‘Elves’ Is a Deranged Christmas Horror You Still Can’t Stream

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It’s the season for horror fans to revisit their favorite scary movies, and classics like Black Christmas, Silent Night, Deadly Night, and Krampus are getting a lot of attention. After watching those, many fans look for lesser-known gems like Christmas Evil, Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale, or Better Watch Out. But one Christmas horror movie that deserves more recognition is the 1989 film Elves. It’s become obscure partly because of how strange it is, and also because of its unusual release history. After a small theatrical run in 1989, it only became available on VHS in 1994 and never made it to DVD, Blu-ray, or streaming services. Today, the only ways to watch it are to find an old VHS copy or watch an unofficial copy online.

Seeing the title and knowing it’s a Christmas horror film, you might expect the story to involve creepy elves or other sinister helpers of Santa. While that’s partially right, the actual plot is even stranger than you’d think.

What Is ‘Elves’ About?

Okay, buckle up, because this movie takes a wild turn. It starts simply enough – a girl named Kirsten does a silly anti-Christmas ritual with friends, accidentally cuts herself, and… awakens a creepy elf. This isn’t your friendly neighborhood elf, though. It starts stalking and picking off Kirsten and her friends one by one. Just when you think it’s a standard slasher, things get seriously messed up. Kirsten tries to warn her family, and her grandfather drops a bombshell: elves are real, ancient beings, and he used to help the Nazis try to breed them with humans! Apparently, he was obsessed with keeping the “Aryan bloodline pure” and… well, let’s just say he achieved that by having a child with his own daughter – making Kirsten’s grandfather also her father. And to top it all off, a group of Nazis are now hunting Kirsten, wanting her to… breed with the elf. Seriously, this movie throws everything at the wall to see what sticks. It’s a bizarre, over-the-top ride.

The movie Elves isn’t just a silly idea; it’s also poorly made. A major problem is the low budget, which really shows in the creature effects. The elf’s makeup is basically a cheap Halloween mask, leaving its face stuck with one unchanging expression. Whenever the elf tries to show emotion, it just ends up awkwardly bobbing its head.

The film also features Dan Haggerty, famous for his role as Grizzly Adams, as a down-on-his-luck ex-police officer. He struggles with alcoholism and works as a Santa Claus at the mall, where Kirsten is also employed. Haggerty appears to be wearing his own clothes throughout the movie and is almost always seen smoking. He takes on the task of investigating the strange events unfolding, leading to encounters with a cast of quirky characters who casually discuss the bizarre premise of Nazis breeding with elves as if it were perfectly normal.

Where Can You Watch ‘Elves’?


AIP Studios

The Christmas horror film Elves hasn’t been updated for modern audiences like some other holiday horror movies, such as Don’t Open ’till Christmas or Christmas Evil. While those films are now available to rent or buy digitally, Elves remains unavailable on most platforms. It was only ever released on VHS, meaning your best bet is a low-quality version on YouTube, or a potentially expensive VHS copy on eBay – those typically cost $70 or more.

Despite the film’s obscurity, the recent release of the Elves soundtrack by Terror Vision offers a small hope that the full movie might eventually be officially released. While many films attempt to combine holiday cheer with horror, none are as bizarre and over-the-top as Elves.

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2025-12-04 23:05