Now December is here, its time to break out the Christmas movies! We've taken a poll of QUAD staff to find out their favourite Christmas movies and the results are in! A grand total of 31 films received at least one vote but the top 5 were clear. Read on to find out our favourites.
Number 5:
The Nightmare Before Christmas
USA 1993 76 mins Dir: Henry Selick
This stop-motion animated classic blends Halloween with Christmas as it tells the tale of Jack Skellington, the king of Halloween Town, who stumbles across Christmas Town and tries to bring its traditions home, unwittingly putting Santa Clause at risk. Based on characters created by Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands) and featuring memorable songs by Danny Elfman, The Nightmare Before Christmas manages to be both a classic you can enjoy at two different annual celebrations!
"A wildly entertaining blend of Halloween and Christmas wrapped up with a forever memorable soundtrack and beautiful stop motion animation. This was part of my gateway into horror when I was a young child and I've been obsessed with it ever since." - Adam C, Technical Delivery Officer
Number 4:
It's A Wonderful Life
USA 1946 131 mins Dir: Frank Capra
Another film that QUAD traditionally screens over the Christmas period, starring James Stewart, Donna Reed, Henry Travers and Lionel Barrymore. Stewart plays George Bailey, a frustrated businessman who is fighting to keep his town out of the clutches of the slum landlord Mr Potter (Barrymore). When all seems lost Bailey begins to think the town would be better off without him and an angel is sent from Heaven to demonstrate what life would have been like had he had never existed.
"The only film I have ever seen my father burst into tears and blub like a baby while watching." - Glenn H, Catering Manager
Number 3:
Home Alone
USA 1992 103 mins Dir: Chris Columbus
Written by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus, Home Alone was a surprise smash hit at the box office in 1992 and has stayed a festive favourite ever since. Macauley Culkin plays the small boy who, having been forgotten by his parents when leaving on their Christmas trip, must defend his home from the nefarious Wet Bandits, played by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern.
"The music, the feeling it gives you at the end, the characters, the pranks - Home Alone is ultimate Christmas vibes, a warm mince pie with cream and a sherry gives me a similar feeling." - Laura O'L - Assistant Curator
Number 2:
Die Hard
1988 USA 132 mins Dir: John McTiernan
Debate has raged on whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie for years and the QUAD team has come definitively down on the side of "yes it is!". Bruce Willis' battle to save his wife and a host of others trapped in Nakatomi Plaza by an armed gang during Christmas has been, alongside its sequel, a popular festive screening at QUAD in recent years.
"Every year I watch Die Hard on 23rd December and always will. It has it all. Action. Comedy. Snow. Redemption. Explosions. Helicopters. A Heist. When I see Nakatomi Plaza in flames and hear Let it Snow, I know it Christmas! Yippee Ki Yay!" - Darius P, TECH:SQUAD Digital Producer.
Number 1:
The Muppets Christmas Carol
1992 USA/UK 86 mins Dir: Brian Henson
In this adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel the terrible miser Ebenezer Scrooge (Michael Caine) is held accountable for his awful behaviour by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Co-starring Kermit The Frog as Bob Cratchit. Miss Piggy as Emily Cratchit, Statler & Waldorf as Jacob & Robert Marley and Gonzo as Charles Dickens himself.
"Stays very close to the Dickens source material but improves on it by adding Gonzo and Kermit. Best songs too." - Ben W, Cafe Bar Team
