Minnie's Fiction Addiction

If you like your festive season with a side of dread…

Christmas is supposed to be twinkly lights, cosy jumpers, and mugs of something warm. But sometimes the dark nights feel a little too dark, and the old stories start whispering again. This week, I’m diving into Christmas horror, the perfect mash-up of comfort and chills.

Whether you’re looking for something ghostly, gruesome, or just unsettling enough to make you pull the blanket a little tighter around your shoulders, here are five festive frights to get you through the season.

🎄 1. All the White Spaces — Ally Wilkes

Vibe: Isolated, bleak, atmospheric terror in an endless winter.
Why Christmas Horror: Not festive, but the sheer cold, darkness, and creeping dread make it ideal December reading.

Think The Terror but more psychological, more haunting. You’re surrounded by ice, plagued by something you can’t name, and the sun won’t rise for months. Perfect for reading when the wind is battering the windows.

🎁 2. NOS4A2 — Joe Hill

Vibe: Americana horror with a candy-cane heart of darkness.
Why Christmas Horror: Christmasland. Enough said.

Charlie Manx steals children and takes them to his twisted theme park where it’s Christmas forever, but not the good kind. This is the one that will ruin candy canes for you, and maybe Christmas carols too. Big, bold, unsettling fun.

👻 3. The Valancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories (Series)

Vibe: Crackling fireplace, shadows moving where they shouldn’t.
Why Christmas Horror: Nothing is more traditional than telling ghost stories on Christmas Eve.

These collections revive forgotten Victorian tales originally published for the festive season. It’s cosiness and creepiness all at once, like a mince pie laced with arsenic.

🎅 4. Snowflake — Ruth Ware (short story)

Vibe: Psychological, twisty, claustrophobic.
Why Christmas Horror: Snowed-in tension meets festive pressure.

A short but sharp little story about a woman heading home for the holidays, and realising things aren’t quite right. It’s perfect for readers who love domestic suspense with a frosty edge.

🩸 5. Hark! The Herald Angels Scream — ed. Christopher Golden

Vibe: Anthology chaos, funny, terrifying, weird.
Why Christmas Horror: A whole stocking full of holiday frights.

A brilliant collection featuring authors like Joe R. Lansdale, Kelley Armstrong, and Seanan McGuire. Each story tackles Christmas horror differently, demonic Santas, haunted decorations, and festive mayhem galore.

⭐ Final Thoughts

Christmas horror is such a fun little niche: the warmth of the season contrasted with the coldness of fear. Whether you want a classic ghost story, a brutal thriller, or a supernatural snowstorm, the holidays are the perfect backdrop for something sinister.