Will Creeper takes us through his favourite Christmas movies • DIY Magazine

That Creeper lot might seem like a bunch of complete misery guts, but in reality, they’re all softies at heart.

We have it on good word that frontman Will Gould likes nothing more than a bit of Disney, for example. Punk as fuck, that. With that in mind, and the Christmas crackers starting to fill the TV schedules, we thought we’d call on him for a quick run-down of his top ten festive films. Grab a pack of mint Matchmakers, bagsy the best seat on the sofa and huddle up under a blanket - here’s your Christmas movie playlist, from none other than Will himself.

10. Santa Claus: The Movie (1985)

Seemingly, not a single one of my friends have seen this film, even though it stars Dudley Moore! The strange plot basically follows one of Santa’s elves escaping the workshop, and going to work for a big toy manufacturer. It also features one of the most blatant uses of product placement I’ve ever seen. All of this aside, Coca Cola is delicious and my Dad would put this film on every year. It’s not Christmas till I’ve seen this film.

9. Home Alone 2 (1992)

This film itself is actually pretty dark when you think about it. Kevin’s Family demonstrate insane irresponsibly and force their son to have to nearly kill two men. What’s worse is that this is the SECOND TIME this has been allowed to happen.

This is Home Alone 2, it’s Christmas and a little boy is electrocuting a man with an arc welder connected to a sink. I love this movie though, and unwrapping the gift of my own Talk Boy was one of the most magical things in the world when I was a kid.

8. Batman Returns (1992)

This is obviously not a typical Christmas film. Michael Keaton in the bat suit under Tim Burton’s twisted Gotham Christmas tree always makes me feel festive though.

If I could live anywhere in the world, it would be in Christmas Gotham. I’d hangout with Michelle Pfeiffer in her sweet pink apartment. I’d be totally cool with all her cuddly toys, her cats and chilling in the sewer with her and Penguin. Christmas doesn’t have to be full of tinsel and baubles, this film proves it can also be about pleather, darkness and fist fighting too.

7. The Grinch (2000)

I love this film, Jim Carrey is fantastic. Every year I watch it I spend most of December creeping around my house doing that strange walk The Grinch does. I really love Dr Seuss and I always felt this film lived up to the book. The Who’s were real assholes to The Grinch, I’m glad it all worked out for him in the end though.

6. The Santa Clause (1994)

This is surely one of the best Christmas films of all time. Tim Allen is amazing, some of the lines he says to the step father character make me laugh out loud every single year.

However, this film must suffer from some of the worst and most smug child actors of all time. There’s one scene where a weird gang of elves come to free Santa from jail. The head elf in this scene is the most smug human being ever, just unbearable. He says something to the prison guard to the degree of “We’re not kids, we’re elves with attitude”.

Even typing that out just then made me want to die.

5. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

This film reminds me of my Dad a lot. Chevy Chase is fantastic and the scene with the Christmas lights outside the house is laugh out loud funny. It perfectly captures the chaos of this time of year, sometimes I watch this movie when it isn’t even Christmas because it’s that good.

4. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Obviously this is in my list. This is the second Tim Burton film to make it after Batman Returns and is just as visually striking.

Without wanting to sound like a complete parody of myself, this film sums up this time of year for me. It’s that happy mix of Halloween and Christmas I constantly live between. As far as I’m concerned, a true timeless classic.

3. Elf (2003)

This is easily the funniest Christmas film of all time. Even if you hate Will Ferrell, you’ll love him in this. Alongside all the humour there are also some very sweet moments too (see the ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ scene).

Sometimes I envy Elf, eating nothing but spaghetti and maple syrup sounds like a true dream.

2. Disney Sing-A-Long Christmas Songs (1988)

This is very special to me. This is the VHS cassette we would watch every year when putting up decorations as a kid. I wouldn’t even be able to say how many times I’ve seen this!

The second to last song (just before Silent Night I believe) is put over the top of footage of a Christmas Disneyland Parade. I remember being completely mesmerised by that as a kid. What’s more festive than Disneyland at Christmas?

1. Scrooged (1988)

So this film starring Bill Murray has made number one for me. It’s an updated take on the Charles Dickens classic ‘A Christmas Carol’. In the final scene Bill Murray’s character bares his soul on a live TV broadcast. It’s one of those rare Christmas films that can provoke a real emotional response without requiring you look past too many cheesy elements.

This is dark, sad but has that fantastic ending which leaves you warm. The absolute best.

Creeper are part of DIY’s Class Of 2016 - the most exciting, bound-to-be-massive acts of next year. Catch up with all that here.

Tags: Features, Christmas 2015, Creeper