As the air gets colder, the leaves die and the snow (possibly) starts to fall, you can probably expect to spend some more time inside in your heated home under a blanket. With that extra time inside, here are five winter movies to watch. These movies are neither typical Hallmark movies nor the Christmas movies you have seen more times than you can count.

“The Revenant” (2015)

If you want a movie that is brutal and hard to watch, while at the same time being emotionally captivating, this movie is a good choice. Set in Wyoming during the early 1800s during wintertime, this movie is about a trapper (Leonardo DiCaprio) trying to get vengeance for his murdered son after narrowly surviving a bear attack. This movie will get you immersed into the cold harshness of winter in the 19th century and will remind you of how nice it is to have heating systems here today. I personally really enjoyed the movie and everything from the immersive fight scenes to the green and white scenery of the movie. I rate this an 8.5 out of 10.

“Hateful Eight” (2015)

If you’re a fan of westerns, or Tarantino films, this movie is a good pick. This movie takes place during a winter storm where two post civil war bounty hunters (Samuel L. Jackson and Kurt Russell) are holed up in a rural haberdashery (clothing store) with their bounty and five other strangers. The story unfolds when they find out not everyone is who they claim to be. Although it is similar to “The Revenant” in many ways, this movie has more of a Christmas feeling to it, as it has the theme of people coming together. I have watched this movie at least three times now and it is one I would personally like to see mentioned more when it comes to Christmas movies. I rate this movie a 9 out of 10.   

“Die Hard” (1988)

Iconic and thrilling are two words you could use to describe “Die Hard.” Set during Christmas Eve, New York City cop John McClane goes to visit his separated wife and two children in Los Angeles. When visiting his wife at her workplace during a Christmas Party, terrorists take over the 35 story building and McClane is the only one who can stop them. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, I would consider it a must-see and Christmas season is the perfect time to watch it. As for me, I will probably revisit this movie again and will consider watching the sequels at some point. I rate this movie an 8.5 out of 10.

“Misery” (1990)

While themed to be more of a winter movie than a Christmas movie, “Misery” is a still good choice to watch this season. Having crashed his car due to snowy conditions, book writer Paul Shelden (James Caan) gets saved by his number one fan, Annie Wilks (Kathy Bates), who brings him into her remote cabin while he recovers. Realizing that Annie is crazy, Shelden attempts to escape as Annie grows more controlling and forces him to rewrite his unpublished book that he was carrying. If you are a fan of horror movies, or Stephen King, you will appreciate “Misery.” The movie did a good job of making a horror movie without making it very dark visually and ought to be considered a classic if not already. I rate this movie a 9 out of 10.

“Scrooged” (1998)

Having to choose between several different movies for a final pick on the list, “Scrooged” was the movie that won. Starring Bill Murray as a bad-tempered televsision executive in a more modern version of “A Christmas Carol,” Frank Cross gets visited by the three ghosts of Christmas after both firing a staff member and driving away the love of his life. Having never seen or heard of the movie until recently, I was surprised that it was actually a decent movie. Although it is not the best movie ever, it is a great alternative to watching “Elf” or “Home Alone” for the 100th time this December. I enjoyed the movie due to it being a more traditional Christmas movie that still felt fresh. I rate this movie a 7.5 out of 10.