30 Winter Movies Classics To Watch This Year (2025)

There is something magical about getting snowed in, curling up by the fire and putting on a wintery movie classic. The best winter movies feature ice, snow and sometimes the holidays. All of them make the indoors feel warmer. From Christmas romances to snowy laugh-out-loud comedies to sweeping dramas and frigid horrors, there is something wonderful about taking a snow day, staying inside and watching a great film during the winter season. While many films on this list are feel-good, cozy watches, others look at the harsh realities of winter because sometimes a cold movie can make audiences feel all the warmer.

Top Winter Films

“Winter Films” is not exactly a defined genre. However, for the purposes of this list, a winter film has to check a couple of boxes. They either need to take place in the winter or prominently feature winter imagery. Technically, some of the films on this list take place in parts of the world where it always looks like winter (making it unclear which month it actually is). These are given a bit of a pass.

Films on this list also all include scenes with snow. Sorry, Die Hard might be a Christmas movie, but Christmas films without snowy imagery have been left off this list. While all the films on this list were chosen for their snowy and wintery themes, they aren’t ranked solely on how “winter” they are. Instead, this ranking also considers the quality of the film heavily as well.

30. Society of the Snow (2023)

Society of the Snow tells the true story of a Uruguayan Rugby team whose plane crash lands in the snowy Andes Mountains. Directed by J.A. Bayona, the film stars an ensemble cast of mostly unknown actors, including Enzo Vogrincic, Matías Recalt, Agustín Pardella, Felipe González Otaño and Luciano Chatton.

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The film is based on the same crash as the 1993 film Alive, but the survival films are based on two separate books. Alive is based on Piers Paul Read's 1974 book Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors, while Society of the Snow is based on Pablo Vierci's 2009 book of the same name. Society of the Snow is a beautiful film that explores faith, brotherhood and tragedy. It is available to watch here.

29. Lady Snowblood (1973)

Lady Snowblood is a stunningly gorgeous, if not intensely violent, jidaigeki (Japanese Period Drama) film. Based on the manga of the same name, the film follows a woman who takes revenge on the men who raped her mother and killed her brother. The film was directed by Toshiya Fujita and stars Meiko Kaji.

Lady Snowblood famously inspired Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill and explores the same themes of vengeance and female rage. The scene in the snow at the end of Kill Bill Volume 1. also evokes Lady Snowblood. The film currently has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (however, it is only based on ten reviews). It can be found on streaming here.

28. Better Off Dead (1985)

Better Off Dead is, at its heart, a film about skiing, which feels both very wintery and very 1980s. This dark comedy comes with a content warning, as much of the first act is about suicide. However, the second and third acts are mostly about getting the girl, which also feels very 1980s.

Better Off Dead stars John Cusack, David Ogden Stiers, Diane Franklin and Kim Darby. Not everything ages perfectly in the movie, but it features fun stop motion, Howard Cosell impressions and, of course, skiing. It is available to rent here.

27. Doctor Zhivago (1965)

Doctor Zhivago follows a poet, lover and physician as he lives through the Russian Revolution and World War II. The film is very long, but at over three hours, it truly feels like an epic. Doctor Zhivago isn’t historically accurate, and the CIA used the novel it was based on as propaganda.

However, if you can get past all that, it is a beautiful film that includes several iconic snowy scenes. Directed by David Lean, the film stars Omar Sharif and Julie Christie. It was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won five. It is available to stream here.

26. Black Christmas (1974)

Black Christmas is a classic slasher film and, surprisingly, one of many horror films that take place during the holiday season. The film follows a group of sorority sisters as they start to receive mysteriously threatening phone calls during winter break.

Directed by Bob Clark, the film stars Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder and John Saxon. Without too many spoilers, the killer isn’t given much backstory, which may feel odd for modern audiences. However, the film is great at building tension and unease. It is loosely inspired by an urban legend about a babysitter and a man upstairs. While it initially received mixed reviews, it heavily inspired later slashers, especially 1978’s Halloween and is now considered a horror classic. It can be found here.

25. One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)

One Hundred and One Dalmatians is a Disney classic. The animated film follows two dogs who must rescue their puppies from Cruella de Vil, a woman hell-bent on making a fur coat out of them.

Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, Hamilton Luske and Clyde Geronimi, the film features the voice talents of Rod Taylor, Betty Lou Gerson, J. Pat O'Malley, Ben Wright, Lisa Davis and Martha Wentworth. The film has led to several sequels, spin-offs and remakes, most recently, 2021’s live-action prequel, Cruella. It is available here.

24. White Christmas (1954)

White Christmas is a classic Christmas musical, which is also a bit of a remake of the slightly earlier Christmas musical, 1942’s Holiday Inn. The two films feature a similar plot, Bing Crosby and the song “White Christmas.” However, White Christmas is the far more iconic film. It follows a group of performers who put on a show to save a struggling inn. The film stars Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen.

While the film is considered a holiday classic, it has drawn criticism for its musical number “Id’ Rather See a Minstrel Show.” While the characters do not don blackface (unlike in a similar number in Holiday Inn), the number is still part of a larger history of racism and blackface in America, which shouldn’t be glossed over. The film is available here.

23. Hundreds of Beavers (2022)

Hundreds of Beavers is a bit of a hard sell. It is a black-and-white, silent film that prominently features actors in cartoon animal costumes. However, the film is an utterly infectious love letter to 1920s slapstick. It follows a salesman who must go up against forest creatures if he hopes to become a fur trapper and get the girl.

Directed by Mike Cheslik, the film stars Ryland Brickson Cole Tews, Olivia Graves, Wes Tank, Doug Mancheski and Luis Rico. While the film initially debuted at the 2022 Fantastic Fest, it was only added to streaming in 2024, opening up to a larger audience. Hundreds of Beavers seems destined for cult classic status and currently holds a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. While this is a contemporary silent winter film, if you are looking for icy films from the actual silent era, Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush or 1926’s The Holy Mountain are a great place to start. Hundreds of Beavers is available here.

22. Coming to America (1988)

Break out the fur coats with the lion’s head shoulder pads because this classic comedy captures the depths of winter in New York City. Directed by John Landis, Coming To America follows an African prince who comes to the outer boroughs to find his own queen.

The film stars Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall and James Earl Jones. It’s an iconic film with an immensely quotable script that will have you laughing “outta your god-dammed mind!” While many reviews weren’t glowing in 1988, Coming To America has remained popular, even prompting a sequel, Coming 2 America, in 2021. The original is available to stream here.

21. Klaus (2019)

Klaus should be a children’s Christmas classic if it isn’t already. The film follows a postman as he meets Klaus, a reclusive toymaker. The directorial debut of noted Spanish animator Sergio Pablos, the film stars Jason Schwartzman, J. K. Simmons, Rashida Jones, Will Sasso, Neda Margrethe Labba, Pablos, Joan Cusack and Norm Macdonald (in the final film released before his death in 2021.)

The film is beautifully hand-drawn and disturbed by Netflix. It was the first animated film distributed by a streamer to be nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature (alongside 2019’s I Lost My Body, which was also nominated and distributed by Netflix). Klaus is available here.

20. Tokyo Godfathers (2003)

Written and directed by anime legend Satoshi Kon, Tokyo Godfathers balances being a Christmas movie, comedy anime and a tragic action film. There is a lot going on and Kon himself called it a “twisted sentimental story.” The film follows three homeless people after they find a baby in the trash on Christmas Eve.

While it is easier to find the subtitled version of the film, the most recent English dub is notable for having a trans actress, Shakina Nayfack, play the trans character of Hana (in the Japanese version, Hana is unfortunately voiced by a man). The film has gained a cult audience in the U.S. and currently has a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. It is available here.

19. The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

The Shop Around the Corner is a Christmas-time romcom that follows two shop workers who don’t like each other in person but fall in love as pen pals. The film inspired the later winter rom-com You’ve Got Mail (which is a great watch in its own right) and a lesser-known 1949 Judy Garland-led musical In the Good Old Summertime.

Directed by Ernst Lubitsch, The Shop Around the Corner stars Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart and Frank Morgan. It is set during the lead-up to Christmas in Budapest, which gives it the perfect dreamy winter feel. It is available to stream here.

18. Snowpiercer (2013)

Snowpiercer is a post-climate change, apocalyptic sci-fi film that follows a futuristic train and the class struggle starting on it. Directed by Bong Joon-ho, the film stars Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Tilda Swinton, Octavia Spencer, Go Ah-sung, John Hurt and Ed Harris.

The film is based on the graphic novel Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob. Both the novel series and the film inspired the Snowpiercer TV series, which premiered in 2020. It is a futuristic look at the second ice age, which is visually stunning and disturbing. It is available to stream here.

17. Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (2001)

Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner won’t be for everyone. This Canadian/Inuktitut-language three-hour sweeping epic is a retelling of a legend from Inuit oral tradition, which follows a man who flees his band on foot after the murder of his brother.

Directed by Zacharias Kunuk, the film stars an all-Inuit cast, including Natar Ungalaaq, Sylvia Ivalu, Peter-Henry Arnatsiaq and Lucy Tulugarjuk, and was made with a 90-percent Inuit crew. The film won four awards at the American Indian Film Festival and the Caméra d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. It also took the number one spot on CBC's list of The 50 Greatest Films Directed by Canadians in 2023. It is a deeply human and beautiful shot film, which is especially impressive as most of the film was made in below-zero temperatures. Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner is available here.

16. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Miracle on 34th Street is an undeniably sweet Christmas classic. Directed by George Seaton, the film follows a career woman who hires the real Santa Claus to work as a department store Santa at Macy’s in New York City. The film stars Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn.

While many have probably already seen it, it is a delightful courtroom Christmas romcom that deserves a watch or rewatch during December. Although the film has been colorized and remade over the years, the original can’t be beat. Miracle on 34th Street won three Oscars but lost Best Picture to Gentleman's Agreement. It is available to stream here.

15. Misery (1990)

Rob Reiner’s psychological thriller Misery is based on Stephen King's 1987 novel of the same name. The film follows a novelist whose biggest fan nurses him back to health after a car crash. However, things take a disturbing turn when the fan learns about his next novel.

Misery stars Kathy Bates, James Caan, Frances Sternhagen, Richard Farnsworth and Lauren Bacall. Bates’ performance is particularly iconic. She won the Oscar for Best Actress, making Misery the only King adaptation to receive an Oscar. It is available to stream here.

14. Frozen (2013)

There is some debate over whether Frozen or its 2019 sequel, Frozen II, is better. However, the first is certainly more iconic, especially if you knew a “Let it Go” obsessed child. The film follows two royal sisters as one struggles with magic ice powers.

Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, the film stars Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad. Frozen was both a critical and box-office success. It was at one point the highest-grossing animated film of all time (and is still currently the fifth) and won two Oscars. The third film in the series is set to come out in 2027. Frozen is available to stream here.

13. Let The Right One In (2008)

There are a couple of great vampire films that have wintery themes or imagery. 30 Days of Night also comes to mind. However, the best is Let The Right One In. The Swedish horror film follows a young boy who befriends a girl with a secret.

The film was named the No. 1 horror film of the 2000s by Bloody Disgusting. There is an American remake of the film (2010’s Let Me In), which is also good. However, the Swedish original is better. Let The Right One In stars Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar, Ika Nord and Peter Carlberg. It was directed by Tomas Alfredson. It is available here.

12. Winter’s Bone (2010)

Debra Granik’s Winter’s Bone is a cold and dark coming-of-age story set in the poverty-stricken Ozarks. The film follows a teenager on a mission to find her deadbeat father to protect her siblings from eviction.

The film received great reviews in large part due to Jennifer Lawerence’s star-making performance. Winter’s Bone was nominated for four Oscars, including Lawrence for Best Actress (at only 20, she was the second-youngest Best Actress nominee at the time). It is available here.

11. Ikiru (1952)

Ikiru’s arguably most famous scene is of a man on a swing against a snowy background and what could be more wintery? The film follows a terminally ill bureaucrat on his final quest for meaning and is inspired by Leo Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich. Directed by Akira Kurosawa, the film stars Takashi Shimura and Miki Odagiri.

Many Akira Kurosawa films have iconic winter scenes, including 1990’s Dreams, 1947’s Snow Trail and 1951’s The Idiot. However, Ikiru is easily among his best films. Ikiru was remade in Britain as 2022’s Living (“Ikiru” translates “To Live”), starring Bill Nighy. While Nighy’s performance is fabulous, Living falls short of the original film. Ikiru is currently available here.

10. The Thing (1982)

Technically, The Thing is less of a “winter” and more of a “snow” movie. The cult-horror classic follows a group of researchers in Antarctica after a mysterious dog turns up at their base. Directed by John Carpenter, the film stars Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Keith David, Richard Masur and Richard Dysart.

While it is now considered a horror/sci-fi classic, it originally received negative reviews. Carpenter said of the contemporary reviews of the film in 2008, “I take every failure hard. The one I took the hardest was The Thing. My career would have been different if that had been a big hit... The movie was hated. Even by science-fiction fans. They thought that I had betrayed some kind of trust, and the piling on was insane.” The Thing is cynical, and the graphic effects are wild, but that is what makes it great. It is available here.

9. Fargo (1996)

"I'm cooperatin'... Darn tootin'!" Joel and Ethan Coen’s Fargo, with its snowy midwestern landscapes, is a perfect watch for winter. The film is based on a real-life crime in late 1980s Minnesota, where a car salesman paid two men to kidnap his wife for ransom.

The film was nominated for seven Oscars, winning two for Best Original Screenplay and Best Actress (for Joel Cohen’s wife and long-time collaborator Frances McDormand.) The film stars McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, Harve Presnell and Peter Stormare. The film inspired the FX show of the same name, which ran for five seasons and ended in 2024. The film is available here.

8. The Holdovers (2023)

Another recent addition to this list, The Holdovers, feels destined to be a Christmas (or at least wintertime) classic for many. The film follows a curmudgeonly teacher who is made to watch the few students who stay on the campus of a boarding school over Christmas break in 1970s New England.

Directed by Alexander Payne, The Holdovers stars Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph and Dominic Sessa. The film balances ennui with humanity. It received five Oscar nominations and won one: Best Supporting Actress for Randolph. It is available to stream here.

7. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Set primarily in a 1930s luxury European ski resort, The Grand Budapest Hotel tells a beautiful story within a story. The film follows a concierge who is falsely accused of murder after inheriting a priceless painting and his young bellhop. However, the rise of fascism in Hungary complicates their escape.

Directed by Wes Anderson, the film features a star-studded ensemble cast with Ralph Fiennes, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel, Jude Law, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Saoirse Ronan, Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Owen Wilson and Tony Revolori. The film was met with universal acclaim. Surprisingly, the film was nominated for nine Oscars even though it was released in March (very few Oscar contenders are released in the spring). However, it won four Academy Awards. It is available to stream here.

6. Hugo (2011)

Usually, the name Martin Scorsese doesn’t invoke sweet family films, but Hugo is the rare exception. Hugo follows an orphan who lives in a train station in 1930s Paris as he learns about his deceased father’s automaton and the former life of a local toymaker.

The film takes place during winter and has beautiful warm lights and snowy scenes. It is also a love letter to early filmmaking. It is based on the novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, which is a historical fiction story about the life of early filmmaker George Meilies. The film blends history with fantasy to make a lovely, imagined period piece. Hugo stars Asa Butterfield, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Chloë Grace Moretz and Jude Law. It was nominated for 11 Oscars, winning five. It is available to stream here.

5. The Shining (1980)

The Shining might not be the right choice for viewers who feel trapped inside during the winter… or maybe it is. Based on the Stephen King book of the same name, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is a horror classic. The film follows a man who takes a winter caretaker job at a haunted hotel and brings his devoted wife and clairvoyant son.

The film stars Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Scatman Crothers and Danny Lloyd. Originally, the film received poor reviews, with Gene Siskel even calling it "a crashing disappointment.” It was nominated for Worst Director and Worst Actress at the first ever Razzie Awards and was Kubrick's only film to ever be nominated. While King is not a fan of the adaptation, it has been largely reevaluated as a horror classic. It is available to stream here.

4. Carol (2015)

Set in the 1950s, Carol follows a lesbian love affair between a woman and a young photographer/shop girl. The two meet at a department store during the Christmas season, and the film has a great wintery feel with nods to the season and a warm glow.

The film is beautiful both visually and in how it explores love, motherhood, homophobia and the repression of the ‘50s. Directed by Todd Haynes, Carol stars Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchette. The screenplay is based on the 1952 romance novel The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith. Screenwriter Phyllis Nagy started writing Carol in 1997 but couldn’t find investors given the project as it had two female leads. While it wouldn’t be made for many years, the film went on to earn six Academy Award nominations and nine BAFTA Award nominations. It is available here.

3. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

The Muppet Christmas Carol is a perfect holiday family film. It retells the classic Charles Dickens novella, A Christmas Carol with Muppets and Michael Caine. The musical is a gorgeous take on a classic Christmas story.

Directed by Brian Henson, the film has amassed a cult following. Part of the magic of this film is Caine’s commitment to playing it straight as Ebenezer Scrooge, even while being surrounded by singing muppets. It is a Christmas classic, and the Guardian even ranked it as the number-one Best Christmas movie in 2023. It is available to stream here.

2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Directed by Michel Gondry and written by Charlie Kaufman, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a sci-fi romance. It follows two people who erase their memories of each other after a painful breakup. It is a twisty, non-linear film that features amazing visuals, including shots of Montauk in the winter.

The film stars Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo and Elijah Wood. It was met with both a strong box office and critical praise upon release (including an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay). However, it has taken on a further cult status in the years since. The film has inspired several musicians as well. Jay Electroinica’s "Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge),” Jhené Aiko’s "Spotless Mind" and "Eternal Sunshine,” and Bastille's "Remind Me" are all inspired by the film. Most recently, Ariana Grande's 2024 album Eternal Sunshine also references the film. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is available here.

1. ​​​​​​It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

“Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings." It’s a Wonderful Life might be the most famous Christmas film ever made. While most remember it for just the final 20-ish minutes, the film has a lot more going on in its over 2-hour run time. It’s a Wonderful Life follows the life of a small town building and loan operator from birth to a suicide attempt one disappointing Christmas Eve.

Directed by Frank Capra and starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed, It's a Wonderful Life wasn’t always considered a classic. Not only did it receive mixed reviews upon its release, but the FBI also called it un-American due to its possibly communist message of helping the poor and standing up to the rich. While it was nominated for five Oscars, it didn’t gain popularity until a copyright issue led to the film being shown often on TV during the holiday season. It can be here.

Bottom Line

Whether you are fully snowed in or just looking to get in the spirit, these winter classics are the perfect way to celebrate the snowy season.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What Are Great Movies About Snowstorms?

While many great winter films feature a snowstorm, including The Shining and Misery, few good films are entirely about a snowstorm. One exception is arguably 2004’s The Day After Tomorrow. It is a bit silly at moments, but so is much of the disaster film genre.

The Day After Tomorrow follows a climatologist whose fears about a superstorm are ignored, but after he is proved correct, he must find his son as a new Ice Age dawns. Directed by Roland Emmerich, the movie stars Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ian Holm, Emmy Rossum and Sela Ward. The film captures the fear around climate change and its effect on early 2000s disaster narratives, plus it features great visuals, which include a lot of ice and snow.

What Are The Best Movies To Watch On A Snow Day?

The ideal snow day films for many are easy and comforting watches. If that sounds like you, 2011’s Hugo is a great choice, especially for those with kids. The film follows a young orphan in 1930s Paris as he learns about his father’s automaton and its connection to early filmmaking history. Hugo, in many ways, is Martin Scorsese’s love letter to early film. It stars Asa Butterfield, Ben Kingsley, Chloë Grace Moretz and Jude Law.

The Shop Around the Corner is another great choice for a family-friendly snow-day classic. The Christmas romcom follows two shop workers who fall in love through a mail correspondence. Directed by Ernst Lubitsch, The Shop Around the Corner stars Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart and Frank Morgan.

What Are Great Disney Winter Movies?

While 2013’s Frozen is the easy answer, 2019’s Frozen 2 is also a great watch. The sequel film follows Anna and Elsa as they uncover a history of colonialism and connect with the Northuldra people and the spirits of the forest. Frozen 2 stars Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad and Jonathan Groff.

While it is technically a co-production between Walt Disney Pictures and Jim Henson Production, 1992’s The Muppet Christmas Carol is a winter classic. The film is a retelling of the Charles Dickens novella featuring the Muppets. Directed by Brian Henson, the film also stars Michael Caine. “A Christmas Carol” has been remade hundreds of times, but this version is among the most beloved.

30 Winter Movies Classics To Watch This Year (2025)
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