YULE BE SCARED: Festive frights

For all the fun and festive cheer, you can also find something more sinister lurking beneath the baubles. See Inside No 9 (10pm, BBC2), and these creepy Christmas-set films…

Gremlins (1984) Chaos reigns over Chrimbo when some badly behaved critters are unleashed in this comedy. It all starts with cute little Gizmo (above), a Christmas present for teenager Billy, who doesn’t heed the warnings not to expose his new pet to water, or feed him after midnight…

Jack Frost (1997) Potty horror comedy in which a serial killer has a new lease of life as a cold- blooded killer snowman. Surely, you only need a hairdryer to put an end to his menace…

The Children (2008) For some, Christmas is all about spoiling their cherubic children, but the kids in this British chiller would definitely not make it on to Santa’s list. During the winter festivities, the offspring of two families are infected with an illness that makes them dreadfully naughty indeed. Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010) Sinister origins for Santa Claus are explored in this dark Finnish parody fantasy in which the lair of mythical creatures is uncovered in the snowy landscape of Lapland. Have you ever noticed that Santa is an anagram for Satan?

Krampus (2015) An eerie presence, watching from inside a snow globe, punishes a family who have lost their festive spirit in this horror comedy. If they don’t mend their bah-humbug ways, Christmas Day will be the day from Hell.