Scrooged (1988)

Before there was Groundhog Day (1993), there was Scrooged, the seminal Bill Murray holiday comedy adapted from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Directed by Richard Donner (like the reindeer), Scrooged takes Dickens' classic tale of redemption and turns it completely on its head. Murray stars as Frank Cross, a rude, obnoxious, and arrogant television executive who merits an entry or two on Santa's naughty list. But instead of a few lumps of coal in his stocking, Frank is visited by three ghosts of his past, present, and future: one in the form of a chain-smoking taxi driver (David Johansen), another a manic fairy with a wicked left hook (Carol Kane), and the last...well, let's just say this one will haunt your nightmares. But as much as the comedy strays from its source material, the message remains the same, and Frank learns a hard lesson about the value of forgiveness and the importance of holiday spirit.