Santa Claus: The Movie
America wrote this off on release and Britain quietly adopted it, which tells you most of what you need to…
Festive Factor 82 out of 100: Christmas at its heart.
Beyond the usual favourites
Underrated Christmas films you probably haven't seen
For when the annual favourites have all been watched twice.
- 11 films
- 26–190 minutes
- U to 15 certificates
Why these belong together
Chosen for the same kind of night.
For when the annual favourites have all been watched twice. These are good, properly Christmassy films that get a fraction of the attention: a jazz-scored cartoon, a Finnish folk tale with a nasty streak, a British prison caper with Father Christmas in it, and a 1940 romance that was later remade into something far more famous. Each one comes with a note on who in the room it suits.
Make tonight a good one
Find tonight’s film.
Showing all 11 films
Scrooge
The Carol as a big Shepperton musical, with Albert Finney under the make-up and Alec Guinness clanking through as a ghost. Shown less than the Muppet or 1951 versions, and livelier than either in places. Watch the trip to the afterlife together.
Festive Factor 81 out of 100: Christmas at its heart.
A Boy Called Christmas
An origin story for Father Christmas that takes grief seriously, which is rarer than it should be.
Festive Factor 71 out of 100: A different kind of Christmas.
Get Santa
A low-budget British comedy with Jim Broadbent in the red suit and a surprising amount of it set in prison. Scrappy, quick and kinder than it looks. A U, and funny for the grown-ups too.
Festive Factor 69 out of 100: A different kind of Christmas.
Hogfather
Terry Pratchett's midwinter fantasy, made for Sky with David Jason and the voice of Ian Richardson. Not Christmas by name, but about belief and why the season matters. Over three hours, so take it across two nights; from about ten.
Festive Factor 68 out of 100: A different kind of Christmas.
8-Bit Christmas
A late-eighties childhood Christmas and the games console at the top of the list. It came and went quietly in 2021 and deserves another look, especially from anyone who was that child. Rated 12 for one moment of strong language.
Festive Factor 61 out of 100: A different kind of Christmas.
The Man Who Invented Christmas
Dan Stevens as Dickens, writing A Christmas Carol against a deadline and arguing with the people in his own head. Light, clever and rarely mentioned. Best for anyone who knows the story already; fine from about eight.
Festive Factor 59 out of 100: A different kind of Christmas.
The Ref
A burglar takes a feuding couple hostage on Christmas Eve and ends up refereeing their marriage. Released in Britain as Hostile Hostages, which may be why so few remember it. Rated 15 for near-constant swearing, and strictly for adults.
Festive Factor 57 out of 100: A different kind of Christmas.
Rare Exports
Finnish and subtitled: a dig on the frozen fells uncovers a far older and far less jolly version of the man in red. Deadpan, strange and very good. Rated 15, and not one for anyone who still believes.
Festive Factor 51 out of 100: A different kind of Christmas.
The Shop Around the Corner
Ernst Lubitsch's shop-floor romance, the source of a much better-known remake and the better film of the two. Christmas only arrives in the last act, on a snowy Christmas Eve, so this is one for the patient. Teenagers and up will get the most from it.
Festive Factor 33 out of 100: A different kind of Christmas.
Father Christmas
The Snowman's grumpier sibling, made by much of the same team and shown far less often. Mel Smith grumbles his way through a summer holiday before the Christmas Eve round. Fine for all ages, give or take a bare bottom.
Festive Factor 28 out of 100: A different kind of Christmas.Festive Factor measures Christmas spirit, not film quality or age suitability. How we score →
Overlooked is a relative word, so here is how we used it. Every film here draws a small fraction of the UK December searches that the usual favourites do. We cannot know what you have seen, only what tends to get put on, and these mostly do not.
They still had to be good, and they still had to feel like Christmas: a film that is merely obscure did not make the cut. The list runs from whole-family films at the top to late-night 15s at the bottom, so read the notes before you press play. The certificates cover the full range.
Another kind of night?
