No matter what festivities you celebrate, whether it be Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanza, or Ramadan, one thing’s for sure — now is the perfect time to spread some holiday cheer, by treating your fellow man with a little extra goodwill and mercy, and delighting in some of the softer gems in the horror genre.

What better time than the holidays to watch some beloved endearing horror comedies? As you gather around the television this holiday season, huddled up with friends and family, here are some terrific feel good films to watch that never fail to brighten spirits, and display what truly matters, more than consumerism and more than stressing out about getting things done — cherished moments with those you love.

Read on, and discover what valued lessons these horror gems have taught us, and what they continue to express so intimately, even after repeated viewings.

1. Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (2010)

In a unique approach to the horror-comedy mash-up genre, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil takes the usual cabin in the woods story and flips it on its head. By setting up the country boys as the victims, and the college kids vacationing at the lake nearby as the villains, this film creates a fresh and hilarious perspective that suggests that maybe horror icons like Leatherface and Jason Voorhees were just misunderstood victims of circumstance. Tucker (Alan Tudyk) and Dale (Tyler Labine) are two simple southern gentlemen off to spend the next few days at their rundown lake property, where they plan to do nothing but drink beer, go fishing, and drink more beer. Unfortunately, once they are spotted by a group of letter-clad Greeks, they are assumed to be backwards killers, and are henceforth hunted like animals in supposed self-defense. What follows is a hysterical, bloody ride, where the preppy college kids are so desperate to prove Dale and Tucker are crazed murderers that the preps literally become their own self-serving bias experiments, accidentally offing themselves in the pursuit of their supposed madmen, frightening and only furthering all of their friends’ misconceptions in the process of this colossal misunderstanding. Luckily, they have Allison on their side, a beautiful girl who rode out to the woods with her college buddies, but who displays greater awareness and tolerance than all of her fellow educated vacationers combined. Allison dreams of becoming a psychologist, and while her man, Chad, would be perfectly happy with her being his trophy wife, it is Dale who encourages her to pursue her dreams, because to him, she’s more than just a pretty face, and to her, he’s more than a man with a draw and a pair of overalls.

2. Grabbers (2012)

A small town off the coast of Ireland is slowly taken over by blood-sucking aliens, as the people of this interlaced community struggle to find an answer. Their tentacle-clad new friends have been picking off residents one by one, but these uninvited guests will soon realize that they’ve barged in on the wrong party. Through a series of trial and error, police officers Ciaran O’Shea and Lisa Nolan accidentally discover that the kryptonite to these invaders doesn’t lie in a sharpened weapon, but rather, in a drunken defense — specifically, alcohol. Because the aliens are allergic to alcohol, all that the patrons of this town have to do is stay drunk enough to sink an elephant until a more permanent solution surfaces. The only question is, what will they do when they eventually run out of beer? Hilarious and highly under-appreciated, Grabbers shows how sometimes, the key to bringing souls together lies at the bottom of a beer barrel.

3. Shaun of the Dead (2004)

When the end of the world hits Great Britain, and the dead begin to rise and walk the earth, Shaun opts for the laid-back Londoner’s perspective, and casually handles dealing with saving his friends and family from ravenous zombies with a relaxed hustle. Stuck in a cycle of work-pub-home, work-pub-home, Shaun’s girlfriend Liz decides she’s had enough of this tired routine and Shaun’s lethargic attitude, and dumps him. Just when Shaun thinks his life can’t get any more depressing, the apocalypse begins, and people start being taken out, one by one, all around him. Intent on saving his loved ones, but still stuck in his cycle, Shaun plans to pick up his mom, kill his stepdad Phillip, whom he presumes to be a zombie, and head to the pub for a pint while they wait for this all to blow over. This time, Shaun’s inability to grow up won’t just put his relationship in peril, but will endanger the lives of all whom he holds dear (and David), too. The first entry in the Cornetto trilogy, Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead not only acts as a love letter to George Romero’s classics, spoofing the iconic material and carrying underlying commentary, just as Romero’s Dead series did, too, but also, uses the zombie apocalypse to bring humans together, as the dead try to rip them apart. By using the threat of death as a catalyst, Shaun is catapulted into adulthood, and for the first time, makes a real effort to change his ways and compromise, to save his relationship, while maintaining his identity through his lifelong friendship with Ed, the man who will always have a place in his heart, and also, in Shaun’s tool shed.

4. The Final Girls (2015)

When Max’s celebrity mother dies in a horrific car accident, she doesn’t think she’ll ever be able to face one of her mom’s cult horror classic ’80s slashers again, let alone ever smile again. When the anniversary of her mom’s death rolls around, however, she’s coerced into participating in a screening of the movie that made her mother famous — Camp Bloodbath. The slow transition into staring at her mother’s face again is challenging enough, but when the theater showing the movie catches aflame, and Max is somehow sucked into the screen, she finds herself side by side with her mom, fighting off a killer, and forced to locate the strength within herself to carry on, whether she’s ready or not. Arguably one of the best horror movies of the year, The Final Girls is not only an extremely impressive directorial debut for up-and-coming director Todd Strauss-Schulson, but it’s also softened the hearts of cinephiles everywhere, and caused an outcry for endearing horror comedies of the same nature. Luckily, there are plenty to choose from.

5. Cooties (2015)

Teaching can be hell. When an outbreak at an elementary school starts turning all of the kids into tiny undead terrors, the teachers are left with no choice but to board up inside of a secure classroom and fight for their lives against the vicious, cannibalistic monsters who they once referred to as their students. Using coffee mugs, hockey sticks, clip boards, and any other school supplies nearby that they can use as a weapon, the schools staff attempts to escape the building before their student body devours them whole. Another excellent title from Spectrevision, Cooties is a fun, bold throwback to ’80s killer kid flicks. Offensive enough to make you laugh out loud at jokes you might otherwise never find appropriate, Cooties still somehow, at the same time, manages to be touching in its depiction of poor little lonely Language Arts teacher Clint (Elijah Wood). Clint might be a teacher at this school, but deep down, he’s still just a scared little school boy, lusting after the pretty girl that he can’t have, Lucy (Alison Pill). Clint is stuck in school — literally, as the infected zombie kids try to get in from the outside, and figuratively, as he finds himself stuck in a perpetual immature state, living with his mother, and not quite making it as a writer like he had imagined he would by this point in his life. As Clint fights for his life (and in the process, fights to impress Lucy), he gains confidence through his near death experience, and blossoms into the man that he was meant to be — as self-assured as he is intelligent and capable.

6. Fright Night (1985)

The sun has dipped down below the horizon and the moon is hanging high in the sky, which means it’s time for Charley Brewster’s favorite television show: Fright Night. Hosted by Peter Vincent, the show centered around bloodsuckers holds a special place in Charley’s heart, distracting him from the world around him, including even his girlfriend Amy’s advances. However, Amy will soon find that the TV show is the last of her worries, when Charley turns his obsessive eye to a different subject: his new next-door neighbor, Jerry Dandrige. Mr. Dandrige keeps late hours, avoids sunlight, and oh yeah, occasionally turns into a bat. Charley’s desperate to prove that Dandrige is a creature of the night, even if it means being labeled a crazy nuisance, and putting everyone he loves at risk, including the only person who has returned his affections, Amy. As Charley chases Jerry, Amy chases Charley, but soon, all involved will be lost to the vampire’s lure, as Charley only receives pity from friends and family, when what he really needs is their help.

7. Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)

Unique, clever, and extremely meta in a very original way, Scott Glosserman’s directorial debut is an extremely impressive love letter to slasher films. Set up mockumentary style, a camera crew follows around lead reporter Taylor Gentry as she interviews Leslie Vernon, a notorious serial killer in the small town of Glen Echo. This movie plays on the idea that all of the iconic horror movie killers like Leatherface, Freddy Krueger, and Jason Voorhees are real, and that this documentary is allowing a look behind the scenes at their handiwork for the very first time. Leslie takes on the persona of a slain boy in a local urban legend, who was rumored to have been drowned in the river by townsfolk after he killed his parents, but Leslie confesses to the documentary gang that he’s just a normal guy living off of the legend, which can be inferred as the truth behind Freddy and Jason’s stories, too. Initially, the crew is totally on board with what’s happening, learning first hand how a villain carefully and methodically picks out his virginal final girl, and prepares for the chase scenes with her and her friends with lots and lots of cardio. However, when the big night approaches, the crew members find themselves guilt ridden, and wind up breaking the rules of a documentary as they put down their cameras and get involved to try to help the teens chosen for the slaughter survive Leslie’s wrath. Through tongue-in-cheek humor, stylish storytelling, and a breakdown of horror’s final girl and why she needs the killer as much as he needs her, Glosserman gives fans a surprisingly sweet look at the other side of the blade, and creates just as much sympathy for the hunter as he does the hunted.

8. The Monster Squad (1987)

Sean, Horace, Patrick, Eugene, and newfound members Rudy and Phoebe are in over their heads. Together, they may make up The Monster Squad, one of the most knowledgeable and devoted horror movie fanatic groups on the planet, but from the point of view of the real Count Dracula and Creature from the Black Lagoon who are currently, terrorizing their hometown, they’re just a bunch of little kids asking for trouble. While they may be technically correct, these infamous baddies may have underestimated this little gathering of horror fiends, and how much their tireless hours spent pouring over every scary movie, comic book, and bit of trivia is going to come into play when it comes to their final battle. Out manned, overpowered, and facing off against supposedly immortal beings, they may crash and burn in their attempt to fend off their attackers, but the Monster Squad will go down swinging, makeshift weapons, cheaply made business cards and all.

9. The Cabin in the Woods (2012)

We all know the story. An average group of hormone-fueled attractive young people travel to a rundown cabin in a remote area littered with trees, where they are then picked off one by one. The formula has been laid out since the slasher craze took over the horror genre in the ’80s, and cult gems like The Burning, Sleepaway Camp, and the Friday the 13th franchise made the rules known. The handsome jock must die. Inspecting suspicious noises is a death trap. A final girl must survive until the end (or at least longer than her friends). These are the horror principles embedded in our over-stimulated minds, making it hard to feel surprised by anything the sub-genre has to offer. But what if there was more to the story? What if we’ve only been scratching at the surface of a carefully manufactured scheme that’s been years in the making? Enter Drew Goddard, a brilliant head honcho from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Marvel’s Daredevil, here to stick the usual formula in the blender and hit spin. In Drew’s vision, all of the monsters who emerge from the darkness to attack these poor random kids are actually coming from an underground laboratory. Built with the intention of sacrificing a chosen few in an annual slaughter, this is a film that mainly finds its comedic stride in the uproarious notion that the rambling stoner in the corner might actually be right.

10. An American Werewolf in London (1981)

Two best friends, David Kessler and Jack Goodman, take a journey across the pond, and find themselves in the strangest of places. A little pub tucked away in the hills of Britain is the latest stopping point on their backpacking expedition, and though the thought of fresh ale beckons them to come in, once inside, they are greeted by stern stares, pentagrams, and ancient superstition. Determined to enjoy their tour despite their cold welcome, the boys drown their bad feelings in their libations, the duo continues on, stumbling across the moonlit terrain and right off the path, foregoing the locals’ warnings about veering off the trail. By the time they realize their mistake, the boys fall prey to the howling beast that roams the countryside monthly, and rips apart any animal that dare cross its path. Jack is the first to go, but David arguably suffers an even worse fate, as he becomes the beast himself, after surviving his own horrific injuries. Jack visits David from the afterlife, and even though it’s undoubtedly sad to see David undergo such torment, it’s also admittedly pretty funny to watch Jack and all of David’s victims openly and enthusiastically try to come up with ways for David to off himself, lest he leave any more victims in his wake.

11. Zombieland (2009)

It only took the end of the world, this shy boy has finally started to socialize. As a kid who has spent most of his days alone in his room, chained to his keyboard and covered with soda spills and grease stains from his third straight bag of potato chips, it’s amazing that he’s survived the zombie apocalypse as long as he has. Of course, he’d like to attribute his continued survival to the rules he’s drummed up as defense against the walking dead, but deep down, the kid, known to his misfit gang of rounded up strangers as “Columbus”, he knows that the truth is that the key to getting through each day — and to living a happy and fulfilled life amidst all of the madness — is the people at his side, and the companionship they bring.

12. The Burbs (1989)

Joe Dante’s highly underrated late ’80s mystery comedy is a kooky account about a group of paranoid neighbors and their ridiculous assumption about the new residents on the block. As opposed to everyone else on the street who proudly broadcasts their quirks on their front lawns, like ex-vet Lt. Mark Rumsfield, who still dresses in war gear, or Walter Selznick, who happily commands his poodle to defecate on Mr. Rumsfield’s grass to in order fulfill some strange, sick joy when Rumsfield inevitably erupts, the new neighbors are total shut-ins. No one on this block has ever seen them, and sometimes at night, as Ray Peterson (Tom Hanks) points out, you can hear weird noises coming from that dreary old property. After old man Walter inexplicably disappears, Ray, Ricky, Art, and the lieutenant join forces to prove their elaborate theory that their aloof new additions are somehow involved. The gang seriously believes that the Klopeks are to blame for their missing friend, and they won’t rest until they make a complete and utter mockery of themselves in front of the entire neighborhood. As far-fetched and goofy as this story gets, it does a terrific job of capturing the heart of suburbia, in all its absurd glory, and playfully explains the reason why those who can relate love their wacky neighborhoods so much. In the end, we’re all just little Ricky Butlers, sitting back and laughing as we watch these typical and silly events unfold.

13. What We Do in the Shadows (2015)

Undead and kicking, but out of touch with pop culture, Vladislav, Viago, and Petyr get a taste of youth again when they develop a friendship with a young technology-savvy human, and a newly turned baby vamp. Hundreds of years old, the gang hires a documentary crew to follow them around, and give the public some insight, for the very first time, into the world of those who reside in the shadows. Set up like a mockumentary about vampires, this kooky flick feels like a fresh break from all of the melodramatic and morose vampire movies that have flooded the horror genre over the past several years. Headed by two hilarious comedians, Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, this clever take on the tired old monster flick allows these predators to be seen in a different, more empathetic light; one that displays these immortal beings at their most vulnerable — struggling to dress hip enough to get into a hot club, incarcerated in the darkness for all of eternity, and watching seasoned mortal friends grow old and die. This movie is as much a love letter to the sub-genre as it is a jab at bloodsucker cinema.

14. Gremlins (1984)

In what has become one of the ultimate Christmas movies for the horror fan, a young man unleashes the fury of murderous little gremlins on an unsuspecting small town in the midst of the holiday season. It all starts when inventor Randall Peltzer fails to convince a customer to buy his latest creation, the “Bathroom Buddy”. While nosing around in the man’s shop, Randall winds up buying instead of selling, as he picks up a souvenir to take home to his son, Billy. When Billy picks up the mysterious box his father hands him and it starts to shake, his father tells him that the critter inside is called a Mogwai, and passes on the three important rules for Billy’s new pet: 1) keep him away from bright lights, 2) don’t get him wet, and 3) never feed him after midnight. Of course, one of these rules is inevitably broken, when Billy’s buddy Pete accidentally spills water on on the Mogwai Billy has named Gizmo, causing many more little Mogwais to sprout from Gizmo’s back. They seem cute, but these guys are not like Gizmo. By tricking Billy into feeding them after midnight, this new, more sinister batch evolves into vicious minuscule monsters, and begin terrorizing the town. As if on a mission to destroy everything in their path, the violent little creatures start tearing up the local bar, picking off residents, and scare everyone out of the local theater so they can watch Snow White on the big screen. Now, it’s up to Billy, Gizmo, Pete, and the girl Billy holds a torch for, Kate, to stop the evil Mogwais and rescue their fellow townsfolk, and save Christmas, before these little nuisances find a bigger puddle of water and multiply themselves enough to outnumber all of the citizens.

15. Housebound (2014)

After Kylie gets in trouble with the law, she lands in the last place she’d like to be: her childhood home. Detained to the property, Kylie isn’t peeved by the idea of probation on her record as much as she is by the knowledge that she’ll never be able to get away from her mother. Kylie’s mom Miriam is convinced that their house is haunted, and she’s not afraid to be vocal about it. Pushing aside her mother’s wild theories, she chalks up her mom’s lunacy to the overactive imagination of a bored old woman in a simple, small New Zealand town. However, when Kylie also begins to hear voices in the night, and strange happenings begin making themselves known around the aged residency, Kylie begins to wonder if maybe her mom isn’t the one-eyed man in the house of the blind.

16. Beetlejuice (1988)

Lydia Deetz is having the worst time of her entire life. Her obsessive and controlling mother, Delia, is pushing her spineless father, Charles, around once again, her father is more concerned with finding a nice, quiet spot to hide from Delia than bothering to pay attention to his daughter’s depression, and to top things off, her parents have moved her out to an old house in the country, and away from the few fond memories Lydia actually had. Now, as her mother drives her mad trying to push her drastically modern vision upon this old house, Lydia spends the day wasting away in her bedroom, convinced there’s nothing weird enough left to live for…or is there? Strange occurrences have been lighting up Lydia’s dull life as of late, including two members of the recently deceased occupying her attic, along with a foul-mouthed trickster who appeals to Lydia’s wicked side, and reels her in through false pretenses and common outsider ideology. Suddenly, Lydia’s boring existence has become all too eventful, as she finds herself strangely longing for the simple days of her mother’s maddening artistic goals, her father’s newfound bird watching hobby, and the time before she knew the name Betelgeuse. Arguably one of — if not definitively — Tim Burton’s best film, Beetlejuice represents Burton in his prime, when he still favored practical effects and feel-good odd family films over CGI and cash-grabbing box office sure-things. Beetlejuice is the kind of film that makes you feel grateful for the family you have, instead of wishing for something that doesn’t exist.