25 best alternative Christmas movies

Batman Returns (1992)

When Tim Burton decided to set Batman Returns in a fairytale, snowbound Gotham City, we knew it was going to be a dark Christmas. But we had no idea how dark – Burton drew inspiration from 1930s German Expressionist films to conjure up an off-kilter Gothic masterpiece (which had McDonald's frantically back-pedalling on their toy promotion for the movie).

Between the lithe sex-appeal of Michelle Pfieffer’s Catwoman and Danny DeVito’s born-to-play-it performance as the Penguin (complete with his army of armed avians), it's a very different Christmas film.