lockhart his on-the-job tutelage for a role and is both hilarious and deadly serious in the best way.
Die Hard (1988)
Look, we’re not engaging in the tired debate about “Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?” It is and anyone who says otherwise is just being contrary. It remains one of the best action films of all time and contains loads of Christmas imagery and themes throughout. Not only did it turn Bruce Willis into a genuine action star, but it was Alan Rickman’s first – and arguably most iconic – film role. We firmly believe it isn’t Christmas until you see Hans Gruber fall to his death off the Nakatomi Tower.
Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)
While it was controversial at the time to cast an American woman in the quintessentially British role of Bridget Jones, Renée Zellweger is undeniably charming as the 32-year-old heroine of this story. This romantic comedy has become one of the most iconic entries in the genre and features an epic fight between Colin Firth and Hugh Grant that sends both through a Greek restaurant window. If you ever read Pride and Prejudice and wish it had more smoking, swearing, and granny panties, Bridget Jones's Diary is the movie for you.
Black Christmas (1974)
We couldn’t not include at least one Christmas horror film on this list and Black Christmas is easily one of the best. This R-rated Christmas film follows a group of sorority sisters who are picked off one by one by a deranged killer hiding within their house during the holiday season. While the 2006 remake does a good job of updating the film for modern audiences, we love the classic slasher gore of the original 1974 version the most.
The Night Before (2013)
If you’ve watched any of the numerous raunchy, drug-fuelled Seth Rogen comedies over the past decade and wished they featured more ugly Christmas sweaters and tinsel, The Night Before is the movie for you. Rogen stars alongside Joseph Gorden-Levitt and Anthony Mackie as three friends who meet up every year to search out the best Christmas party in New York. While it feels very much like a typical Seth Rogen comedy in many parts, it is delightful to see Mackie showcase his comedy chops throughout.
'Tis the season to watch and read holiday stories. Here's our recommendations for timely favorites ranging from Christmas horror, Christmas action, Christmas comedy, and Christmas anime, Christmas sci-fi, and even five weird Christmas specials from comics. And if that's not enough, wait until you learn about Netflix's Christmas movies cinematic universe.
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