If you're a fan of Die Hard, you'll love these 7 other unconventional Christmas movies.

I love Die Hard. You love Die Hard. Everyone who appreciates a good vest and some witty one-liners in December loves Die Hard. But if we're opening the vault on what counts as a Christmas movie — and yes, the criteria is "action movie that happens to be set during Christmas" — then we are seriously limiting ourselves.

We're talking about a genre that pairs high-octane violence and explosions with jingling bells and fake snow. It's a collision of chaos and merriment, and honestly, it's exactly the unhinged energy we need. 

Watch: The trailer for Die Hard. Article continues after video.

So, put on your most questionable Christmas jumper, grab a hot chocolate, and settle in. It's time to expand your holiday action horizons with these must-see Christmas adjacent films.

You're welcome.

Violent Night.

Image: Universal Pictures

A disillusioned, boozy Santa Claus (yes, the Santa) is delivering presents to a massive, ridiculously wealthy family compound on Christmas Eve when a team of ruthless mercenaries — led by a delightfully nasty John Leguizamo, code-named 'Scrooge '— breaks in to steal $300 million.

Santa, whose job now mostly involves delivering coal to the masses, is forced to rediscover his ass-kicking ancient warrior roots to save the family (and Christmas, obviously).

It takes the Die Hard formula and actually centres it on the holiday icon himself. There are candy canes used as lethal weapons, a fight scene in a fully decorated gingerbread house, and it's got all the ultra-violence you crave, but with a genuinely sweet, family-saving core. 

Ho, ho, holy moly.

You can buy or rent Violent Night on Prime Video.

Jingle All The Way.

Image: 20th Century Studios

Workaholic dad Howard Langston (Arnold Schwarzenegger) has forgotten to buy the must-have toy of the season — Turbo-Man — for his son. On Christmas Eve, he embarks on an increasingly desperate, city-spanning quest to find one. His mission is thwarted at every turn by a deranged postal worker named Myron and the sheer, brutal consumerism of the season, leading to a truly ridiculous, high-flying, action-packed finale at the annual Christmas parade. 

It's an action movie about the real warzone: retail. The pure, single-minded drive of the protagonist to acquire the prize is the engine of the action, culminating in a spectacular, low-budget superhero brawl that's absurdly violent for a family comedy. 

You can watch Jingle All The Way on Disney+.

Batman Returns.

Image: Warner Bros.

Set amid a beautifully snow-covered, gothic Gotham City during the holidays, a very lonely Bruce Wayne/Batman has to contend with a new trio of villains: the terrifying Penguin (Danny DeVito), the gloriously unhinged Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer), and corrupt businessman Max Shreck (Christopher Walken). 

The Christmas tree lighting ceremony is cancelled, the city is in peril, and the only thing anyone really wants is a nice, quiet holiday. The entire mood is Christmas, but make it dark and twisted. 

More importantly, it features the most iconic Christmas Tree Lighting sabotage in cinema history, packed with explosions, vehicle chases, and some of the best (and most violently electric) villain vs. hero action of the decade.

You can watch Batman Returns on HBO Max and Prime Video.

Lethal Weapon.

Image: Warner Bros.

Suicidal L.A. cop Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) is paired with the veteran, family-man detective Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) just before Christmas. Their seemingly routine investigation into a sex worker's death spirals into a massive, global drug trafficking conspiracy involving ruthless ex-Special Forces mercenaries.

Murtaugh is trying to make it to Christmas dinner, and Riggs is just trying to make it to tomorrow. It literally opens with a Christmas song, for God's sake. 

The holiday decorations are everywhere, offering a stark, glittering contrast to the brutal martial arts, gunfire, and rooftop chases. 

You can buy or rent Lethal Weapon on Prime Video.

Carry-On.

Image: Netflix

It's Christmas Eve at LAX. Ethan Kopek (Taron Egerton), a young, cynical TSA agent, is blackmailed by an anonymous, ruthless mercenary (Jason Bateman) into allowing a dangerous package — a lethal nerve agent — to slip through security and onto a flight. 

What follows is a tense, claustrophobic thriller as Ethan races against time and a massive, corrupt conspiracy to stop the attack and save his pregnant girlfriend. 

It's literally Die Hard in an airport security queue. The tension and setting of Christmas Eve — the busiest, most stressful travel day of the year — amplifies the stakes. There are desperate chases through baggage conveyor belts and a final showdown on the plane… it's the perfect action and Christmas crossover. 

You can watch Carry-On on Netflix.

Everly.

Image: Dimension Films

On Christmas Eve, Everly (Salma Hayek), a woman held as a sex slave by a Yakuza mob boss, finds herself trapped in her high-rise apartment. She's betrayed her boss, and now he's sent wave after wave of sadistic assassins, hitmen, and rival sex workers to kill her for a bounty. 

Armed with a hidden arsenal, Everly fights through a bloody siege, intent on surviving long enough to save her estranged mother and young daughter. 

It's a lot like Die Hard but set in one apartment, and it happens on Christmas Eve! The holiday is an utterly bizarre, dark juxtaposition to the brutal, hyper-violent siege, with Christmas lights and decorations everywhere as people are shot, stabbed, and blown up.  It's an insane, darkly comedic, and empowering revenge saga that reminds us that sometimes, the greatest gift is just seeing another morning.

You can watch Everly on Prime Video.

The Long Kiss Goodnight.

Image: New Line Cinema

Samantha Caine (Geena Davis) is a small-town schoolteacher with amnesia who is happily living with her daughter and boyfriend, preparing for Christmas. But after a car accident, fragments of a lethal past begin to surface. She hires a cheap private detective, Mitch Henessey (Samuel L. Jackson), to help her piece together her memory, only to discover she was once a highly trained, ruthless assassin. 

Soon, the former enemies she exposed are coming for her, and the final, explosive showdown is set during a chaotic Christmas Day parade. 

It's an action thriller blockbuster from Shane Black, who practically owns the action-Christmas subgenre.

You can watch The Long Kiss Goodnight on Netflix.

Feature Image: Universal Pictures.