The Best Christmas Flicks You've Never Seen

So, it's getting to be about that time of year again...the time of year when we all sit on our asses, eat cookies and catch about 36 straight hours of Christmas programming with the family. Personally, I never get tired of the usual suspects: A Christmas Story, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Elf, It's a Wonderful Life and the like, but I'm sure some of you are a bit wearied with this, and besides, there are other Christmas films out there, just as good but often overlooked for one reason or another. So, in the interest of holiday diversity, here's a trio of lesser-known Christmas flicks you might want to check out this year.

Scrooged, 1988

 Bill Murray stars in this updated, decidedly 80s-tastic version of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, as a sleazy, greedy TV executive who cares more about ratings than holiday cheer. As a result, he's visited by three spirits and finds the true meaning of Christmas. It's the same story, just a lot naughtier and starring a Ghostbuster.

Rounding out the cast are Karen Allen (Raiders of the Lost Ark), John Forsythe, Carol Kane, Bobcat Goldthwait and legends John Houseman and Robert Mitchum.

Best Scene: Murray gets smacked in the face with a toaster by the psychotic ghost of Christmas Present.

Black Christmas (1974)

Tired of the irrepressible Christmas cheer swirling around the house? Try a Christmas fright instead. This unlikely classic, directed by Bob Clark (Who would go on to make A Christmas Story nine years later), is the story of a group of sorority sisters staying in the house they share over the holiday break as a psychotic killer roams the streets, making threatening phone calls and picking them off one by one.

It sounds silly, but it  was positively revolutionary in '74, and the flick holds up surprisingly well. It's legitimately creepy, even disturbing, and featured a great cast that includes Margot Kidder and Olivia Hussey. Plus, it predates John Carpenter's Halloween by four years, but uses many of the same trademarks.

Best Scene: Murder with a plastic bag. So hard to watch and yet such a great suspenseful moment.

The Ref (1994)

 Denis Leary is a hardened criminal. Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis are a couple at each other's throats in the midst of a divorce. He takes them hostage, they drive him crazy, and Christmas is all around. Hilarity ensues.

Best Scene: All of them