The article contains a brief discussion about substance abuse.

As Christmas is nearing, new holiday movies are getting released on streaming platforms, and one of the biggest is the Will Ferrell-starring Spirited, which even features an Elf Easter egg poking fun at the 2003 movie. Now that the film has been released, any and all fan theories that it's in any way related to Elf have been debunked, but the holiday classic has a much darker theory that has yet to be discredited.

Somehow, eagle-eyed viewers conjure the most morbid and shocking theories about cherished and uplifting Christmas films. Between Kevin McCallister turning into Jigsaw, Santa staging his death, and Ralphie telling his Christmas story in a group therapy session, these theories could risk ruining fans' favorite holiday films.

Home Alone's Kevin Is The Jigsaw Killer

Kevin watching TV in Home Alone.

A lot of theories surround the Home Alone franchise, and they're easy to make given that Kevin has such violent tendencies, but after hearing this theory, viewers won't be able to stop making connections while watching the classic movie. ShannaoftheJungle thinks Kevin grows up to be the Jigsaw Killer from Saw.

The Redditor comments, "It's totally plausible. Both make intricate traps, both are homicidal, both have anger issues, and the bear trap from Saw looks like the furnace in Kevin's basement." Though Kevin being Jigsaw is an unpopular opinion, there's no denying that there are certain parallels that can't be overlooked.

Santa's Death Was Staged In The Santa Clause

Tim Allen dressed as Santa in the original Santa Clause

The Santa Clause is one of the most creative Christmas movies of the 90s, as Scott Calvin is forced to become Santa after Kris Kringle falls from the roof and to his death. But SupaBloo theorizes that the original Santa staged his death, noting that there's too much proof that it couldn't possibly have been real.

The Redditor explains, "The previous Santa didn't want to be Santa anymore, so he staged his death with the support of the elves in an attempt to make Scott believe death is the only way out of being Santa Claus." It really changes the mood of the movie once viewers believe that the original Santa had no interest in being Santa anymore to the point where he was willing to fake his own death.

Max Was An Unwanted Gift In The Grinch

The Grinch talking to his dog Max in How the Grinch Stole Christmas

So many Christmas movies are about despicable people who want to ruin other people's fun simply because they aren't having any fun. But they eventually have their minds changed and become full of Christmas spirit by the time the credits roll. How The Grinch Stole Christmas is a perfect example of that Christmas movie villain, and audiences are filled with joy once the Grinch finally learns what Christmas is all about.

However, BentheBruiser brings up one theory that will leave viewers depressed long after the credits have rolled. The Redditor brings up Max's origin, suggesting, "The Grinch gets all his stuff by taking it from the dump. Because of this, we can assume that Max was once an unwanted Christmas gift sent to Crumpit in the trash." Given that puppies are often gifted to loved ones on Christmas day, the Redditor might very well have cracked it.

Gremlins Is A Conservative Diatribe Against Imported Products

Gremlins Christmas Caroling in Gremlins

To the unseeing eye, Gremlins is a cute, fun, and ridiculous Christmas movie about furry pets that turn evil if certain rules aren't followed. And that's most likely the case, but Rita_learns argues that it's actually pretty xenophobic and that the movie is a vessel for Joe Dante's political leanings. The Redditor explains, "Basically, the Gremlins represent shoddy manufacturing: they muck things up, they sort things out, they make things crash."

The user makes it clear that they don't agree with the message, but there are tons of other examples that give the theory credit, such as the neighbor straight-up complaining about foreign products. Once aware of the theory, viewers will undoubtedly raise an eyebrow and question how warm and heartful the movie really is.

The Hobo Is Hero Boy In The Polar Express

The mysterious Hobo as he appeared in Polar Express

Movietheoriest thinks that the Hobo (voiced by Tom Hanks) who can be found on top of the train in The Polar Express is the future Hero Boy (also voiced by Tom Hanks) if he had never gotten on the train. The Redditor explains, "I think if Hero Boy had never gotten on, he would have become this bitter man and rode atop the train, as he could never receive a ticket."

As the movie is about Hero Boy losing his faith in Santa, this theory makes a lot of sense. Not only that, but there must be a deeper reason why Hanks voices every character in the film, and they might all be connected in some kind of way that theorists have yet to pick up on.

Ralphie Actually Shot His Eye Out In A Christmas Story

where-to-watch-a-christmas-story

The reason why A Christmas Story is such a unique and inventive Christmas movie is that it's made up of iconic vignettes. Each sequence in A Christmas Story is its own little story. But the one overarching narrative is Ralphie's obsession with BB gun, which he wants to find under the Christmas tree on Christmas Day so badly. After being told throughout the movie that he'll shoot his eye out, DelPanSotan believes that's exactly what happened.

The Redditor adds, "The pain, the tortured memories, and the bullying he received as a result eventually drove him deeply into alcohol and drug abuse. He's telling this story in a group therapy session at a rehab clinic." As morbid as it sounds, there's a lot of evidence to back it up. Whether it was his home life or his school life, the child always found himself in hostile environments. And a grown-up Ralphie tells the story in a voiceover, but it's never revealed who he's speaking with.

Myron Doesn't Exist In Jingle All The Way

Sinbad as Jingle All The Way Villains

GreenCountryTowne thinks that Myron Larabee, the psychopathic postman in Jingle All the Way, is a figment of Howard's imagination. The Redditor explains that the character "only shows up at the most stressful moments for Howard. That's a classic sign of psychosis. He's clearly a figment of Howard's increasingly disturbed imagination."

While this theory would cause a ton of plotholes, it would also answer a lot of questions fans have about the film. Myron is a vile human being, as he literally runs around with bombs disguised as parcels, and at one point he even bombs a group of police officers. There's no way anyone could get away with that. However, viewers see Sinbad interact with several other people throughout the film, which couldn't be possible if he was simply inside Howard's head.

Blair's Dating Life In Christmas With The Kranks

The family raising a toast in Christmas with the Kranks

Christmas with the Kranks is about a married couple who take advantage of their daughter, Blair, joining the peace corps and decides to go on a cruise for Christmas. But while away from home, Blair quickly falls in love and gets engaged within just a couple of weeks. Though that isn't completely unheard of, it's certainly out of the ordinary, and Stewie_Venture thinks they know why that happened.

The Redditor believes that they were secretly dating for months and maybe even years, but she was forced to hide it because of her cult-like upbringing based on how the community acts about Christmas. The user explains, "Due to the restricted and suffocating community she comes from, she was probably secretly dating the guy for a while at least to the point where it would make sense to marry him."

Hans Planned To Kill His Crew In Die Hard

Hans Gruber holding a gun in Die Hard

The 1988 movie might not exactly be a beloved family holiday movie filled with Christmas spirit, but Die Hard is a Christmas movie, and TeamStark31 has a theory that makes the film much darker. Just like Joker's plan in The Dark Knight, The Redditor explains, "Hans never meant for his crew to survive the roof explosion. This is why he freaks out when John McClane comes across the detonators."

The theory stems from the fact that there wasn't enough room in the getaway van for everyone once all the money was loaded into it. Hans Gruber is already a nasty villain, and as he clearly has no value for human life after unnecessarily killing hostages, this theory is more than just plausible.

The Presents At The Beginning Of Elf Weren't Going To Any Kids

Will Ferrell as Buddy looking confused in Elf

Elf is one of the happiest and most uplifting Christmas movies that exist, and it perfectly flips Christmas movie tropes on their head, as the only person who genuinely believes in Santa is a grown 30-year-old man. However, Thedorkening argues that it isn't completely as happy-go-lucky as fans think.

At the beginning of the movie in the orphanage, all the presents for the children are accounted for but there are still presents left. The Redditor suggests, "My theory is these are presents left from kids that passed between the time of packing up the sleigh to when Santa tried to deliver them.... morbid I know."

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