Holidays(2016)
2016 · Kevin Smith & Nicholas McCarthy & Dennis Widmyer & Gary Shore & Scott Stewart & Sarah Adina Smith & Kevin Kölsch & Anthony Scott Burns & Adam Egypt Mortimer · 104 min
An anthology feature film that puts a uniquely dark and original spin on some of the most iconic and beloved holidays of all time by challenging our folklore, traditions and assumptions.
Comedy · Horror · Fantasy · Mystery
4.9527 votes
TMDB score
3/5
Intensity
2/5
Gore
3/5
Stays with you
How Holidays scares
Each segment starts calm and almost normal, then slowly twists the holiday it's built around into something unsettling by the end, so the pace resets nine different times across the film. Some stories move slowly and quietly, building a strange mood rather than jumping out at you, while a couple lean into stranger, more surreal or creature-based territory. The tone shifts a lot from one story to the next, mixing sad or eerie character moments with flashes of body horror and dark fantasy, so it feels less like one steady ride and more like a mixed box of unsettling short stories. This is better for viewers who like arty, offbeat horror anthologies than for anyone wanting nonstop scares.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, Holidays rates psychological 4/5, visceral 2/5, gore 2/5, lingering effect 3/5, and overall intensity 3/5.
- Psychological: 4 of 5
- Visceral: 2 of 5
- Gore: 2 of 5
- Lingering: 3 of 5
- Intensity: 3 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 20 of 100 — leans Slow burn
Supernatural vs Real-world: 50 of 100 — balanced
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 65 of 100 — leans Disturbing
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
An anthology that rises and dips in short waves, each segment building its own small tension before easing off and starting again, with a few sharper jolts scattered through the back half.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 1, 2, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, 2, 3, 4, 3.
How scary is Holidays?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, Holidays rates 3/5 — solidly scary, building its fear through slow-burn dread rather than shocks. The fear is mostly in your head — it unsettles far more than it assaults. Expect it to be moderately gory and genuinely disturbing. Some of it will follow you to bed, but it lets go within a day or so.
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