Christmas films with atmosphere and a bit of spookiness, preferably British or Irish?

[sprigatito]

I do love all the usual American schmalz Christmas movies, and I love a few British comedy ones like Arthur Christmas and Click and Collect... but are there any British or Irish Christmas films with a bit of non-gory spooky atmosphere to them? I want to watch something that's Christmassy but reasonably intelligent and doesn't look like an American Christmas tat shop has thrown up all over it. Any ideas? I've seen all the Ghost Story for Christmas episodes.

The Box of Delights is on next weekend on BBC4 - not ghosts but SO British. Depends how old you are, I guess, but if you are 48, it defines Christmas.

The Box of delights. It starts on bbc 4 on Saturday or you will have to buy the DVD

Snap!!

We just watched Silent Night a 2021 film on Amazon, really enjoyed it despite the sad theme

Not Christmassy but set in Victorian England and one of the spookiest films I have ever watched.
The Woman in Black, the 1989 version (NOT the 2012 version with Daniel Radcliffe)
It's on Prime to rent, but it's free on YT shown in its entirety.

I watched Silent Night the other evening and thought it was a really good film. Lots to think about and great character interactions. Sad theme but clever

Watching The Bones of St Nicholas now - so far so good!

Sorry what is ghost story? I googled and quite a few things came up...

TBF, you can’t beat reading the original MR James ghost stories.

Christmas Carol on bbc 2019 miniseries. So haunting, spooky and gothic!

Silent Night is so disturbing. Gave me nightmares. But I still 'enjoyed' it and would recommend it

to be fair you did say preferably British or Irish, not only, so it seems a bit pedantic to complain (twice!) when people give you suggestions that they think match all your other criteria...

Any of the Mark Gatiss adaptations of MR James short stories?

These aren't Christmassy as such but can be watched over Christmas.

The TV series Thriller - it's a 1970s series of spooky stories with a twist.

Box of Delights - A children's series about a magic box, full of British folklore

Robin Red Breast - excellent 70s folk horror set in the heart of the English countryside.

The Stone Tape and Beasts - Both written by seminal writer Nigel Kneale. The Stone Tape is a supernatural film and Beasts is a series.

Penny Dreadful - Gothic TV series.

The Netflix mini series The Haunting of Bly Manor is set in an English manor house during the Christmas holidays IIRC. There are spin-offs, too.

The Age of Adeline (USA) takes place over the Christmas period and Blake Lively is very poised and British in her demeanor. Intriguing twists rather than horror.

Irish director Neil Jordan made The Company of Wolves. It has snow in it…

I agree. The ‘American’ bit seemed to me to relate to schmaltz and tat rather than the people of America!

The Dead Zone is a fine recommendation and I am sticking by it!

The Green Knight
Not especially scary but weird and has the amazing Dev Patel in it. I watch it every yule time now.
Also The Company of Wolves. Slightly kitsch and the special effects aren't the best but I love it and it's based on the fairytales Angela Carter adapted for her book of short stories, The Bloody Chamber.

Last Christmas. Cheesy but British (or at least set in Britain). Emma Thompson.

I came on to say the same. I'm going to re-watch the Box of Delights this Christmas for a bit of Chrismassy childhood nostalgia.

Oh yes! This is brilliant.

Jingle all the Way 1996 with Arnie Schwazenegger.
It's American but I love it.

Lassie, A Chirstmas Story 1958

I am SOOO grateful for this thread! So many of these suggestions are suited to my idea of a perfect cosy evening with the family 💖

Not British but my favourite Christmas film after National Lampoon is Krampus. Spooky, funny, brilliant!

'Complain' is a bit strong for what op said methinks.

Gonna have a look for this!