Buzz
As the holiday season arrives, there's no better way to spend a chilly December evening than curling up with a hot chocolate or eggnog and enjoying a classic Christmas film. This list unveils some of the most fascinating tidbits about the creation of well-known Christmas movies, ranging from childhood favorites to eerie horror tales. Keep reading to learn these fun facts so you can impress your loved ones the next time you're watching one of these films together.
10. Tim Allen's Santa Suit in The Santa Clause
In The Santa Clause (1994), Scott Calvin, portrayed by Tim Allen, inadvertently causes Santa to fall off a roof and meet his end, leading Scott to step into the role of Saint Nick. While a rather dark opening for a Disney Christmas film, the original scene was even more grim, with Scott shooting and killing Santa. Although the murder was toned down to manslaughter, Scott's transformation into Santa remained quite the ordeal, as did Allen’s experience with the suit.
In an interview with ABC News, Allen shared that it took a staggering three and a half hours to get into the fat suit and makeup, and another hour and a half to remove it. He could only film for about six hours at a time in the suit before the lack of ventilation forced him to take a break. The Santa suit had additional issues too; the original design included jingling bells that disrupted the sound in some shots, requiring Allen to re-record some audio during post-production. It turns out, being Santa is no easy task!
9. The Tarantula Scene in Home Alone
One of the highlights of the holiday season is watching Kevin McCallister exacting his revenge on the Wet Bandits in Home Alone (1990). While Macaulay Culkin's character delivers most of the punishment, often with the help of his stunt double, Larry Nicholas, actors Daniel Stern and Joe Pesci took on some of the more dangerous stunts themselves. While props like fake ornaments helped cushion the blows, certain effects were harder to fake, especially without the aid of modern special effects.
For instance, the tarantula placed on Stern's face was genuine, not a CGI creation or rubber prop. The actor, understandably not thrilled with the situation, requested the spider's stinger be removed, but was told that doing so would result in its death. Stern humorously responded, “Yeah, but if you don’t take it out, I’ll die.” He was also worried that his scream would cause the spider to attack, but was reassured that the spider had no ears, meaning there was no need to dub his terrified scream. Fortunately, the scene went smoothly, and Stern’s petrified scream at the real spider remains one of the most memorable moments in the film.
8. Chevy Chase's Broken Finger in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
It’s a famous fact that Viggo Mortensen injured his toes by kicking a helmet during the filming of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), and his pain-filled scream even made it into the final cut. But did you know that Chevy Chase broke a finger while filming National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)?
In the scene where Clark Griswold once again struggles to get the Christmas lights to work, his frustration boils over and he vents it on the plastic decorations in the yard. Poor Kris Kringle takes a punch to the face, which unfortunately caused Chevy Chase to break his pinky finger. Despite the injury, he continued filming the scene, but instead of punching the sleigh and reindeer, he switched to kicking them due to the pain. Much like Viggo Mortensen’s broken toes, the shot of Chevy hurting his finger made it into the final cut of the movie.
7. Rubber Feet in Die Hard
Die Hard (1988) is celebrated not only as an iconic action film but also as a holiday classic (start the debate now!). Early on, John McClane, played by Bruce Willis, takes off his shoes and socks, only to find himself barefoot for the rest of the movie after the action intensifies. The German terrorists take advantage of this by shattering all the glass in an office, hoping to trap McClane. However, the resourceful hero dashes across the glass, leading to a bloody sequence where he pulls the shards from his feet.
Naturally, Willis didn’t actually put his feet at risk for the film; instead, he wore specially designed rubber feet for protection. (Similarly, Daniel Stern wore fake feet for certain scenes in Home Alone.) Willis’s rubber feet are mostly convincing, though in a few instances, such as when he dives for cover as FBI agents shoot at him from a helicopter, they can be a bit more obvious.
6. A Cameraman Was the Killer in Black Christmas
For those who crave a chilling Christmas experience, Black Christmas (1974) offers the perfect thrill. The film follows a group of sorority sisters being hunted by a mysterious killer during their Christmas break. Director Bob Clark intentionally kept the killer’s identity hidden to heighten the suspense.
Instead, the film offers a view from the killer's perspective. These unsettling shots, which sometimes show the killer’s hands and arms, were filmed by cinematographer Bert Dunk. Dunk created a custom rig that allowed the camera to be mounted on his body, giving him more freedom with his shots. This innovation enabled his hands to appear in the frame, such as during the killer's climb up a trellis and the bag strangulation scene.
5. Michael Caine's Role in The Muppet Christmas Carol
As the only human actor in The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), Michael Caine, who portrayed Ebenezer Scrooge, found himself immersed in a world dominated by Muppets. The set was designed with enough space for the Muppets and their performers to move, so Caine had to navigate planks that were placed between characters during filming.
It’s nearly impossible to picture anyone else in the role of Scrooge, though other actors, including comedian George Carlin, were considered. Caine’s commitment to playing the role seriously influenced his casting. He told director Brian Henson, the son of the legendary Jim Henson, that he would approach Scrooge as if performing for the Royal Shakespeare Company: “I will never do anything Muppety. I will play Scrooge as if it’s a completely serious role, with no puppets around me.” To prepare for the part, Caine watched CNN coverage of Wall Street embezzlers, believing they were the perfect representation of greed and meanness.
4. Method Acting in Bad Santa
For those who despise the holiday season, Bad Santa (2003) is the perfect antidote. The film follows Billy Bob Thornton’s character, an alcoholic conman posing as Santa Claus to rob department stores. Thornton’s portrayal of the character is deeply rooted in method acting, sometimes leading him to be genuinely intoxicated on set.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly’s Couch Surfing series, Thornton shared that before a scene where his drunken character works as a mall Santa, he “drank about three glasses of red wine for breakfast.” That was just the beginning—he switched to vodka and cranberry juice before having a few Bud Lights. By the time he arrived on set, he claimed, “I barely knew I was in a movie.” The scene was supposed to start with him standing on an escalator, but he was so intoxicated that he fell asleep. When he woke up at the top, he was momentarily confused, but quickly got back into character and continued with the scene.
3. Peter Billingsley Chewing Tobacco in A Christmas Story
A Christmas Story (1983), another Bob Clark classic, offers a festive experience packed with childhood nostalgia instead of horror. One of the movie’s highlights is Ralphie’s (played by Peter Billingsley) vivid daydreams. In one of these fantasies, Ralphie imagines himself as a tobacco-chewing cowboy who saves his family from burglars with his trusty BB gun. While the dream was imaginary, the tobacco chewing was very real.
During a conversation on the “That Scene with Dan Patrick” podcast, Billingsley shared an amusing memory of being handed Red Man tobacco to chew at the age of 12. Although he agreed to try it, the experience quickly turned sour. Fifteen minutes later, he recalls, “I start sweating. My stomach starts hurting, and I start throwing up.” After realizing that the prop department had mistakenly given him real tobacco, Clark stopped filming. Once Billingsley recovered, they resumed shooting, this time replacing the tobacco with raisins.
Despite this incident, Billingsley didn’t shy away from Christmas movie roles. He went on to portray Ming Ming, an elf, in Elf and later played a ticket agent in Four Christmases (2008).
2. The Practical Effects in Gremlins
If you're tired of the sugary sweetness typical of Christmas films, the horror-comedy Gremlins (1984) offers a perfect alternative. One of the film's standout features is its use of practical effects. The mischievous creatures were brought to life by Chris Walas, who also created the unsettling effects in The Fly (1986).
However, puppetry was not the filmmakers’ first idea. Director Joe Dante, producer Michael Finnell, and executive producer Steven Spielberg originally tried to use monkeys dressed in gremlin suits. Their plan faltered when a test monkey caused chaos on set. But to be fair, that's exactly the kind of behavior you’d expect from a gremlin.
This decision led the team to experiment with puppets, but that approach brought its own set of challenges. The puppets used for Gizmo were especially difficult to work with due to their small size, which caused them to break down frequently. This frustration led to the creation of a 'Horrible Things To Do to Gizmo' list. Despite the setbacks, the effort paid off as the film became a major success.
Although the film was successful, some critics felt that the PG rating was too lenient (after all, a gremlin explodes in a microwave), while an R rating seemed too severe. Spielberg, who faced a similar dilemma with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), advocated for a rating that fell between PG and R. As a result, both Gremlins and Temple of Doom played a role in the creation of the PG-13 rating.
1. Will Ferrell’s Improvisation in Elf
It's hard to imagine anyone else portraying Buddy the elf in Jon Favreau’s Elf (2003), and there's a good reason for that. Many of the movie's funniest moments were actually improvised by Ferrell himself.
Elf was made on a tight budget, and the filming schedule allowed for only a short time to shoot in New York. As a result, the scenes of Buddy arriving in the Big Apple were filmed in a guerrilla style. A small crew followed Ferrell around for the day, capturing his antics as he had fun causing chaos among real New Yorkers while dressed as an elf. Interestingly, the man in the red tracksuit whom Buddy mistakes for Santa wasn't even an actor.
The improvisation didn't stop there. Ferrell's enthusiastic screams upon meeting Santa in Gimbel's were captured with minimal direction. For the scene where Buddy tests the jack-in-the-boxes early in the movie, the goal was to capture an authentic reaction from Ferrell. A crew member had a remote control to trigger the toy's pop-out, so Ferrell had no idea when the scare would happen.
