Mashable

Welcome to Mashable's first annual Best Theater Experiences of the Year list.

While our entertainment team's main focus has long been on films and television, we've many theater lovers in our ranks. And this year, with all the incredible shows we've seen on stage, it seemed downright wrong not to expand our Best of 2025 lists to include our favorites.

Now, there's a slight caveat here in that we decided to do this list after some critically heralded shows had already closed, and we were therefore unable to see them. (Apologies to Tony Award winner Purpose and the much-buzzed-about West End production of Evita!) Then, there are some shows that have gotten the internet giddy, like Sunset Blvd. with its outdoor antics and Tony wins, or Waiting for Godot for its most-excellent casting of Bill & Ted's Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter in the lead roles. But when it came down to what we liked best, these revivals just didn't make the cut.

So, what did? This list includes productions that are new, ongoing, and closed. Beyond that, we sorted our list by Off Broadway and Broadway, noting how you can see them (if you still can). In the mix, we've got inventive reinterpretations of classic shows, musicals inspired by movies, jaw-dropping new shows, the Broadway sensation that keeps us coming back, and the Broadway bomb that we thought deserved better.

So, take a look for what tickets you ought to book. And look for Mashable to take on more theater coverage in 2026.

Best of Off Broadway 2025The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee The ensemble cast of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." Credit: Joan Marcus

Off Broadway, new revival

Learning new words has never been more fun than in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. William Finn, Rachel Sheinkin, and Rebecca Feldman's beloved musical throws audiences into a middle school spelling showdown — sometimes literally, as four audience members get to join the spellers onstage. The high-stakes bee is no ordinary competition, though. It's also an invitation into the young spellers' inner lives, as they deal with high pressure, puberty, and family drama.

Danny Mefford's Off Broadway revival of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a non-stop delight, brimming with relentless energy and a stacked cast. It's undeniably fun to watch a group of adults play middle schoolers, but thanks to the actors' commitment, your awareness of the age discrepancy quickly disappears, replaced by sheer investment in these kids' success. Look no further than when my whole audience gasped whenever someone got a word wrong. Like us, you'll get sucked in in no time, and leave with a whole host of musical bangers stuck in your head. G-O S-E-E I-T! — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter

Starring: Philippe Arroyo, Autumn Best, Leana Rae Concepcion, Justin Cooley, Lilli Cooper, Jason Kravits, Matt Manuel, Kevin McHale, Jasmine Amy Rogers, Brandon L. Armstrong, Jahbril Cook, Emily N. Rudolph, and Cecilia Snow

How to watch: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is now running until Apr. 12, 2026.

Critic's Pick: Beau the Musical

Off Broadway, new

An Off-Broadway musical so successful it bounced from one venue to another and kept on rockin', Beau the Musical unfurls the queer coming-of-age story of Ace Baker (Matt Rodin), a pop-country musician who found his love of music and himself by growing closer to his estranged grandfather, Beau (Dead Outlaw's Jeb Brown).

Staged in a theater space/dive bar, Beau the Musical feels like wandering into a concert with the power of flashbacks. Eight actor/musicians play both Baker's band, and then also an array of characters, like his hard-as-nails mom, his best friend, and the vicious bully on whom he had a confusing crush. Songs in this show run from rollicking to heartbreaking and back again. 100 minutes with no intermission, it's a moving and joyous celebration of love, family, and music. And it's best enjoyed with a beer (or hard cider) in hand, so you too can feel like you're on the porch with Beau and Ace, taking in the night air and the guitar playing. — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor

Starring: Matt Rodin, Amelia Cormack, Luke Darnell, Seth Eliser, Andrea Goss, Ryan Halsaver, Tyler Donovan McCall, Miyuki Miyagi, Max Sangerman, Derek Stoltenberg, Lauren Jeanne Thomas, Rose Van Dyne, and Jeb Brown

How to watch: Beau the Musical is now playing at The Distillery at St. Luke's Theatre through Jan. 4, 2026.

Gwyneth Goes Skiing 

Off-Broadway, new

On a snowy day at the Deer Valley Ski Resort in Park City, Utah, a normal optometrist accidentally skied into a very famous actor and wellness guru. The world would be changed forever. 

Based on the real Gwyneth Paltrow trial and created by the dynamic duo behind independent theater group Awkward Productions, Joseph Martin and Linus Karp, Gwyneth Goes Skiing has been a traveling staple since 2023, with runs in London, Edinburgh Fringe, and Park City, Utah (the site of the now-infamous trial). This year it took over NYC, too, with two separate Off-Broadway turns that brought audience members themselves to the stage. That's right, the majority of the cast is solicited from the seats, like interactive dinner theater, who are given their lines through a video monitor and audio cues. There are flying wigs, a sock puppet, props manned by what feels like a single overworked crew member. At one point, an audience member stood up on top of his seat to deliver his line, and we threw wool snowballs at the stage. I made my Off-Broadway debut, too, as a totally-over-it resort shopkeeper. Congratulations to my fellow co-stars, Darren Criss (voice only) and Trixie Mattel (video cameo as Blythe Danner). 

The show's fiercest critics consider it to be weighed down by the kind of brain rot internet humor that's becoming more and more passé — the pre-show was just a slideshow of Paltrow's filmography and Glee references. But I think this is exactly how you make near-cosmic levels of self-referential humor and internet memes work: with a couple bucks and nary a care in the world.  — Chase DiBenedetto, Social Good Reporter

Starring: Joseph Martin, Linus Karp, Darren Criss, Catherine Cohen, Trixie Mattel, the audience 

How to Watch: Gwyneth Goes Skiing closed off Broadway, but is doing limited-run shows in Aspen, Colorado, and Los Angeles, California, in January.

Heathers: The Musical

Off Broadway, new revival

Before there was Mean Girls, there was Heathers. This is true of both the teen comedies, and the stage musicals they inspired. This 2025 revival brings plenty of snark, energy, and camp.

When I saw it, Lorna Courtney starred as Veronica, the moody cool girl whose best friends and worst enemies are the Heathers, a trio of vicious and popular girls. Recreating classic scenes from the 1988 movie with songs that share its bite, Heathers: The Musical is an outrageous night at the theater. Sure, not all the big movie moments can be translated to the stage. But the book and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Kevin Murphy are smart about where they stay true and where they expand. Like, there's a lot of catchy songs on this soundtrack. But for someone who grew up quoting Heathers' darkest lines with friends, the rousing number "My Dead Gay Son" had me rolling. — K.P.

Starring: Lorna Courtney, Casey Likes, McKenzie Kurtz, Kiara Michelle Lee, Elizabeth Teeter, Kerry Butler, Erin L. Morton, Xavier McKinnon, Cade Ostermeyer, Ben Davis, and Cameron Loyal

How to watch: Heathers: The Musical is now playing in New York through Mary 2026, plus shows are offered in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK.

Messy White Gays Derek Chadwick and Drew Droege in "Messy White Gays." Credit: Marc J. Franklin

Off Broadway, new

Imagine Alfred Hitchcock's Rope minus the queer subtext, and just scads and scads of queer text. American comedian Drew Droege, whom millennials might remember as Chloë Sevigny for a series of scorching web videos, satirizes gay culture and white privilege with Hitch's familiar framework.

Lights up on two young men strangling a third to death. This is their throuple-mate, whom they have both grown to loathe. But how will they hide his body — especially when a gaggle of their party pals are due for Sunday brunch any minute!? This deeply absurd premise is set in a high-rise apartment with a view of Central Park, but the humor is determinedly and deliciously lowbrow. The kooky cast of characters gleefully skew archetypes of queer men, from the femme theater boy to the himbo gym rat, the OnlyFans model, and the twink with more money than sense. Then, there's Droege, who makes a grand entrance as a nosey neighbor who proceeds to read everyone on stage like he's Dorothy from The Golden Girls. Simply put, Messy White Gays is outlandish, hilarious, and unapologetically for gay people by gay people. — K.P.

Starring: Drew Droege, Derek Chadwick, James Cusati-Moyer, Aaron Jackson, and Pete Zias

How to watch: Messy White Gays is ongoing until Jan. 11.

Critic's Pick: A Streetcar Named Desire

Off Broadway, new revival

Is this a safe space to admit I never liked A Streetcar Named Desire? My introduction to the Tennessee Williams classic, which debuted on Broadway in 1947, was the 1951 film adaptation staring Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski. And I just couldn't understand this Stanley, who was such a crude brute yet drew Stella toward him by screaming like a wounded animal. Well, this revival — which was borne on the West End with two sold-out runs — made me understand Stanley and Streetcar as I never had before.

Paul Mescal brought his Sad Boy energy to Kowalski, transforming the character I only knew through Brando. Mescal infused the character with a rage that not only hurts those around him, but immolates himself. Opposite Patsy Ferran as Blanche, he was snarling beast and bully. But before the two have their most climactic conflict, Mescal showing off Stanley's silk pajamas hit different. He was showing a soft side to Blanche, thinking she'd understand it — understand him. But when she rejects him (because of everything before), he turns violent and violating. He despises Blanche for the softness she has, because his own has been so long denied. And in that, the tragedy of Streetcar hit me like — well, a streetcar. Before, I felt sympathy for these women, but Stanley felt such a caricature of toxic masculinity I couldn't make sense of how they fit. Now, here, where all are equally ferocious and punished for vulnerability, I was in awe and tears. I was literally on the floor. Okay, so that last part was because the BAM run sold out tickets so fast that added literal floor seats (a cushion literally on the floor before the stage). But you know what, I've paid more for way worse seats this year. (Sorry, Vanya.) — K.P.

Starring: Paul Mescal, Patsy Ferran, and Anjana Vasan

How to watch: A Streetcar Named Desire ran Feb.-April 2025, but is now closed.

Tartuffe Bianca Del Rio in New York Theatre Workshop's 'Tartuffe.' Credit: Valerie Terranova

Off Broadway, new

In a wild bit of symmetry, theater director Sarah Benson helmed the first production I saw in 2025, and the last! In January, I was delighted to see one of the final performances of Teeth, a chaotic and hilarious musical adaptation of the horror film that imagined what might happen if a teen girl had the infamous vagina dentata (aka, teeth in vagina)! And this month, I closed out a week of much theater-seeing with the newly debuted revival Tartuffe! And lucky me, because Benson knows how to make a comedy truly outrageous.

Originally written by Molière in 1664, Tartuffe centers on the titular charlatan (Matthew Broderick) who claims to be Christian, while driving a wealthy French family to bickering, division, and shenanigans. But this Off-Broadway revival isn't the farce I studied in college. Writer Lucas Hnath leans into bawdiness and frank crassness, allowing his characters to read each other to filth and curse throughout — while rhyming! A perfect introduction to this take is RuPaul's Drag Race winner Bianca Del Rio, who opens the show by strutting in, adorned in fierce 17th-century fashion and spitting barbs at all in her view. From there, it's a no-bullshit housekeeper who will drag every affluent fool in this house. And the jibes are as hilarious as the physical comedy. Another show with no intermission, Tartuffe is a terrifically entertaining night at the theater, and star-studded to boot. —K.P.

Starring: Matthew Broderick, David Cross, Bianca Del Rio, Amber Gray, Ryan J. Haddad, Emily Davis, Ikechukwu Ufomadu, Lisa Kron, and Francis Jue

How to watch: Tartuffe is running through Jan. 24, 2026.

Twelfth Night 

Off Broadway, new revival

There's magic in publicly funded art. There's love in a group of New Yorkers gathered together in one place, finally off their feet, to watch that magic be made, just a few months before the city would rally together in one of the greatest political campaigns of the 21st century. It's why this year's free Shakespeare in the Park production of Twelfth Night —  the first in Central Park's newly renovated Delacorte Theater — was perhaps the best to ever do it. 

It's one of Shakespeare's classic comedies: a pair of separated twins, a woman pretending to be a man (while falling in love with another man), pranks and miscommunication, a satisfying ending. But this version is a little more queer, a bit more musical, and even funnier than the original, soundtracked by the sultry songs and guitar strums of Moses Sumney in a standout performance as Feste. I think I speak for everyone (even you, Tina Fey, who sat behind me) when I say Lupita Nyong'o's gender-swapping performance, complete with small mustache and expertly tailored Brooks Brothers suit to match her real-life sibling and co-star Junior Nyong'o, stirred something carnal. 

By the end, we were enrapt. The city was uproarious. The cast strutted onto stage in glimmering festooned garments and danced with the crowd for their bows. Stage lights reflected off of sequins and up into the New York City sky to fill the space where stars were missed. A being floating above could have looked down and spotted those celestial beings right there, not up in the night but sat around the Delacorte — a group of performers, of audience members, of artists, of hard workers. All equals, all there to enjoy a little Shakespeare funded by each other, built for each other, in love with each other. — C.D.

Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Sandra Oh, Peter Dinklage, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Moses Sumney, Khris Davis, Junior Nyong'o, b, John Ellison Conlee, and Kapil Talwalkar

How to Watch: Twelfth Night ran the summer of 2025, and has since closed, but a recorded performance is available on PBS.  

Vanya

Off Broadway, new

One of the hardest tickets to get this year was Vanya. A bold reinvention of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, this production — from writer Simon Stephens, director Sam Yates, and designer Rosanna Vize — reimagined the 1897 drama about a family farm, ripe with heartache, into a one-man show. And what one man could pull it off? It was Andrew Scott, who has awed audiences with Sherlock, Fleabag, and Ripley. First, he wowed the West End with a sold-out run. Then, he came across the pond to Off Broadway, where critics cheered and audiences clamored for tickets.

Scott was outstanding, playing a cavalcade of roles. With a tilt of his head, or the picking up of a prop, or the softening of his tone, he gracefully transformed from an elegant woman to a fumbling doctor, or wizened professor, or sheepish girl. A simple stage with one set and simple props, he made use of all of it. However, the seats on the mezzanine at the Lucille Lortel Theatre are far from ideal for such a staging. Any time Scott went toward the very front of the stage, or got on his knees even midway downstage, the whole of the mezzanine's audience would shift to find him again, causing a wave of movement as we all blocked each other's view. This frustration aside, the show itself was fascinating. The arguably gimmicky approach essentially erases the idea that we people are all that different, or perhaps shows how we all contain multitudes. For Scott fans, it was a showcase of his range and vulnerability. And you can stream it now. — K.P.

Starring: Andrew Scott

How to watch: Vanya ran from March 10 to May 11 off Broadway. Though now, closed, a recorded performance of Vanya can be streamed through the National Theater.

Best of Broadway 2025Death Becomes Her

Broadway, ongoing

Death Becomes Her is one of my all-time favorite movies. The comedy-noir is about two feuding besties whose battle over a mediocre man leads them to take a youth potion that gives them back their looks, but at a twisted cost. And for Broadway, it now has comical songs added to the macabre slapstick.

I've seen the show twice, once with Megan Hilty and once with her understudy, Kaleigh Cronin. And both times, it's a terrifically funny and rousing time — which is good news, as Hilty exits the production in January. Props to writer of the book, Marco Pennette, with lyrics by Julia Mattison and Noel Carey, for keeping true to Martin Donovan and David Koepp's sublimely silly and surly script, while finding new extremes to push Mad (Hilty) and Hel (Jennifer Simard). Props to the divas who brought them to fresh life, and cheers to the clever stunts and effects team who turns falling down the stairs into an epic comic climax. No wonder TikTok's been going wild for its soundbites. —K.P.

Starring: Megan Hilty, Christopher Sieber, Jennifer Simard, and Michelle Williams

How to watch: Death Becomes Her is now on Broadway, with a North American Tour coming in 2026.

Critic's Pick: John Proctor Is the Villain

Broadway, new revival

Arthur Miller's The Crucible gets reframed in Kimberly Belflower's revelatory John Proctor Is the Villain. The play takes place in a small Georgia town in 2018, when a spate of sexual harassment allegations force a classroom of high school students to reconsider who the true villain of The Crucible is. Is it Abigail Williams, who spearheads the Salem witch hunt? Or could it be John Proctor, the supposedly "good man" who began a relationship with the much younger Abigail?

The reconsideration of an American classic turns John Proctor Is the Villain into a thoughtful, thorny exploration of feminism and the #MeToo movement. Each of the show's young characters approach the issue in a different way, from the rage-filled Shelby (Sadie Sink, later replaced by Chiara Aurelia, whom I saw in the role) to the conflicted Beth (Fina Strazza). The result is an exquisitely layered ensemble, all brought to life by an incredibly talented cast. As if that weren't enough, the show's final five minutes are the most cathartic theatrical experience I've ever had: a raw exorcism of a dance scene set to Lorde's "Green Light." You'll never hear the song the same way again. — B.E.

Starring: Sadie Sink, Chiara Aurelia, Nihar Duvvuri, Gabriel Ebert, Molly Griggs, Maggie Kuntz, Hagan Oliveras, Morgan Scott, Fina Strazza, Amalia Yoo, Noah Pacht, Fiona Robberson, Shian Tomlinson, Garrett Young, and Victoria Vourkoutiotis

How to watch: John Proctor Is the Villain ran on Broadway from April 11 to Sept. 7. It is now closed.

Critic's Pick: Just In Time

Broadway, new

Tony Award winner Jonathan Groff is in the role he was born as Bobby Darin. Look, I didn't know anything about the American singer before seeing the jukebox musical Just In Time. But part of the brilliance of the book by Warren Leight and Isaac Oliver is that it's written with fourth-wall breaks that allow the show to be not just about Darin, but also about Groff.

The Circle in the Square Theatre, which Groff calls correctly "the basement of Wicked," is lit to look like a dazzling night club. Curtains, stages, and central tables where audience members can be a part of the action, are all draped in gorgeous blue lighting. Groff explodes onto stage with his beaming band and his sirens, an incredibly talented trio of dancers/singers. And he introduces himself, shares his enthusiasm and then dives into the story of Bobby Darin, with support from an ensemble that is audaciously talented.

When I went, Sarah Hyland and Sadie Dickerson played the loves of Darin's life, Connie Francis and Sandra Dee, respectively. And they were remarkable, shifting from bubbly romance to aching loss. (Hyland in particular had the audience sobbing with a teary "Who's Sorry Now.") Meanwhile, Valeria Yamin as Darin's mother is a bawdy broad I fell for hard. But even the smaller players like Joe Barbara, who plays Bobby's gruff brother-in-law, manager, and cigarette-chomping camera operator, are captivating. But of course, Groff is the headliner. And he's as good as you'd expect, even better.

He explodes on stage, singing and dancing (and yes, spitting) like the living Broadway legend he is. It is a very "wet" performance, and those aforementioned lights mean you can see just how much Groff is giving with every projection. But while fans might lovingly joke about the wetness (as Groff does in an opening speech), it's that radiant passion for performing that makes him a marvel. He shines, bright and dazzling, in every moment of Just In Time. And the staging, which runs from one stage to another, up the stairs of the audience and back again, makes the whole theater feel a part of the show. I can say with confidence that I've never seen anything like this. Is it like seeing Darin at the Copa? I couldn't say. But I can say this show, nominated for six Tonys, including Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a Musical, Just In Time is absolutely outstanding. Get tickets if you can. — K.P.

Starring: Jonathan Groff, Sarah Hyland, Sadie Dickerson, Valeria Yamin, Claire Camp, Julia Grondin, Michele Pawk, Emily Bergl, Caesar Samayoa, and Lance Roberts

How to watch: Just In Time is now playing on Broadway through March 2026.

Critic's Pick: Liberation

Broadway, new

What in the world happened between the activism of '70s-era feminism and today, when the government is revoking hard-won wins like the right to an abortion? That's the daunting question playwright Bess Wohl wrestles with in her staggering play Liberation, which alternates between the '70s and present. In the past, aspiring reporter Lizzie (Susannah Flood) starts a women's group in a high school gym. Decades later, her daughter (also played by Flood) reconnects with the remaining group members to better understand not just the movement, but her mother as well.

Liberation's folding of time makes for a powerful reminder of how many of the same issues women faced 50 years ago still echo today, as well as a moving mother-daughter story. (See it with your mom for the Liberation 4D experience.) Elsewhere, the group meeting scenes provide powerful moments of catharsis, as Lizzie's group — all women from different walks of life — commiserate over sexism they face at work and at home. However, Liberation also acknowledges the flaws of second-wave feminism, including its failure to make space for Black women. Here, Wohl reckons with her own role as a white playwright. Who gets to tell whose story, and how? The play doesn't reach any tidy answers on this, or on its central questions about feminism. But given such a sprawling topic, who could? Instead, it's Liberation's own acknowledgement of its limits that turns it into such an astounding work. — B.E.

Starring: Betsy Aidem, Audrey Corsa, Kayla Davion, Susannah Flood, Kristolyn Lloyd, Irene Sofia Lucio, Charlie Thurston, Adina Verson, Britt Faulkner, Leeanne Hutchison, Matt E. Russell, and Kedren Spencer

How to watch: Liberation runs on Broadway until Feb. 1.

Oedipus

Broadway, new

Though Sophocles' Oedipus Rex dates back to about 428 BC, you don't need to be a classics enthusiast to know this story is about a real motherfucker. The Greek tragedy centers on the eponymous man, who is undone by discovering he's killed his father and bedded his mother.

Mark Strong stars as the eponymous politician, who's run his election campaign on a policy of truth — always. On election night, he gathers with his family at the campaign HQ, looking to celebrate. The future is bright. He seems certain to win the election, and once he does, he will do as he's promised, revealing his birth certificate to the public, and finding the real killer of the long-dead ruler Elis [Laius?]. But the visit from a blind soothsayer (Samuel Brewer) sours things with a disturbing prediction.

Writer/director Robert Icke updates Oedipus with a modern setting and a firm awareness that his audience knows what's coming. So, there's a lot of ironic lines about Oedipus and his wife/mother that the characters on stage do not realize are jokes, but we do. But this same certainty from the audience ramps up tension as Oedipus doggedly pursues the truth. Onstage, a literal timer counts down as the play rolls on, but counting down to what? You know. It might be gimmicky, especially as scene transitions happen with the clock audibly ticking away the seconds. But when the big reveal hits, and the timer hits zero — I felt it hit hard in my gut.

Admittedly, the staging of the show — set entirely in a minimalistic office — is a bit boring, seeming too much like an workplace TV show than a Broadway spectacle. But Lesley Manville turned me around on the show, which has no intermission to interrupt its tension. As Jocasta, mother and lover of Oedipus, she goes from breezy to tormented as dark truths are unearthed. She delivers monologues that radiate with rage and pain, and still rattle in my head days later. When she declares, "Cowardice is sometimes the cost of survival," I felt my heart crumble for her. And I could see by the counter, we still had a ways to go before the terrible, tragic end. A nail-biter, indeed. — K.P.

Starring: Mark Strong, Lesley Manville, Anne Reid, John Carroll Lynch, Teagle F. Bougere, Samuel Brewer, Ani Mesa-Perez, Bhasker Patel, Olivia Reis, Jordan Scowen, and James Wilbraham

How to watch: Oedipus is now playing through Feb. 8.

Critic's Pick: Oh, Mary!

Broadway, ongoing

Famously, Cole Escola wrote a juicy role for themselves by creating a historical comedy about Mary Todd Lincoln that cares far more about "bratty curls" and bad attitudes than actual history. And thank the theater gods. From its 2024 to 2025, Oh, Mary! went from buzzy Off-Broadway hit to a Tony Award–winning Broadway smash.

Originating the role, Escola scored the Tony for playing Mary Todd Lincoln as a booze-swilling, cabaret-obsessed maniac. But as new leads stepped into those character shoes, Oh, Mary! proved it could survive without Escola's distinctive star power. Betty Gilpin, Tituss Burgess, Jinkx Monsoon, and Jane Krakowski all followed. Between the Mashable staff, we've seen every incarnation of the show so far. And with its outrageous humor, twisted turns, and crackling comedic timing, it's a reliably sensational night at the theater. (For everyone but Abe).

30 Rock's Jane Krakowski is currently in the role on the Great White Way. Playing it like Jenna Maroney, she's absolutely hilarious in her commitment to every bit, while Cheyenne Jackson is stealthily hysterical as Mary's unexpected friend. Jinkx Monsoon, who took the role this summer, will return in January for another stint, followed by John Cameron Mitchell. And across the pond, Oh, Mary! has opened with Mason Alexander Park tossing the bratty curls. So choose your fighter, and have some fucked-up fun. — K.P.

Starring: Cole Escola, Betty Gilpin, Tituss Burgess, Jinkx Monsoon, Jane Krakowski, and Mason Alexander Park

How to watch: Oh, Mary! is now playing on Broadway through July 2026 and on the West End.

The Queen of Versailles

Broadway, new

See it while you can! Wicked's composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz and first Galinda Kristin Chenoweth reunited for this wild musical based on a critically heralded 2012 documentary. But critics met this musical adaptation with brutal reviews.

And yet, I liked it! This musical interpretation reimagines the life of Jackie Siegel, a trophy wife who dreamed of building the castle of Versailles in Florida, into a darkly comic — and definitely campy — parable. As I wrote in my review, "Jackie becomes a tragic figure, like King Lear or Anna Nicole Smith." And her obsession with more, more, more will cost her dearly.

Plus, "Like she did as Glinda with 'Popular,' Chenoweth is a force of unrepentant whimsy as she trots and glides around the stage in furiously sequined mini-dresses and heels." She's a legend of Broadway for a reason, and she reminds us all why with Queen of Versailles. — K.P.

Starring: Kristin Chenoweth,  F. Murray Abraham, Tatum Grace Hopkins, and Nina White

How to watch: Queen of Versailles is now on Broadway until Dec. 21.

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

Broadway, new

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) is exactly what it sounds like, and so much more. This charming two-person show sees Robin (Christiani Pitts), a jaded Brooklynite, cross paths with Dougal (Sam Tutty), an Englishman in New York City for the very first time. They're headed to the same wedding, but first, they've got to usher the cake from Brooklyn to Manhattan. It's not long before their errand morphs into a chance at deeper connection.

Robin and Dougal's ensuing journey is an adorable New York odyssey that'll leave you fizzing. While its songs never quite reach the highs of opening number "New York," Two Strangers runs on Pitts' and Tutty's charming performances. She's an eternal bundle of cool, he's an excitable Golden Retriever, and together, they both have a lot of baggage to unpack — a fact made literal by the set made up of giant pieces of luggage. Original and inventively staged, Two Strangers is an endearing treat. — B.E.

Starring: Christiani Pitts, Sam Tutty, Phoenix Best, and Vincent Michael

How to watch: Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) is now playing on Broadway through July 6.

Tis the season for holiday horror!

Whether you're baking cookies or fantasizing about setting the tree on fire, holiday horror films are perfect for any Christmas mood. They're that ideal blend of thematic cheer and commercial cynicism that screams, "I'm having a good time, but only because it could be worse!" that you probably feel most holiday seasons — but especially during this one.

From mutant gingerbread men and rosy-cheeked killers to stories of betrayal and twisted tragedies, the creepy Christmas catalog is vast. We've combed through and selected 25 of the best to get your horrifying holiday started.

Not sure if a title is for you? Check the scare level! Based on our Best Scary Movie guide, we've ranked all of the films below on a scale from: family-friendly, Halloweenie (more spooky than scary), scary, and very scary. There's also labels for funny and WTF, which are pretty self-explanatory. But when we say WTF, we mean hold onto your Santa hat, because things are going to get wild!

25. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) Credit: Moviestore / Shutterstock

OK, I know The Nightmare Before Christmas doesn't belong on here — but it also doesn't not belong on here. Tim Burton's animated Halloween-meets-Christmas classic is only a horror film if you choose to deeply meditate on some of Oogie Boogie's grosser behaviors (and honestly, who is doing that?) Still, it's got enough of that wintery spookiness to make it a worthy title for anyone looking to scratch that Christmas-time horror itch. Plus, ya just gotta love Zero. Who's a good ghost dog?! — Alison Foreman, Entertainment Reporter

Scare level: Family-Friendly

How to watch: The Nightmare Before Christmas is now streaming on Disney+.

24. Inside (2007)

This is basically the Die Hard of this list, more set during Christmas than it is a horror movie about Christmas. Inside is a gore-soaked jewel in the crown of the French Extremity craze of the 2000s, a time when "torture porn" horror was all the rage. 

But director Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo's freaky film works because of its très important holiday vibes, which emphasize our main character's state of loneliness. On Christmas Eve, pregnant widow Sarah (Alysson Paradis) is in a deep depression mourning her husband, who was killed in a car accident just a couple of months previously.  

That's when a stranger — known simply as The Woman (Béatrice Dalle) — comes knocking on her door. And like the Grinch before her, The Woman has come to take, not give. Specifically, she wants to take the baby right out of Sarah's belly to be her own. What follows is a bloody battle royale between the two women that will test even the heartiest of gorehounds. — Jason Adams, Entertainment Reporter

Scare level: WTF, Very Scary

How to watch: Inside is now streaming on Tubi.

23. Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010) Credit: Filmcamp / Kobal / Shutterstock

Alright, this hidden gem — which I cannot believe I only found out about in 2020 — is so good it almost makes me want to learn Finnish. (Yes, it has subtitles and some of it is in English, but I want the whole essence!) Directed by Jalmari Helander, Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale tells the story of a father and son, played by real father and son Jorma and Onni Tommulia, who discover the horrific origins of Santa Claus amid an archaeological dig. Better off not spoiled, just watch this one now. — A.F.

Scare level: Scary

How to watch: Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale is now streaming on Tubi, The Roku Channel, AMC+, and Shudder, and is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video and Apple TV.

22. Black Christmas (1974)

Ah, one of the longest-lasting franchises in the holiday horror subgenre. Director Bob Clark's 1974 slasher Black Christmas has been remade twice; once in 2006 and again in 2019. Both revisits were pretty good, but it's tough to outdo a film as timelessly terrifying as the original. Following a group of sorority sisters hunted by a sadistic killer, Black Christmas delivers a staggeringly believable portrayal of murder at the holiday season you won't soon forget. — A.F.

Scare level: Scary

How to watch: Black Christmas is now streaming on Shudder.

21. Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)

Silent Night, Deadly Night gained much of its fame by pissing off Green Bay Packers fans with a poorly timed TV advertisement. (OK, it's more complicated than that; but honestly, not by much. People in the '80s needed to chill.) Since then, the killer Santa slasher has gained a cult following for its bizarre portrait of a dude deeply warped by a childhood misunderstanding of naughty and nice. There's Christmas light stranglings, tons of ax throwing, and a surprising amount of nudity. — A.F.

Scare level: Scary

How to watch: Silent Night, Deadly Night is now streaming on Shudder.

20. Anna and the Apocalypse (2017) Credit: DMcCallum Orion / Vertigo / Kobal / Shutterstock

Zombieland meets Broadway-level Christmas carols in this bonkers holiday apocalypse musical. Starring Ella Hunt as the titular Anna, Anna and the Apocalypse tells the story of a high school senior in Scotland struggling to face the end of her childhood when a zombie outbreak hits her small town. With great songs and some extremely fun undead choreography, Anna and the Apocalypse isn't all that scary — but it is screamingly festive. — A.F.

Scare level: Funny, Halloweenie

How to watch: Anna and the Apocalypse is now streaming on Shudder, and is also available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

19. The Lodge (2019)

OK, The Lodge is the bleakest title on this list, bar none. If you're looking for a fun holiday horror flick, this is not it. I repeat: this is NOT it. Now, that said, this psychological nightmare is a great choice if you're looking for an unnerving horror experience that combines The Shining with occultism. Intrigued? Starring Riley Keough as an unwelcome girlfriend on Christmas vacation with her boyfriend's kids, played by Jaeden Martell and Lia McHugh, The Lodge foregoes traditional scares for slow-burn tension and shocking implications. — A.F.

Scare level: WTF

How to watch: The Lodge is streaming on Tubi, and is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

18. Jack Frost (1997)

No, this is not the 1998 holiday film starring Michael Keaton as a snowman — that Jack Frost is far better. This Jack Frost, directed by Michael Cooney and released in 1997, instead serves as a stand-in for all those holiday horror movies that are great to have on in the background... but not all that fun to actually sit down and watch. Killer snowmen could definitely make for a super fun horror movie, but that's just not what happens here — what with Jack Frost's ridiculously awkward pacing and barely coherent plot structure. Still, it is a great visual to enjoy while you wrap presents or bake cookies. If you need more recs along those lines, try The Gingerdead Man and Santa Jaws. — A.F.

Scare level: WTF, Funny

How to watch: Jack Frost is streaming on Prime Video, Tubi, and The Roku Channel, and is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV.

17. Black Christmas (2019) Credit: Universal Pictures / Kobal / Shutterstock

If you want a more modern spin on slashers, this remake will satisfy, as it's ripe with violence with a sharp political edge. Writer/director Sophia Takal and co-writer April Wolfe take the framework of the original and weave in a tale of toxic masculinity and the horrors of rape culture. When a mysterious cyber stalker takes his sinister schtick to home invasion, the sisters of Mu Kappa Epsilon must band together to survive the holiday. With a PG-13 rating, this one's less gory than the original, but still presents plenty of scares. — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor

Scare level: Funny, Scary

How to watch: Black Christmas is streaming on Hulu, and is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video and Apple TV.

16. Sint (2011)

This pitch-black horror comedy (aka Saint) from Dutch director Dick Maas dives into the mythic origin of one Mr. Claus. Known Europe-side as the Sinterklaas, he's a terrifying hooded figure on horseback who carries a birch stick to beat bad children who he tosses in his sack to carry them away from their families forever. 

Sint ratchets all of that up 10 notches, claiming that when the festive night of celebration overlaps with a full moon, Saint Niklas rides in on his white steed and just starts murdering everybody in sight. Stopping him falls to a teenager on the lam (Egbert Jan Weeber) and the cop (Bert Luppes) who was the only survivor the last time Nicklas went on one of his murder sprees. Way over the top to the point of being downright silly, Sint is a mean-spirited holiday hoot. Cutting a bloody swath through town, wielding a golden staff and crown, the diabolical Saint alone makes this one worth a spin. — J.A. 

Scare level: Scary

How to watch: Sint is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video and Apple TV.

15. Better Watch Out (2016) Credit: Storm Vision / Moviestore / Shutterstock

Better Watch Out may have some awkward pacing and confusing character development. But thanks to its one truly spectacular Home Alone reference, it makes this list. Dying to see what I mean? In this surprising home invasion story, Levi Miller stars as a preteen with a crush on his teenage babysitter, played by Olivia DeJonge. The two enjoy a relatively normal (albeit awkward) Christmas night in together, until a strange voice calls the house. — A.F.

Scare level: WTF

How to watch: Better Watch Out is now streaming on Prime Video, Peacock, Tubi, and The Roku Channel, and and is available to rent or purchase on Apple TV.

14. Christmas Evil (1980)

When it comes to the rampaging Santa hall of holiday infamy, the slasher Christmas Evil (aka You Better Watch Out, aka Terror in Toyland) always gets overshadowed by the 1984's Silent Night, Deadly Night. Which is a shame because Christmas Evil makes that festive cult classic seem like child's play. A favorite of no less than John Waters, this thing is one eggnog off the deep end.

In an opening flashback we meet a little boy named Harry (Gus Salud) who spies on Mommy doing more, a lot more, than just kissing with Santa Claus. Cut to years later and adult Harry (Brandon Maggart) gets his holly-jollies off by gluing a beard to his face and keeping a list of whether the local kids are "naughty" or "nice." Harry's deranged reindeer games all have a tinge of sexual perversion to them that makes Christmas Evil really get under your skin, but it's all so deeply bizarre that you'll laugh as much as you squirm. — J.A.

Scare level: WTF

How to watch: Christmas Evil is now streaming on Prime Video.

13. Holidays (2016)

Vertical Entertainment's shabby Holidays isn't strictly a Christmas joint — but it does crescendo with a bizarre Black Mirror-meets-Dexter Christmas short good enough to earn a spot on this list. Comprising eight short horror films based on eight holidays (Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Halloween, Christmas, and New Year's Eve, in that order), Holidays reimagines the greeting card aisle through its grimy, offbeat lens. It's uneven and often unsatisfying. Still, it gets at the very spirit of holiday horror with excess camp and great effects. — A.F.

Scare level: Halloweenie

How to watch: Holidays is now streaming on AMC+ and Shudder, and is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.

12. Silent Night (2021) Credit: RLJE Films / Moviestore / Shutterstock

An affluent family of beautiful, well-dressed Brits (led by Keira Knightley and Matthew Goode) annually gather at their mansion to celebrate the holiday. This year, however, is a little bit different, as news arises of a "toxic gas cloud slowly enveloping the earth and killing everyone and everything in its path" happening outside their manor walls. This turns the yuletide festivities into a big, fancy end-of-days party — instead of peppermint canes or even coal, everybody's getting a cyanide pill in their stockings this year!

Pitch-black but mordantly funny, writer/director Camille Griffin delivers an apocalyptic family drama a la Melancholia, just with glittery ornaments and old feuds taking the place of descending planetoids and Kirsten Dunst tasting ash. It's like The Ref, but with poisonous tornados obliterating grandma. — J.A.

Scare level: WTF, funny

How to watch: Silent Night is streaming on AMC+, and is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video and Apple TV.

11. Into the Dark: Pooka! (2018)

The first Christmas installment in Hulu's Into the Dark anthology, Pooka! tells the surprisingly sad story of Wilson, played by Nyasha Hatendi. A down-on-his-luck actor tasked with promoting a new toy for the Christmas season, Wilson begins the film the victim of a campy premise. Soon, however, the story morphs into a far more complex portrayal of selfishness and guilt.

If you love Pooka!, then definitely check out its sequel, Pooka Lives! The second one doesn't touch on any Christmas themes at all, but think of it like Pooka!'s Evil Dead 2. It takes everything that Pooka! did seriously, and turns it up to a hilarious extreme. — A.F.

Scare level: Halloweenie

How to watch: Pooka! is now streaming on Hulu.

10. Into the Dark: A Nasty Piece of Work (2019)

Fans of Ready or Not can enjoy another brutal game night in the house of a conceited rich dude with Into the Dark's A Nasty Piece of Work. In this Belko Experiment-meets-National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation mash-up, Kyle Howard stars as Ted, a corporate underling vying for his holiday bonus at a terrifying work dinner party. Julian Sands and Molly Hagan undeniably steal the show as Ted's evil boss and his equally evil wife, but the whole cast nails it in this ensemble horror-comedy. — A.F.

Scare level: Halloweenie

How to watch: A Nasty Piece of Work is now streaming on Hulu.

9. Krampus (2015) Credit: Universal / Legendary / Kobal / Shutterstock

Wow, where to begin with Krampus? From Adam Scott and Toni Collette as a sniping couple to the best demonic toys since Child's Play, Krampus delivers a nativity of cinematic terror through an eerie, apocalyptic tone vaguely akin to The Mist. It takes a long time for the chaos of Krampus to kick off, and the deeply unlikable family at its center does not make that waiting easy. But once the demon of European folklore does appear, this hellish sleigh ride is frightfully fantastic. — A.F.

Scare level: Funny, Scary

How to watch: Krampus is now streaming on AMC+, Peacock, and Shudder, and is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV.

8. Deadly Games (aka Dial Code Santa Claus)(1990)

Imagine Home Alone, but with a homicidal mall Santa going after Kevin McCallister in his booby-trapped home, and you'll have some sense of what writer/director René Manzor created with Deadly Games. This no-holds-bar French film was made before Home Alone hit theaters, but didn't get much attention internationally until it hit the U.S. festival circuit in 2018. Trust us, you won't want to overlook this holiday horror treasure any longer. Far from the family-friendly romp that was Home Alone, this thriller (which has several titles) focuses on a clever kid who is understandably terrified as a vengeful stranger dressed as Santa invades his home, threatening the boy, his dog, and his half-blind grandfather. What follows is a ghoulish good time that will have you laughing, cheering, screaming, and even crying. — K.P.

Scare level: Funny, Very Scary

How to watch: Deadly Games is now streaming on Shudder.

7. Tales From the Crypt (1972) Credit: Amicus / Kobal / Shutterstock

Get those visions of the cackling skeleton Crypt Keeper out of your head. This British film from Hammer director and David Lynch cinematographer Freddie Francis has nothing to do with that legendary HBO series from the ‘90s (nor the updated version on Shudder). The only thing they have in common is that this is an anthology format consisting of five unrelated stories, each shared in a wraparound tale that's told by a character that is indeed called The Crypt Keeper (Ralph Richardson wearing a hooded robe). 

Admittedly, only one of the stories is a Christmas story! But "And All Through the House" is so much fun it alone justifies the film’s inclusion on this list. Legend Joan Collins stars as a wicked glamourpuss who murders her husband on Christmas Eve. But before she can get away with it, a deranged Santa Claus shows up at her door to attempt his own brand of ho-ho-homicide. There are only so many perfect pleasures in life, but seeing Joan Collins battle a murderous Santa is so obviously one of them. — J.A.

Scare level: Scary

How to watch: Tales From the Crypt is now streaming on Tubi. 

6. Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022)

Killer Santa, but a robot? That's the goofy fun premise of Christmas Bloody Christmas, which fully embraces sheer absurdity from its start. A news broadcast tells us everything we need to know right upfront — a bunch of robotic Santas have been recalled because a glitch in their systems has reverted them to their original programming, which came from the Department of Defense. OK? Sure. Naturally. Why wouldn't it? And if that nonsense makes you giggle, this movie's got your number. It's basically Terminator in tinsel focusing on a young woman (Riley Dandy) who is stalked by a robo-Claus that kills everybody in its way. That is, until the two showdown in a sparking neon-lit extravaganza! — J.A.

Scare level: Funny

How to watch: Christmas Bloody Christmas is now streaming on Shudder.

5. It's a Wonderful Knife (2023) Credit: RLJE Films and Shudder

If you couldn't tell from the wordplay in the title, this wintry gem is a slasher riff on Frank Capra's holiday classic It's a Wonderful Life. This time around, the world-weary protagonist is a high-schooler named Winnie (Jane Widdop), who wishes on a star that she'd never been born… unfortunately forgetting that she was the Final Girl a year earlier who'd stopped a murderer called The Angel from killing a bunch of people. 

When Winnie's Christmas wish comes true, she finds herself transported to an alternate timeline — one in which she'd never stopped the killer. So it becomes her duty to once again stop The Angel in his or her tracks, before they can slash the entire town to ribbons and bows. All this while she feels adrift in a weird reality where nobody she knows and loves recognizes her. It's no surprise that Winnie finds herself bonding with a girl named Bernie (Jess McLeod) that she barely noticed in her old timeline. This opens up a whole other can of worms, though, as feelings start to develop between the two that complicate which timeline Winnie feels the most tied to. 

Written by Michael Kennedy (the screenwriter behind the 2020 body-swapping slasher Freaky) this high-concept (and queer as hell) Christmas horror proves home is where the heart is. And then stabs a really big fucking knife through it. Again and again and again and again. — J.A.

Scare level: WTF

How to watch: It's a Wonderful Knife is now streaming on Hulu.

4. Violent Night (2022)

Dead Snow director Tommy Wirkola flips the script on the killer Claus concept by presenting a Santa who kills for good! Starring Stranger Things' David Harbour as the man in red, Violent Night sees the jolly gift-giver minding his own damn business one Christmas Eve, delivering toys as he does every damn year. When what should appear … but a hostage situation. It's up to this hard-headed Santa to kick ass and save the (holi)day, one defenestration at a time.

Co-starring John Leguizamo as "Mr. Scrooge," the leader of the festively nicknamed nogoodniks, and Beverly D'Angelo (ye icon of Christmas Vacation) as a rich matron, Violent Night has nothing in its sights but delivering scenes of Jolly Saint Nick committing extremely gratuitous spectacles of action-hero violence. As such, it's 10 trays full of cookies and a hundred glasses of milk — comfort food for the seasonally dubious. — J.A.

Scare level: Funny

How to watch: Violent Night is now streaming on Peacock, and is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video and Apple TV.

3. The Sacrifice Game (2023) Credit: Shudder

Nothing says deck the halls quite like Satanic rituals, and director Jenn Wexler's The Sacrifice Game has boughs of horror and blazing yule logs a'plenty. Nestling in among the students of the all-girls boarding school the Blackvale Academy, a couple of girls with nowhere to go for the holiday — and nothing in common but these momentarily difficult circumstances — hunker down for a depressing week together. (Yes, it's very The Holdovers.) 

The girls soon find out they'll have to bond fast though, because a bad moon's a'rising outdoors where a roving band of Manson Family-esque serial killers are lurking about. Turns out one of them (Olivia Scott Welch) is a Blackvale alum, wielding plenty of inside knowledge about the grand old home. When the gang find themselves in need of a hideout — and a virgin for a demon-summoning spell — it's back to school they go, hoping to turn their dark magicks into darker reality. The Sacrifice Game, a twisty one indeed, keeps undoing our assumptions about who's good and who's bad behind this school's gates. Nobody's quite who they seem on the skin of it, and their school-girl secrets make for a quick spin straight into holiday hellfire. — J.A.     

Scare level: Scary

How to watch: The Sacrifice Game is now streaming on Shudder.

2. There's Something in the Barn (2023)

This offering out of Norway lays like National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation with a killer elf. (Side note: Why the heck didn't one of the National Lampoon Vacation movies have a killer elf in it???) There's Something in the Barn stars Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead's Martin Starr as the optimistic family man Bill, who's relocated his wife (Amrita Acharia) and two kids from the U.S. to his ancestral family farm in the snowy mountains of Norway. And the rest of the family isn't thrilled about it. 

But little did cheerful Bill realize that there would be a territorial barn elf (Kiran Shah) living on the property. Before you know it, a clash between American culture and barn elf tradition erupts — for one, barn elves can't stand loud music or bright lights, which really messes with Bill's loud, bright holiday-decorating plans. There's Something in the Barn is really more of a comedy than it is horror for most of its runtime, but its last act lets fully loose as the blood turns the snow red in the two sides' war for merry dominance. — J.A. 

Scare level: Funny

How to watch: There's Something in the Barn is now streaming on Hulu, Starz, AMC+, and Shudder, and is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video and Apple TV.

1. Gremlins (1984) Credit: Warner Bros / Kobal / Shutterstock

What horror fan doesn't want a mogwai for Christmas? In Joe Dante's horror comedy classic, Zach Galligan stars as Billy Peltzer — a young bank teller gifted a dangerous creature for the holidays. Iconic for its adorable main "monster" and spectacular vignettes (I will never get over the gremlins drinking at a bar), Gremlins is a sci-fi tour through classic Christmas nostalgia that never disappoints. Well, except for Phoebe Cates' whole "Dad got stuck in a chimney" monologue. That bit is always kind of a bummer. — A.F.

Scare level: Funny, Scary

How to watch: Gremlins is now streaming on Max.

UPDATE: Dec. 12, 2025, 5:00 p.m. EST This article was originally published on Dec. 15, 2020. It has been updated to included the latest streaming options.

The central locked room mystery of Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery sees writer-director Rian Johnson drawing on a long literary history. The film takes many cues from the likes of authors including Agatha Christie and Edgar Allan Poe, but one particular novel is crucial to the core puzzle: John Dickson Carr's The Hollow Man.

The American author's 1935 mystery novel, which features his recurring investigator protagonist Gideon Fell, functions as a key text in Benoit Blanc's (Daniel Craig) investigation into the murder at Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude. But what exactly is this important book?

SEE ALSO: 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery': What's on the book club list? What is The Hollow Man in Wake Up Dead Man?

Early on in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, new Chimney Rock resident and priest Jud Duplenticy (Josh O'Connor) is reckoning with the impossible crime that is the murder of Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin). Stabbed in the back in a small room with only one way in or out, in front of an entire congregation? It's "the stuff of detective fiction," as Blanc declares, the famous detective now on the case.

In his clue-gathering, Blanc mentions Carr's novel The Hollow Man and the methods of Gideon Fell, Carr's fictional detective. And according to a list Father Jud finds in the church office, The Hollow Man just so happened to be the Spring Book Club title for Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude — it seems the killer was inspired by the novel.

Featured Video For You Rian Johnson on 'Wake Up Dead Man,' Josh O'Connor's neck tattoo, and AI slop The Hollow Man gives "a syllabus of how to commit the perfect crime." Credit: Orion / Mashable

In The Hollow Man, a murderer shoots a professor and vanishes from a locked room, then kills another victim in a public street with witnesses and without leaving footprints in the snow. However, there's one very famous chapter, 17, which has become synonymous with defining the elements of an impossible crime. Here, Carr has Fell giving this famous "locked room lecture" to the reader, describing "the general mechanics" of how a murder (like Wicks') could be committed in impossible circumstances.

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Blanc describes The Hollow Man in Wake Up Dead Man as "a syllabus of how to commit the perfect crime," as Fell maps out a number of scenarios, including the following:

1. It is not murder, but a series of coincidences ending in an accident which looks like murder.

2. It is murder, but the victim is impelled to kill himself or crash into an accidental death.

3. It is murder, by a mechanical device already planted in the room, and hidden undetectably in some innocent-looking piece of furniture.

Carr would deploy the locked room framework in many novels, like The Problem of the Wire Cage (a murder on a tennis court) and The Crooked Hinge and Castle Skull (murders which at first appear supernatural).

Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, Edgar Allan Poe's The Murders in the Rue Morgue (both also on Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude's book club list), Gaston Leroux's The Mystery of the Yellow Room, Soji Shimada's The Tokyo Zodiac Murders, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and The Adventure of the Speckled Band and The Adventure of the Crooked Man — all locked room mysteries, impossible crimes that it would take a real Jonathan Creek to solve.

Or, a Benoit Blanc.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery will open in select cinemas on Nov. 26, then debut on Netflix on Dec. 12.

At present, I think the best Windows laptop for most people is the 13.8-inch Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 powered by the Snapdragon X Elite chip. It's a stylish workhorse with enough power to handle demanding workloads and has a premium build as well as an amazing all-day battery life (outdone by just two other models). Even the M4 MacBooks can't keep up. Beyond that, I have other picks for users with different budgets, use cases, and design preferences.

I chose my picks based on hands-on testing conducted by myself and other Mashable staff and contributors. We've reviewed dozens of PCs on the basis of performance, build quality, battery life, and value over the years, and the ones I'm recommending are the cream of recent-gen crops. Most of them scored high enough to secure a Mashable Choice Award, the highest honor we give to the gadgets we review.

Why now is a good time to buy a new Windows laptop

AI data centers have gobbled up DDR5 RAM and SSDs in recent months, leading to a shortage of such components for consumer devices — laptops included. Experts predict that PCs will get pricier over the coming months or ship with lesser specs, as Mashable's Alex Perry reported. Remember the dark days when mid-range laptops started with just 8GB of RAM? That's looking like a possibility again. (Yeah, it's bad out there.)

This is all to say that I recommend buying a new Windows laptop sooner rather than later, and to consider a storage or memory upgrade if you can afford it. You'll add some extra future-proofing while avoiding imminent price hikes amid the persistent AI boom.

On a more positive note, now is the time of year when I typically see many current-gen laptops go on sale at deep discounts. They're about to be refreshed at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), a huge tech industry trade show that happens in early January, so retailers price them to move. Act snappy and you could score a great laptop at a great price before the RAM and SSD shortage (probably) makes everything a worse value.

What's new

As of December 2025, I've added a couple new picks based on our latest round of testing. The Lenovo Yoga 7 2-in-1 14 (Gen 10) is our new favorite Windows laptop for students, and the HP OmniBook 5 14 is our new battery life champ. Both are new categories for this guide.

I've also removed the Acer Swift X 14 (2024) as our top pick for photo and video editing, as it's getting difficult to find in stock. The newer Acer Swift 14 AI isn't a good replacement because it lacks a powerful dedicated GPU, has an ARM-based processor that might pose software compatibility issues, and doesn't have a microSD card slot or HDMI port. I'm currently on the hunt for a new winner in that category.

What didn't make the cut?

We've tested other very good-but-not-great Windows laptops so far this year. They might meet some users' needs or have a couple of standout features, but our top picks outclass them in their respective categories.

The Acer Predator Helios 16 is a powerhouse with a stellar thermal design and a matte display, but its obnoxious, gamer-y look is a turnoff.

The Alienware 16 Area-51 (RTX 5080) is another lightning-fast gaming laptop. It has fun, customizable RGB lighting, tons of ports, and an excellent keyboard, but it's hot, loud, and clunky.

The Dell XPS 13 (9530) has a fantastic tandem OLED display and a slick edge-to-edge design — it's such a striking laptop, and a very portable one, too. Unfortunately, its keyboard is cramped, its touchpad is glitchy, and it's scant on ports.

The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 (AMD) is an impressive performer for the price, but it has poor speakers, a crude webcam, and a cheap feel to it.

The Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 is configurable with a gorgeous mini-LED touchscreen, but it has a mediocre battery life and a creaky build.

The Dell 14 Premium is a powerful, well-made laptop with an oh-so-sexy design, but it's heavy for a 14-inch laptop, its battery life isn't great, and it has a frustrating capacitive touch function row.

Similarly, Dell 16 Premium (RTX 5070) is beastly and drop-dead beautiful, but it's too heavy, too expensive, and needs to ditch that capacitive function row. Plus, we got better graphics performance from cheaper last-gen gaming laptops.

The HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 is a handsome convertible with a velvety touchpad, a springy keyboard, and a rich 3K OLED touchscreen, but it underperforms for the price and has some strange port placements on its corners.

The HP OmniBook X Flip 14 is another pretty 2-in-1. Its thin, travel-friendly design features a vivid 2.8K OLED touchscreen with a 120Hz refresh rate and an aluminum chassis that doesn't cling to fingerprints, and it comes with a stylus. However, its battery life disappoints, and its lattice-style keyboard takes a while to get used to. It's a runner-up to the Lenovo Yoga 7 2-in-1 14 as a good pick for students.

The HP Omnibook X Flip 16 is an oversized hybrid laptop with a vibrant 3K OLED touchscreen, a strong hinge, and an above-average battery life. But it's weighed down by an awkward zero-lattice keyboard, middling performance for the price, and a heavy build. If you really want a 16-inch hybrid laptop, I'd go with this one before the two others on this list.

The Lenovo IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1 16 (Gen 10) has a solid battery life, but most of the other convertibles we've tried offer better build quality, performance, and future-proofing.

The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 OLED (Gen 10, RTX 5080) is the fastest Windows laptop we've ever tested. Its 240Hz OLED display, RGB keyboard, and port selection are all wonderful, but it's really expensive and overkill for the average PC gamer.

The MSI Prestige 13 AI+ Evo is extremely lightweight and compact, and it has a nice (albeit overly glossy) 2.8K OLED display. But it otherwise felt and looked cheap, and isn't an impressive performer compared to cheaper models. It doesn't take much to get its fan to turn on, and you can feel it whir through the keys.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

A charge.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

DEBIT

Hurdle Word 2 hint

A singing voice.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for December 20, 2025 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

TENOR

Hurdle Word 3 hint

A link.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for December 20 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for December 20, 2025 Hurdle Word 3 answer

JOINT

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Awesome!

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for December 20 Hurdle Word 4 answer

GOODY

Final Hurdle hint

A household appliance.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

DRYER

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Tonight, the Moon is still very thin, marking the start of the waxing crescent phase in the U.S. However, in some parts of the world (depending on the time zone) the New Moon is officially occurring tonight.

What is today’s moon phase?

As of Saturday, Dec. 20, the moon phase is Waxing Crescent (if you're in the U.S). There is little to be seen tonight, with NASA's Daily Moon Observation stating 0% of the moon will be lit up. So, of course, there's little to no chance of spotting any features on the Moon's surface tonight.

When is the next full moon?

The next full moon will be on Jan. 3. The last full moon was on Dec. 4.

What are moon phases?

According to NASA, the Moon takes around 29.5 days to complete one full cycle. This is known as the lunar cycle. Throughout this time, it passes through a series of phases as it orbits Earth. Although the same side of the Moon always faces us, the amount of sunlight reflecting off its surface changes, which is why it can appear fully illuminated, partly lit, or completely invisible at different points in the cycle. This process is divided into eight main lunar phases:

New Moon - The moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).

Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).

First Quarter - Half of the moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-moon.

Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.

Full Moon - The whole face of the moon is illuminated and fully visible.

Waning Gibbous - The moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)

Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) - Another half-moon, but now the left side is lit.

Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, the Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move onto the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity for how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for December 20, 2025

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible – and common – for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for December 20, 2025 Easy difficulty hints, answers for Dec. 20 Pips

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 1-0, placed horizontally.

Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 4-4, placed vertically.

Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-3, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 2-0, placed vertically; 3-2, placed vertically.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 2-0, placed vertically.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for Dec. 20 Pips

Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 6-1, placed horizontally.

Less Than (4): Everything in this space must be less than 4. The answer is 1-2, placed horizontally.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 1-2, placed horizontally.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 1-2, placed horizontally; 0-0, placed vertically; 6-3, placed horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 5-0, placed vertically.

Less Than (6): Everything in this space must be less than 6. The answer is 3-0, placed horizontally.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for Dec. 20 Pips

Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 2-2, placed vertically; 2-5, placed horizontally; 2-3, placed vertically.

Equal (5): Everything in this purple space must be equal to 5. The answer is 5-5, placed horizontally; 2-5, placed horizontally; 5-3, placed vertically.

Equal (4): Everything in this light blue space must be equal to 4. The answer is 4-4, placed horizontally; 4-0, placed vertically.

Equal (3): Everything in this yellow space must be equal to 3. The answer is 5-3, placed vertically; 2-3, placed vertically; 3-3, placed horizontally; 3-1, placed vertically; 3-0, placed horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 4-0, placed vertically; 3-0, placed horizontally; 2-0, placed horizontally.

Equal (6): Everything in this green space must be equal to 6. The answer is 2-6, placed horizontally; 6-6, placed vertically.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 3-1, placed vertically; 1-2, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 2-0, placed horizontally; 1-2, placed horizontally.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easier if you know tactics.

As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections: Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Sports planning

• Green: Universities

• Blue: Same player, different teams

• Purple: Teammates

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: X's and O's

• Green: Teams with colorful nicknames

• Blue: LeBron James teams

• Purple: Members of the Detroit Lions

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections: Sports Edition #453 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• X's and O's - PLAYBOOK, SCHEME, STRATEGY, TACTIC

• Teams with colorful nicknames - ALABAMA, COLUMBUS, TEXAS TECH, TULANE

• LeBron James teams - CLEVELAND, LOS ANGELES, MIAMI, ST. VINCENT-ST. MARY

• Members of the Detroit Lions - BRANCH, MONTGOMERY, READER, ST. BROWN

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you're a rock music fan.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for December 20, 2025 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: They hold things

• Green: Clothing maintenance

• Blue: UK musicians

• Purple: Solid as a ___

Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Containers

• Green: Laundry services

• Blue: British bands formed in the 1970s. with "The"

• Purple: Rock ___

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #923 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Containers: BUCKET, CAN, DRUM, TIN

• Laundry services: DRY, FOLD, PRESS, WASH

• British bands formed in the 1970s. with "The": CLASH, CURE, DAMNED, FALL

• Rock ___: BOTTOM, LOBSTER, MUSIC, SALT

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for December 20, 2025

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you're in the holiday spirit.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for December 20, 2025 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for December 20, 2025 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: All the trimmings

The words are related to decorating.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe ways to commemorate a winter holiday.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Christmas Tree.

NYT Strands word list for December 20

• Ornament

• Star

• Christmas Tree

• Lights

• Ribbon

• Angel

• Tinsel

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Strands.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you don't like bright colors.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for December 20, 2025 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for December 20, 2025 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Blank.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter W.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

WHITE

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for December 20, 2025

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Wordle.

TL;DR: Make binge-watching TV productive with a lifetime subscription to the unique streaming service Curiosity Stream, on sale now for just $149.99 (reg. $399.99).

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Want to feel productive while lying on the couch? How about learning something new during your next binge session? Curiosity Stream makes it possible — you can get cozy while watching content from this documentary service that educates as it entertains.

Right now, you can score a lifetime subscription to Curiosity Stream’s Standard Plan for just $149.99 (reg. $399.99).

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If you’re tired of your usual streaming services and want to feel better about the content you’re watching, you need to check out Curiosity Stream. It’s a streaming service filled with documentaries, so whatever you choose will be informative, and you can learn something new while you relax.

John Hendricks, the mastermind behind Discovery Communications, is the creator of Curiosity Stream. It’s filled with the top-quality content you would expect on subjects ranging from history and science to art and technology. They even have an Emmy Award-winning series, Stephen Hawking’s Favorite Places.

There are series like Planet of Treasures and Deep Time History, with new content added every week. They also have multiple search options, so you’re bound to find something that interests you. You can bookmark or download content to watch later, too.

Enjoy documentaries for life with a lifetime subscription to Curiosity Stream’s Standard Plan, now for just $149.99 (reg. $399.99).

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TL;DR: Bring home a MacBook Pro for just $429.99 (reg. $1,799) while supplies last.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Macbook Pro (2020) i5 2GHz Touchbar 16GB RAM 512GB SSD Silver (Refurbished) $429.99
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Looking for a laptop that can keep up with your demands? You can’t do much better than a MacBook Pro. Apple’s most powerful and portable device typically comes with a steep price tag. Luckily, this deal arrived just in time for the holiday season.

Right now, you can put a MacBook Pro under the tree for just $429.99 — 76% off its regular $1,799 price tag — while supplies last.

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The MacBook Pro was built to keep up with your busy life. A 10th Gen Intel Core i5 processor has a 2GHz base speed with a boost up to 3.8GHz when you have a heavier workload, so all your multitasking needs are met.

All that power won’t weigh you down — this sleek silver laptop weighs just 3.1 pounds. It includes some of Apple’s most helpful features, like the Touch Bar, which offers customization and puts shortcuts at the top of your keyboard. A Magic Keyboard makes typing comfortable for hours, and True Tone technology on the 13.3-inch display adjusts to your lighting to help reduce eye strain.

This MacBook Pro offers 512GB of storage, so you have plenty of space to store files locally and download your must-have apps. And you won’t need to be tethered to an electrical outlet because a full charge lasts an impressive 10 hours.

You’re saving over $1,300 on this model thanks to its grade A refurbished status. That means it will arrive on your doorstep in near-mint condition with virtually no signs of prior use, while you score a deep discount.

Act fast to get a MacBook Pro for only $429.99 (reg. $1,799) while supplies last.

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When veteran Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo talks, markets listen. That's because Kuo, based in Hong Kong, sits in the middle of Apple's Asia-Pacific supply chain; he knows all the vendors, sees the Apple gears in motion when any new iPhone is in the works, and is usually on the money.

In a new interview, Kuo says that the iPhone Fold — Apple's first smartphone with a folding screen — is real, and it's coming next year. But he also warns that the company is having a hard time building them fast enough to meet the likely massive demand. (Likely massive because ... c'mon. Foldable. iPhone.)

"Development of the foldable iPhone is behind earlier expectations, but the product is still expected to announce" in the second half of 2026, Kuo writes in his summary of the interview. "Due to early-stage yield and ramp-up challenges, smooth shipments may not occur until 2027. With limited supply and expected strong demand, the foldable iPhone could be facing shortages until at least the end of 2026."

SEE ALSO: Apple is reportedly working on 7 new iPhones. Here's all we know.

Translation: The iPhone-making machine in Kuo's part of the world, the one that the Cupertino company still relies on, isn't ramping up fast enough and doesn't have enough materials. So, a lot of customers are going to find they can't get the top item on their Christmas lists in 2026.

And that means we're looking at another iPhone 14 Pro/Max situation. That was where — as Kuo predicted at the time — many customers found them out of stock at the Apple store until 2023, despite an October 2022 launch.

That's not the only reason you might be disappointed by the iPhone Fold. The other reason: Its price tag.

Another analyst in the region pegged the likely cost at $2,399, which is on the high end of other analyst estimates. You could get at least two MacBook Air laptops for that price (and maybe even three with the M4 chip at current prices.)

That may be too much for many consumers, especially if the economy takes a post-AI bubble downturn. Which would mean diminished demand, which in turn would mean that if you really want to shell out all that scratch for an iPhone Fold, you might just have a chance of getting one in time to take candid shots with its cameras (two on the front, two on the back, according to the rumor mill) on New Year's Eve 2026.

Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon's cloud web hosting platform which provides online services to millions of customers, has confirmed that Russian state actors have been attacking misconfigured customer edge devices for the past five years, according to a new update from the company.

Earlier this week, Amazon Threat Intelligence shared an update on the AWS website that detailed the years-long attack by a Russian cyber threat group. Amazon's team dissected the attack and discovered a link to a threat actor known as Sandworm, which is associated with Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency.

Amazon’s telemetry reveals coordinated operations against customer network edge devices hosted on AWS. This was not due to a weakness in AWS, according to Amazon, but appear to be customer misconfigured devices. 

"The campaign demonstrates sustained focus on Western critical infrastructure, particularly the energy sector, with operations spanning 2021 through the present day," CJ Moses of Amazon Threat Intelligence said in the post.

SEE ALSO: Amazon is throwing one more sale to close out the year — save during the Super Saturday sale

According to Amazon, the attack focused on "energy sector organizations across Western nations, critical infrastructure providers in North America and Europe, and organizations with cloud-hosted network infrastructure." Amazon says the campaign targeted "'low-hanging fruit' of likely misconfigured customer devices," which likely enabled the attacks to continue on for so long.

Moses says that this attack "represents a significant evolution in critical infrastructure targeting" and calls it a "tactical pivot where what appear to be misconfigured customer network edge devices became the primary initial access vector, while vulnerability exploitation activity declined."

SEE ALSO: Russia's advanced robot human immediately face plants at debut

Basically, according to Amazon, there isn't any AWS exploit to patch as bad actors are weaponizing misconfigured devices on the end of AWS' customers. Amazon says it has notified affected customers. Going into the new year, Amazon is urging its customers to monitor and audit network devices and remain vigilant as attacks are ongoing.

UPDATE: Dec. 19, 2025, 5:54 p.m. EST This post has been updated throughout to make it clear that AWS was not a victim in this attack and the coordinated operation did not occur due to a weakness in AWS. It appears to be customer misconfigured devices.

TikTok brought the TikTok Awards to the U.S. for the first time this year — and after attending the underwhelming show in person, I'm not totally convinced it should happen again.

The night was a total disaster: full of tech mishaps, hot mics, and an ever-growing absent crowd.

The red carpet itself looked promising at first. Creators like Yasmine Sahid, Ashby Florence, Alexis Nikole Nelson, and Janette Ok walked the carpet, and there was no shortage of TikTok-famous faces. But the reach stopped there. You might have expected the main cast members from I Love LA, a show deeply rooted in TikTok culture, to make an appearance. Not to mention, there weren't very many celebrities beyond the FYP bubble — despite the fact that actors and musicians use the app constantly to promote their work. Of course, not everyone attends a carpet, but the absence was curious.

Then came the delay. The show started nearly an hour late. Inside the venue, rumors spread quickly that we were waiting on Paris Hilton, but once she got comfortable — trailed by an entourage fit for royalty, including one person whose sole job seemed to be holding a light inches from her face — we still didn't start.

That's when it became obvious where the real problem was.

All around the room, tech crew members dressed head-to-toe in black scrambled in the back of the venue. The screens weren't working, which is a catastrophic issue for any award show, but especially for one built entirely around short-form video.

"We are running a little late because this is quite a powerful room. You are so powerful because you blew out our screens," Kim Farrell, the global head of creators at TikTok, told the room of restless creators before the show finally began. (A TikTok spokesperson confirmed to Mashable that a "venue-specific electrical issue" affected the on-site screens, resulting in the delay.) The relief didn't last long.

Almost every presenter's bit relied on those screens. La La Anthony, hosting alongside Ashby Florence (who was seated in the crowd), opened the show with an interaction that required La La to show her For You Page on the big screen. Without it, the moment landed awkwardly — confusing for viewers watching at home and uncomfortable in the room.

And that set the tone.

Ashby, to her credit, carried the night. Her crowd work was charming, quick, and genuinely funny, and she managed to inject life into moments that otherwise would have completely stalled. I hope she was paid extraordinarily well, because she was doing the work of an entire production team.

Rei Ami and Ashby Florence fire off a Labubu cannon. Credit: Phillip Faraone and Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for TikTok

Once it became clear the screens weren't coming back, most presenters didn't adjust their scripts at all. They continued gesturing toward blank screens while audio from unseen montages played. Tefi Pessoa's presentation for Video of the Year worked regardless, but when the award went to Bretman Rock, he wasn’t there to accept it, which was another recurring issue. Roughly a third of the winners weren't in the room.

That absence may have something to do with how the night felt less like a celebration and more like a very long advertisement.

Every award was, of course, tied back to TikTok, but the show was cluttered with sponsor integrations — Carl’s Jr., e.l.f. Cosmetics — and awards branded for TikTok-owned tools. There was a CapCut award instead of a general editing category. TikTok Shop presented an award. It was TikTok giving TikTok Awards to TikTok, and while all award shows are commercial at some level, this one felt especially on the nose.

As the night went on, more and more people quietly left their seats and the venue altogether. There were no seat fillers, so the empty chairs became impossible to ignore. Despite repeated reminders about an upcoming Ciara performance, the room was probably 15 percent empty by the time she finally took the stage.

The princess is here to save us. Credit: Phillip Faraone and Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for TikTok

To be fair, Ciara performed, and she absolutely delivered. Between her performance and Ashby’s relentless effort to keep things fun, the night stayed afloat. But just barely.

When Keith Lee accepted the Creator of the Year award, the tone in the room shifted. Lee was visibly emotional, and TikTok announced a $50,000 donation to Feeding America in his honor. It was a rare moment of sincerity in an otherwise uneven night. And it underscored how creators should be awarded for their work — they entertain us, make us laugh, help us learn, and inspire us. These kinds of creator-led award shows should exist. The Webby Awards and the Shorty Awards play a role in uplifting short-form content and its creators, for instance. But this attempt from TikTok fell short.

And maybe that's because it broke its own unwritten rule. The platform that thrives on spontaneity and creator culture instead opted for moments that felt designed for clips, rather than genuine connection.

Earlier in the evening, before the show began, Mashable asked creators on the red carpet what their word of the year would be. Merriam-Webster had just announced "slop" as its official word of 2025, and we wanted to see what the Extremely Online would have to say. La La Anthony said "change." Alexis Nikole Nelson chose "bold." Kelsey Anderson said, "Period." Tan France went with "C U Next Tuesday" (the actual word, not the phrase). And Ashby offered the most painfully accurate word of all: "conundrum."

After being inside that room all night, though, Merriam-Webster might've nailed it the first time.

Amazon loves to throw a sale. This year we had Amazon's Big Spring Sale in March, Prime Day in July, Prime Big Deal Days in November, and to close out the year, there's a Super Saturday Sale on Dec. 20. It's a last-minute opportunity for shoppers to do some Christmas shopping while saving a buck.

During the sale, Amazon is clearly marking products that will arrive by Christmas. Plus, plenty of items are available for same-day delivery, too. Hopefully, that means you won't be caught waiting for your gifts by the front door on Christmas Eve.

Amazon has provided a sneak peak of the savings to come but these deals are only available to Prime members. Here's what to expect during Amazon's Super Saturday sale.

Amazon Super Saturday savings

During the Super Saturday sale, Amazon seems to be focusing on beauty and fashion deals. Some of the highlights will include:

• Up to 50% off Charlotte Tilbury Calm Bliss Eau de Parfum

• Up to 49% off Hydro Flask Travel Tumbler in Thyme Green

• Up to 40% off Crayola Art Set for Kids

• Up to 33% off T3 Aire 360 Multi-Styler & Blowout System 

• Up to 30% off Charlotte Tilbury Glowgasm Beauty Light Wand

• Up to 25% off Touchland SWEET RUSH Body and Hand Mist Essentials Set

• Up to 20% off Away Medium Checked Luggage in Cloud Gray and Ted Baker Women’s ICON Tote

• Up to 15% off Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream Face Moisturizer and Vince Camuto Knee High Boots

More Amazon Super Saturday savings

In addition to the savings on products, Amazon is offering up to 20% off gift cards. And did you know Amazon has a bounty of travel deals. During the sale find savings up to 35% off Disney Cruises, 30% off Avis car rentals, and $30 off experiences booked through Tripadvisor.

How to join Amazon Prime

To shop Amazon's Super Saturday sale, there's one catch — you need to be a Prime member. Membership costs $14.99 a month and in addition to sale access, enjoy the benefit of same-day, one-day, or two-day delivery. Visit Amazon to join.

SAVE $120: As of Dec. 19, get the Roku 4K HDR Streambar SE and Wireless Bass Bundle for $99.98 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $229.98. That's a discount of 57%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Roku 4K HDR Streambar SE and Wireless Bass Bundle $99.98 at Amazon
$229.98 Save $130   Get Deal

Looking for an affordable way to upgrade your home entertainment center? A great way to stream your favorite content and improved audio is a good way to do that. Amazon has a deal you won't want to miss ahead of the holidays. This is a home entertainment deal you won't want to pass up.

As of Dec. 19, get the Roku 4K HDR Streambar SE and Wireless Bass Bundle for $99.98 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $229.98. That's $120 off and a discount of 57%.

SEE ALSO: The best soundbars for upgrading your home entertainment

This bundle comes with the Roku 4K HDR Streambar SE and Roku Wireless Bass, both things you can use to enhance your TV viewing routine significantly. First off, the Roku streambar is a soundbar you can use to add some excellent audio to your favorite shows and movis. It gives you seamless streaming options and simple setup that lets you attach a soundbar to your TV setup effortlessly.

Then, the Wireless Bass adds the booming sound you need to pair with your audio to feel every vibration that's happening onscreen. Connect it via Bluetooth to add some simple but effective bass no matter where you set your Streambar up. Plus, everything is controlled via one remote to make things even simpler.

If you're ready for great audio that doesn't take long to set up (or cost an arm and a leg), grab this bundle while it's still available.

SAVE $500.99: As of Dec. 19, you can get the 16-inch HP OmniBook 5 2K Next Gen AI PC (AMD Ryzen AI 7 350, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) for just $439, down from $939.99, at Walmart.

16-inch HP OmniBook 5 2K Next Gen AI PC (AMD Ryzen AI 7 350, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) $439 at Walmart
$939.99 Save $500.99   Get Deal at Walmart

If you have a college student in your life who's still lugging around a heavy, dying laptop (or if you’re tired of waiting 10+ minutes for your own computer to wake up), it’s time for an upgrade. A solid laptop is one of those "treat yourself" purchases that actually pays off every single day, especially when it’s fast enough to handle everything from thesis papers to high-res streaming without making those loud, high-wind cries for help.

SEE ALSO: We tested over 30 laptops in 2025. Here are the 12 best for every budget and use case.

Right now, you can get the 16-inch HP OmniBook 5 2K Next Gen AI PC (AMD Ryzen AI 7 350, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) for just $439, down from $939.99, at Walmart. You'll also get up to four months of Apple Music and Apple Arcade, and up to three months of AppleTV for free with your purchase.

This is a "Next Gen AI PC," meaning it has a dedicated AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 processor with 50 NPU TOPS built to handle smart features like Microsoft Copilot+ without slowing down. The 16-inch 2K display is a huge step up from the grainy screens you usually see at this price, and the battery lasts for up to 16 hours and 45 minutes of video playback, which is a literal lifesaver if you're jumping between classes or coffee shops all day.

SAVE $100: As of Dec. 19, get the LG 65-inch B5 Series AI OLED 4K TV for $896.99. That saves you $100 off its $996.99 list price for 10% savings.

Opens in a new window Credit: LG LG 65-inch B5 Series AI OLED 4K TV $896.99 at Amazon
$996.99 Save $100   Get Deal

We're declaring winter as TV season. When it's cold outside, you want to be inside, not to mention there's plenty to watch. Over the holidays, it's time to gather around watching family favorites like Home Alone. For sports fans, it's the thick of NBA season and NFL playoffs. Not to mention, awards season kicks off on Jan. 11 with the Golden Globes on CBS and Paramount+. So if you're looking to upgrade your TV, we found a deal that arrives in time for Christmas.

The LG 65-inch B5 Series AI OLED 4K TV is down to $896.99 as of Dec. 19. That's the lowest price ever on the TV that delivers 4K resolution with crisp OLEDs. This deal at Amazon saves you $100 off its $996.99 price tag. Not only will it save you 10% off, but it'll arrive before Christmas, too.

The LG B5 Series is a next-level TV. It comes with 4K pictures, powered by OLEDs. It has Perfect Black and Perfect Color technology for the most accurate displays, not to mention Dolby Vision gives it a cinematic boost. This LG TV's big selling point is its new AI features that automatically detect what you're watching and improve the picture and sound settings.

Get the LG 65-inch B5 Series AI OLED 4K TV for $896.99 at Amazon and with Prime, it'll arrive before Christmas.