Eternal Holidays
Explore the CollectionHappy Holidays, Eternal Family! In this playlist we’re highlighting the best of our Christmas stories and winter classics for you and yours to enjoy this holiday season. We’ve traveled far and wide to bring these hidden gems together, with selections from Spain, Estonia, Armenia, Latvia, Poland, England, Japan, Italy, Finland, Sweden, rural Wisconsin, New York City and whatever Celestial Realm Iasos emerged from. It’s a solid mix! For your convenience, we’ve sorted the films into three categories: Cozy Animations, Christmas Horrors, and Winter Gems.
To the best of our knowledge, there are seven different depictions of Santa Claus in our library. In some cases, as in the stop motion films, he's a doll-like folkloric hero. For that energy, look for The Gnome's Tree or The House Spirit. In other accounts, the Little Saint Nick is a fraud, a crook, a home invader, and a brutal murderer. Find these less jolly depictions in the Christmas Horrors section. Christmas Evil is a great pick for a group viewing (unless you're a young child), and nothing hits quite like Feeders 2 Slay Bells after a weird nap and the feeling you ate too much. For a few christ-neutral winter tales, there's The White Reindeer and The Snow Woman, both great films to cozy up and watch on a cold December night. If you're showing this program to kids, the Cozy Animation section is full of hits: recommendations for daytime viewing include The Surprise, Mattie the Goose Boy, and A Fairytale Sits on the Doorstep. For the complete list of films, stream the 'Eternal Holiday' category on our platform.
Christmas Evil (1980)
Garbed in his red suit, Harry, a toy factory worker, decides that the only thing he can do to save the spirit of Christmas is to become Santa Claus himself and make all of the naughty townspeople pay… in blood! Directed by Lewis Jackson Presented with All Channel Films.
Blood Beat (1983)
Sarah and her boyfriend have decided to spend Christmas at his home in rural Wisconsin. However, upon arriving, she begins to feel a strange presence around her, and a mysterious figure garbed in a Samurai outfit begins murdering the townsfolk. Directed by Fabrice A. Zaphiratos. Presented with All Channel Films.
Don't Open Till Christmas (1984)
It’s just days before Christmas in London, but not everyone is full of good cheer - as a maniac with a pathological hatred of Santa Claus stalks the streets, butchering any man that’s unlucky enough to be wandering around dressed as Old Saint Nick. Directed by Edmund Purdom & Alan Birkinshaw.
Feeders 2 Slay Bells
Aliens invade Earth over the Christmas holidays, and it’s up to Santa Claus and his elves to save the world. Directed by Mark Polonia & John Polonia.
The Snowman (1932)
Less a horror movie and more a 'Christmas Villain' type of thing. A young boy and his animal companions try create a snowman, but their playful creation unexpectedly springs to life and wreaks havoc on the local wildlife. A good reminder to be careful what you wish for. Directed by Ted Eshbaugh & Restored by Thunderbean Animation.
The House Spirit (1991)
A greedy fox steals presents from Father Frost's sleigh (looks a lot like Santa), and then a dwarf and two enchanted two enchanted toys work to deliver the gifts to children. Presented with the Estonian Film Institute.
The Gnome's Tree
Before Christmas, a curious world of elves awaken. Snow-white elves make gifts from snow and ice. During the work, the elves themselves become colorful - their world acquires a sense of beauty and existence.
A Fairytale Sits on the Doorstep
A wistful little "story-spirit" rides the wind to a child's doorstep and invites her on a whistle-stop tour through the Latvian seasons.
Mattie the Goose Boy (1977)
A young peasant boy stands up to tyranny, aided by his trusting friend - a goose. Directed by Attila Dargay & Presented with the National Film Institute Hungary – Film Archive.
The Surprise (1965)
A lonely puppet wanders through a handmade paper world, discovering unexpected wonder in the smallest details. Teresa Badzian’s 1965 gem blends stop-motion whimsy with a quietly surreal mood, turning an ordinary moment into a gentle, magical surprise. Directed by Teresa Badzian. Presented with WFDiF / Studio Filmowe Kadr.
Birthday (1994)
Little Leo`s birthday is on Christmas Eve. A taxi with quests draws up in front of Leo`s house. Very soon after that the getaway cars and police cars stop in front of the same house and there is a skirmish between them. A moment after it starts snowing and a sleigh with Father Christmas rushes past. Directed by Janno Põldma. Presented with Estonian Film Institute.
The Snow Woman
A master sculptor and his apprentice are trapped in a bad snow storm after finding a special tree for carving a statue for the local temple. Finding refuge in an abandoned hut they celebrate their luck in finding the tree but soon they are visited by the Snow Witch who freezes the sculptor to death but takes pity on the apprentice. He must promise to never speak of this or she’ll return and kill him. Directed by Tokuzō Tanaka.
Iasos: Crystal Vista
Cleanse the doors of perception with Iasos, a psychedelic ambient beauty from the early days of digital artwork. Released in 1981, Crystal Vista was one of the very first visionary videos, and it was produced by one of the original founders of New Age music. The visual effects also feature images by 12 of the leading visionary painters of the era. Directed by Iasos.
Winter (1964)
An abstract animated short film by Piotr Kamler that visually interprets the themes of Antonio Vivaldi's "Winter" concerto through imagery such as blizzards, dancing moons, and shimmering ice crystals. Directed by Piotr Kamler & Presented with aaa Productions.
The White Reindeer (1952)
A newly-married woman becomes frustrated as her husband, a reindeer herder for an Arctic village, spends much of his time away. Desperate for affection, she visits a shaman who offers a potion that makes her irresistibly desirable, with unexpected and deadly results. Directed by Erik Blomberg.
In The Soup (1992)
An aspiring young filmmaker gets involved with an eccentric gangster for the financing of his first film. Directed by Alexandre Rockwell.