Red Christmas

Red Christmas

Year: 2017

Runtime: 82 min

Language: English

Director: Craig Anderson

Echo Score: 66
ThrillerHorror

Snowflakes fall as a fractured family gathers at their secluded matriarch’s estate for Christmas Eve. Their uneasy reunion is shattered by the arrival of a horribly scarred stranger. He seeks retribution against the widow and her family, plunging them into a terrifying fight for survival. The festive atmosphere quickly turns sinister as the killer hunts his prey in a gruesome and chaotic game.

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen Red Christmas yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!

Red Christmas (2017) – Full Plot Summary & Ending Explained

Read the complete plot breakdown of Red Christmas (2017), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.

As the warmth and cheer of Christmas festivities envelop the atmosphere, an unsettling chill begins to creep into the family gathering. The tension ignites with the arrival of an enigmatic stranger, Cletus, who steps into the scene draped in mystery and darkness. Although initially welcomed as a guest, his presence quickly casts a somber shadow over the celebration as he reads from a letter he wrote himself. The conversation veers dangerously into the contentious topic of abortion, igniting conflicts that ultimately compel Cletus to leave, with a grim warning: if he dares to return, his life will be at stake.

As the revelries continue into the night, the family’s naivety begins to unravel like a fraying thread. We learn that two decades earlier, Diane, portrayed by Dee Wallace, the family’s matriarch, had journeyed north to end her pregnancy. In a tragic twist of fate, a religious fanatic bombed the clinic, thwarting her plans and leaving them with an insatiable thirst for vengeance that festered in the aftermath. The reappearance of Cletus signifies the onset of a bloody reckoning, as he seeks to serve his family’s dark fate.

With the darkness thickening, Hope meets a gruesome end at the hands of Cletus, who strikes her down with an unrelenting blow of an ax. The grim events escalate as Joe is strangled in a car, Scott suffers a fatal blow that shatters his skull, and even a local police officer falls mere moments after his arrival. The chaos culminates in a horrific scene as Peter’s head is cruelly ground into a pulp.

In the midst of this carnage, Jerry becomes an unintended casualty of Diane’s accidental gunshot, while the atmosphere is pierced by terror as Ginny brings new life into the world, only for Cletus to mercilessly stab Suzy with a brutal umbrella. Tragically, the newborn is not spared either, its delicate back punctured by Cletus’s blade, and the innocent infant left to rest on a nearby table.

As the blood-soaked night drags on, Diane finally seizes her chance for retribution. In a moment of primal fury, she grasps an anchor tethered around her neck and plunges it into Cletus’s torso. In a desperate effort for survival, she leaps from the second-floor window but becomes ensnared, her body gruesomely torn apart by the chain. This leaves Ginny’s newborn as the sole survivor amid the devastation that has befallen the family home, a haunting reminder of the night’s harrowing events.

Last Updated: November 19, 2024 at 16:59

Mobile App Preview

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Mobile App

From blockbusters to hidden gems — dive into movie stories anytime, anywhere. Save your favorites, discover plots faster, and never miss a twist again.

Sign up to be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private — always.

Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Holiday horror movies like Red Christmas

Iconic celebrations shattered by violent intrusion and terror.If you liked the way Red Christmas turns a festive family gathering into a bloodbath, you'll find similar thrills here. This list features movies where holidays and celebrations become the backdrop for relentless terror and violent home invasions, perfect for fans of dark seasonal horror.

sinisterclaustrophobicgruesomefestive nightmarehome invasionchaoticbrutaloppressive

Narrative Summary

The narrative typically begins with a family or group gathering for a celebration, establishing a sense of normalcy and comfort. This peace is abruptly shattered by the arrival of a threat—often a stalker, killer, or supernatural force—forcing the characters into a desperate and gruesome fight for survival within the decorated, now-trapped, location.

Why These Movies?

They are grouped by their core premise of subverting a cheerful, familiar holiday atmosphere with extreme violence and dread. The shared experience is one of contrasting festive iconography with brutal horror, amplifying the sense of invasion and helplessness.

Bleak revenge horror stories like Red Christmas

A killer from the past returns to systematically destroy a guilty family.For viewers who appreciated the grim, motivation-driven horror of Red Christmas, this collection features movies where a traumatic past event fuels a killer's revenge plot against a family. These stories are heavy, straightforward, and typically end with profound loss and devastation.

bleakrevengetraumaticgruesomemoral ambiguitysystematichopelessbrutal

Narrative Summary

The plot is driven by a mysterious or scarred figure seeking vengeance for a historical wrong committed by the family patriarch or matriarch. The story unfolds linearly as the antagonist systematically hunts down family members, revealing the dark secret piece by piece, culminating in a confrontational and often hopeless finale.

Why These Movies?

They share a focus on revenge as the central motive, a straightforward narrative of systematic elimination, and a heavy emotional weight derived from exploring trauma and guilt. The experience is defined by its bleak tone and the inevitability of the tragic outcome.

Unlock the Full Story of Red Christmas

Don't stop at just watching — explore Red Christmas in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Red Christmas is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Red Christmas Timeline

Track the full timeline of Red Christmas with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Red Christmas Timeline

Characters, Settings & Themes in Red Christmas

Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape Red Christmas. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.

Characters, Settings & Themes in Red Christmas

Red Christmas Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Red Christmas that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

Red Christmas Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Red Christmas

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Red Christmas: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About Red Christmas