25 Gifts of Terror – Boris Bacic
Christmas horror collection
25 nights. 25 horror stories.
“Thank you for choosing to work as a night guard at Santa Park. We’re thrilled to have you on our team. Here are a few simple rules you need to remember during your night shift:
1. Stay out of Santa’s post office between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m.
2. Ignore the person calling for help from the gingerbread bakery – especially if that voice belongs to a loved one.
3. Do not trust the Elves.
4. Lights in the toy factory need to be kept on at all times. No exceptions.
5. If you notice someone peeking at you from behind the corners, do not run. Calmly walk back to the guardhouse and lock yourself.
Thank you for your contributions in keeping Santa Park a safe and family-friendly place.”
“There was apparently a job opening in Santa Park.”
25 Candles – Iris Baxter
Psychological Christmas horror
25 days. 25 chapters. A chilling countdown to Christmas.
When nurse Hannah Mark loses a patient, she returns to her hometown seeking peace. But Greenridge, once a picture-perfect town, hides more than Christmas lights and snow.
Each December, candles are lit to mark the days until Christmas. This year, with every new flame, tragedy strikes again. Fires. Disappearances. Death.
And at the center of it all: Hannah.
The past isn’t buried. It’s burning.
“Welcome to Greenridge – where Christmas lives all year.”
Advent – Daniel Pyle
Christmas horror collection
An evil Santa skulking through the shadows.
A snowman with a taste for blood.
Terrorized children who will never look at presents the same way again.
24 twisted holiday tales and a bonus novella that explores the dark side of wintering in the tropics.
“Long live Christmas,” he whispered and latched the stable door.
12 Dark Days: One Hell of a Christmas – Dean M. Drinkel (editor)
Christmas horror anthology
13 sinister seasonal stories to freeze the blood from some of Horror’s best indie authors.
“That was the core of his personality; nothing for free in this world, gotta pay.”
Advent of Evil – Scott Donnelly
Psychological Christmas horror
Welcome to Marshport, Maine, a quaint, little coastal town preparing for their annual Winter Wonderland Festival. But beneath the lights and holiday cheer, something evil is stirring, and it’s not a mouse.
When a mysterious package arrives on the doorstep of veteran police officer Matthew Klein and his family’s home, it seems, at first, like a harmless holiday gift. However, there’s no tag and no sender. Inside lies an antique wooden advent calendar with strange engravings and twenty-four doors that each shelter something dark and unspeakable.
The line between reality and nightmare quickly becomes blurred as Matthew races to figure out the calendar’s origin and who sent it. But as each door is opened, and Marshport is thrust into a sinister nightmare, Matthew realizes the terrifying truth and is forced to relive the horrors from his past that refuse to stay buried.
The countdown has begun. And once that first door is opened there’s no turning back.
“…did you have any sort of, like, early Christmas gift shipped here?”
The Season of Secrets – DE McCluskey
Psychological Christmas horror
‘This could be your mother’s last Christmas,’ were not the words Alison wanted to hear so close to the holidays.
Determined to spend one last festive season with her ailing mother, Alison, her daughter Grace, and Anthony her brother, decide to make the journey back to the town where they grew up.
However, an uninvited guest comes with them. Lisa, Grace’s imaginary friend is along for the vacation too.
When Grace then starts acting out of character, blaming Lisa for urging her on the strangely familiar sounds around the house begin. An old Christmas tune resonates through the rooms, carrying with it long forgotten memories of their late father, the Spirit of Christmas, and the town’s boogieman, Old Mr Sharpe.
As dark, long hidden secrets begin to unravel they find that if they want to make sense of what is happening around them, then they must believe.
“He thought if he left them alone, then they might leave him alone. He’d been wrong about that.”
The Christmas Massacre – John A. Russo
Christmas slasher horror
Albert Kinney isn’t your typical holiday enthusiast. He doesn’t deck the halls; he drenches them in blood.
A cold, calculating serial killer, Albert has turned murder into an art, recording his gruesome crimes for a hidden audience on the Dark Web. This Christmas, he’s hunting fresh victims, and leaving a trail of horror across the snowy streets.
When Marie Connor, a woman escaping an abusive marriage, meets the charming “Joe Ward,” she believes she’s found a second chance at love. But behind his seductive smile lurks a monster, and when she disappears, detectives Lenita Ramos and Dave Carlson are left piecing together the mystery. Their only clue? A grainy surveillance image of a man who seems to vanish like a ghost.
Meanwhile, Albert has his next victim in sight: Janelle Horner, Marie’s best friend and the woman who unknowingly led her to her fate. But Janelle’s death is only part of his holiday plan. A horror convention called The Christmas Slay Festival is in town, and for Albert, it’s a killer’s playground. Among the masked fans, gore-obsessed collectors, and Scream Queens, he finds the perfect cover and the perfect hunting ground.
As the body count rises and time runs out, Ramos and Carlson must stop a killer who hides in plain sight, a man who lives for the thrill of murder and the spectacle of fear.
“Albert was wearing a Santa hat, black instead of red…”
The Horror Collection: Christmas Edition – Kevin J. Kennedy
Christmas horror anthology
’Tis the season… to scream.”
Tinsel and terror return in The Horror Collection: Christmas Edition, the latest chilling installment of Kevin J. Kennedy’s bestselling anthology series. This festive fright-fest unwraps a sleigh full of sinister tales from an all-star lineup of horror’s finest authors. Where the season of goodwill turns into the season of screams.
Deep in the snow-shrouded North Pole, Santa Claus hides a century-old secret that could end Christmas forever, while Mrs. Claus, tired of her husband’s jolly façade, plots a dark revenge that drips with blood-red ribbon.
Krampus stalks the naughty once more — but this year, he’s brought friends.
From haunted dolls that whisper in the night to killer advent calendars counting down to your final breath, each story is a gift you’ll wish you’d left unopened.
With its blend of twisted tradition, folklore, and modern terror, The Horror Collection: Christmas Edition proves that even under the mistletoe, no one is safe. Grab a mug of cocoa, stoke the fire, and prepare for a festive season you’ll never forget — if you live to see the New Year.
“Tell us the story about the Ghostly Peddler!”
Silent Night, Deadly Night – Armando Muñoz
Christmas horror movie novelization
Official novelization of the 1984 Silent Night, Deadly Night movie.
Christmas Eve, 1971. Five-year-old Billy Chapman witnessed his parents brutally murdered by a man disguised as Santa Claus, leaving him and his little brother to be raised in a strict Catholic orphanage ruled by the sadistic Mother Superior.
December, 1984. Eighteen and finally on his own, Billy sets out to live a normal life. Landing a job at the local toy store, he’s forced to play Santa Claus for the holiday season. Still in his red suit at the employee Christmas party, Billy snaps, going on a violent rampage, punishing all those he deems “naughty.”
Now, with one last gift to deliver, Billy makes his way back to the orphanage, where he has an axe to grind with Mother Superior.
“It was a shame that for many locals, the song ‘Santa’s Watching’ would bring a chill instead of cheer.”
Carols for the Dead – Desiree Horton (compiled by)
Christmas horror anthology
Horror for the Holidays!
Join us as we delve into the depths of the season to discover frights that lurk under snow-covered boughs and behind stockings and tinsel.
5 authors, 10 tales, unlimited terror!
With horror stories spanning the holidays from November to February, there is something in this winter hellscape to frighten everyone.
Listen closely… for the Carols for the Dead!
“Lupa watched from the alley, the torches reflecting off the blood already flowing through the streets.”
The Very Naughty List – Michael D.A. Clarke
Slasher Christmas horror – Book 1 of The Very Naughty List Series
When a down-on-his-luck shopping mall Santa is abruptly fired just days before Christmas, he decides to unleash holiday hell on the staff who wronged him.
As the body count rises, shoppers at Merryvale will soon discover that this Santa’s got a bag full of wicked surprises – and he’s ready to deliver!
“The heart of Merryvale Shopping Mall pulsed with chaotic festivity.”
To Hell with Hallmark – Brad Ricks
Christmas horror
Hallmark, Vermont: the birthplace of every sugary-sweet Christmas trope. Cozy streets. Perfect snow. Miracles on every corner.
It’s where the lonely librarian finds her dream man, Where the big-city girl reunites with her high school flame, Where a runaway prince discovers real love in a small-town glow.
But this year? The script has changed.
Something sinister has slipped into Hallmark’s Christmas magic, twisting sweet holiday tropes into pure Christmas chaos. Those heartwarming movie moments? They’re about to become the stuff of Christmas Eve nightmares.
Deck the halls. Bar the doors.
Hell has come to Hallmark.
“As the librarian for the Hallmark Public Library, she had her pick of whatever she wanted to read.”
The Dead of Christmas – Tory Favro
Christmas horror
At the festive North Pole, Nick and Carol, toymakers and secret Government Agents, guard a deadly secret-hidden nukes beneath the toy shop.
When an unknown enemy airdrops zombies, holiday joy becomes a battleground.
With allies like real elves, an alien, flying reindeer, and a peculiar weapon, Nick and Carol face an epic battle.
Can they save Christmas from a sinister plot and the undead tide, or will the zombie apocalypse engulf them all?
“This had been his second year on station, every day he thought it wouldn’t get weirder.”
Hail Santa! – John McNee
Christmas horror
With a failing economy and dwindling population, the once-flourishing mining community of St. Nicholas in northern Canada is on the road to ruin.
That was until the arrival of the Bingzhen Group, a Chinese-American conglomerate with ambitious plans to buy the town and transform it into the most popular ski resort and holiday destination in North America.
With the deal done and Christmas approaching, the community is buzzing with excitement about the future and the influx of new residents, like Binzhen envoy Ling Wong, Scottish schoolteacher Shona Fleming, new school custodian Curtis Tate and a small army of contractors. What none of them realize is that St. Nicholas was never theirs to sell.
There is something else here which has long laid claim to the land. Something which has long held the town in its thrall and does not intend to give it up without a fight. Something strange and inhuman. Something cruel and powerful and very, very, hungry.
The children call him Santa Claus.
This Christmas, reject God and worship Santa!
“Today I think I’d like to tell you a different story.”
I Killed a Vampire for My Christmas Break – Sam Whittaker
Vampire Christmas horror – Book 2 of I Kill Cursed Creatures
Allen DeShawn believes his monster-hunting days ended five years ago after he killed the werewolf.
Now it’s December 1994 and he’s itching for his high school’s Christmas Break and goofing off with his new friends. But when attractive girls go missing and Allen stumbles on the hottest teacher in school half-dead outside her house, he suspects something bad is going around and it isn’t the flu.
Allen’s hopes of a monster-free life are crushed when he discovers that a vampire has come to town, and wants more than just blood.
Also, his friends who know nothing of his past are drawn into a deadly cat-and-mouse game orchestrated by the cursed creature.
“Nineteen-ninety-four was on its way out when it happened.”
I’ll Be Alone For Christmas – Kristin Mulligan
Christmas horror
Romee’s winter break was planned out months ahead. A week at a cabin in the woods sounded romantic, and maybe it was just what her boyfriend of two years needed to pop the question.
Instead, he proposed they break up, a week before they were destined to wake up Christmas morning, happier than ever. Heartbroken but undaunted, Romee embarks on a solitary journey to the remote cabin, yearning for peace and closure in the tranquil snowscape. Six nights of isolation, wine, and TV shows seemed like the perfect remedy for a breakup.
Yet, from the moment she arrives, an ominous presence clings to her. The house is old, creaking and shifting, as if harboring another occupant. Bizarre occurrences escalate as each day passes, blurring the line between reality and a nightmare, making her question everything. She is alone, right?
When Romee decides it’s time to leave the vacation rental early, it’s already too late. Snowed in and unable to escape, she has to survive the frigid conditions and limited resources… And the possibility that someone sees her when she’s sleeping and knows when she’s awake.
“I didn’t plan on being alone on Christmas. It just kind of happened.”
Humbug – Luciano Marano
Christmas horror
In modern-day Seattle, Detective Stuart (Scrooge) Caine is a jaded homicide cop on the edge of burnout.
Every Christmas brings another murder, but this year’s case is different. A brilliant psychopath, dubbed “Humbug” by the press, has made a tradition of killing an entire family every December 25th.
With the investigation going cold and his career slipping away, Scrooge receives a visitation on Christmas Eve that shatters his skepticism: the ghost of his former partner, Marley, and three monstrous spirits, manifestations of history’s most notorious unsolved killers: Jack the Ripper, Zodiac, and The Cleveland Torso Murderer.
As the line between nightmare and reality blurs, Scrooge is forced to confront his past, his sins, and the darkness waiting for him on Christmas morning.
Sometimes, the ghosts of Christmas past don’t come to save you, they come to collect.
The Dark Days of Christmas – Graham Masterton & Karolina Mogielska
Christmas witch horror
Grýla, the Icelandic, cannibalistic “Christmas witch”, takes center stage.
The most wonderful time of the year has never been so disturbing.
“To Detective Chief Inspector Dagur, the blood that had been splashed across the blinding white snow looked like an action painting of a leaping reindeer, complete with antlers.”
Krampus’ Tree Farm – Shawn Winchell
Christmas horror
Every good Christmas story needs a few things: A small town full of holiday spirit. Someone who would rather be anywhere else. And … missing kids?
Nik Stein lives in a town called Santa’s Village, but he doesn’t like Christmas. He is getting ready to move away when he meets someone who puts all of his plans on hold.
They open a bakery together and things are going well. Until the day she buys a Christmas tree farm.
Bad things start to happen in Santa’s Village, children start to disappear, and Nik has nowhere to run.
This isn’t your children’s Christmas story.
“I started hating Christmas out of necessity.”
The Christmas Killer – J.R. Mitchell Fletcher
Christmas serial killer horror
Detective Jock Mitchell, after serving eight years in the Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police Department (DCPD), left DCPD to pursue a career as a homicide detective.
He landed in the historic city of Fredericksburg, Virginia, with his wife, Latisha. After being named the sheriff department’s only homicide detective, his work was largely relegated to solving B&Es and robberies. Detective Mitchell hadn’t found the fulfillment he sought.
On a cold winter morning in December, Detective Mitchell found himself at the center of a brutal and terrifying killing. Little did he know, it was just the beginning of a killing spree.
As the bodies piled up, the city desired a festive Christmas and holiday season, but the killer, aptly named the Christmas Killer, desired revenge and was killing the season’s holiday business.
The inexperienced detective had no answers, only victims.
“It was the Christmas season, and everyone knew that the crime rate would spike upward.”
You Better Watch Out – James S. Murray & Darren Wearmouth
Christmas serial killer horror
Forty-eight hours until Christmas, Jessica Kane wakes up with blurred vision, ears ringing, and in excruciating pain. A gash in her head and blood running down her face, the last thing she remembers is going for a run and something or someone hitting her in the head.
It doesn’t take her long to realize she is trapped in an unknown, deserted town with five other strangers who share similar stories of being attacked and stranded there. Unsure why and how they got there, she knows one thing for certain, she has to find a way out.
That becomes nearly impossible when someone is meticulously orchestrating their deaths, one by one, and the only thing Jessica can do is watch the life leave their eyes.
The fenced-in town is the killer’s very own playground and there’s nowhere left to hide.
“Darkness had invaded Old Forge.”
Violent Advents – L. Stephenson (editor)
Christmas horror anthology
All royalties will be donated to the British Heart Foundation & the American Heart Association.
26 stories of Christmas horror.
There is more to fear on a silent night than who is coming down the chimney. The writers of this anthology present to you a feast of festive frights. Read them if you dare, and find out why you should never turn your back on the centerpiece of this joyous holiday: the Christmas tree.
“There is nothing wrong with the goddamn tree!”
An Alternative Christmas Carol – Matt Shaw
Extreme Christmas horror
What if Scrooge saw his past, was reminded of his present and had a glimpse of his future but did not care for how he was perceived by the Spirits offering redemption and salvation?
What if the visits turn Scrooge darker still?
“The world would be a better place without such occasions needing to be marked.”
Christmas Eve Carnage – John Lynch
Christmas horror – Book 1 of Christmas Eve Carnage
Life has been difficult for the Feltcher family since the loss of loving wife and mother, Courtney Feltcher.
Her husband, Jack Feltcher, buries his grief in his job, working long hours and neglecting his children
The Feltcher children struggle with the loss of their mother, and a father who is too busy with work to be present.
Chad Reynolds, an ex-con with a bone to pick, plots his revenge, while a malevolent Christmas elf rises.
A nor’easter slams the town as Chad and Sprinkles are on the loose.
There will be no silent night, only… CHRISTMAS EVE CARNAGE!
“Justin Pitts sat on a massive throne upholstered in red velvet.”
Naughty List – Don Campbell
Christmas horror
The village of Oakhaven is picture-perfect in December 1993. Holly wreaths hang on every door, fairy lights twinkle in frosted windows, and the smell of cinnamon and roasting chestnuts fills the air. For nine-year-old Megan Turner, it should be the most magical time of year.
Then her mum brings down an old Christmas decoration from the loft – a vintage elf named Jingles, with a too-wide smile and glass eyes that seem to follow you across the room. It’s just a harmless tradition, Mum says. A bit of festive fun to watch over them until Christmas morning.
But as the winter days darken, something shifts in their little cottage at the end of the lane. Mum grows distant, neighbours begin to disappear. And Megan can’t shake the feeling that Jingles is always watching, always listening, keeping his list of who’s been naughty and nice.
Because some Christmas traditions hide secrets that should have stayed buried in the attic.
“Its mouth was stretched into a grin so wide it looked painful.”
