Dark conspiracy theory about The Holiday will shake you to your core

It's that time of year again, and what better way to celebrate than watching your favourite Christmas movie?

But if The Holiday is your film of choice, you might want to take a look at this dark conspiracy theory that will completely change how you see the supposedly heartwarming story.

The theory was put forward by writer Dana Schwartz, who took a deep dive into the beloved Christmas rom-com and suggested that the festive flick has a rather sinister plot twist simmering under the foundations of Rosehill Cottage.

Before we get into it, let's first take a look at what the 2006 film is meant to be about.

It centres on two women - Amanda (Cameron Diaz) and Iris (Kate Winslet) - who decide to swap their respective homes in the US and the UK over the holidays to get away from their relationship issues.

However, their lives change unexpectedly when they meet and fall in love with two local guys, played by Jack Black and Jude Law.

All's well that ends well, right? Well, not if Schwartz has anything to do with it.

In an article for Entertainment Weekly, she explored the moment that a heartbroken Iris returns home to her cottage after finding out that the object of her affections is engaged to another woman at the office Christmas party.

Believing she can't go on, Iris turns on her stove, blows out the flame and inhales the gas.

Thankfully, the wedding journalist quickly snaps out of her despair and lunges towards a window to take in some fresh air.

It's at this moment she gets a message on her laptop about switching homes with Amanda for the festive period.

Now, before Iris' encounter, viewers see Amanda kicking her cheating boyfriend out of her home (as well as chucking all his belongings out of a window for good measure).

Universal Pictures

As her anger grows, the film editor pauses and says in a moment of panic, "I can't breathe."

Schwartz's theory goes that in reality, our two leading characters are dead for the majority of the movie. Well, kind of.

She suggests that death looms over the two women before fate intervenes and gives them another shot to understand their full potential in a limbo of sorts.

The writer asks, "What if these two women, thousands of miles and several time zones away, shuffled off their mortal coils at the same time, and their souls became entangled, presumably due to their complementing themes?"

Schwartz adds that the the pair 'have unfinished emotional business to resolve, and so the fates have ordained that they get a bit of time, a holiday, if you will, to sort themselves out before they're able to move on'.

In the case of Iris, this means getting over emotionally-vacant Jasper and falling in love with Jack Black's fun-loving Miles, while Amanda finds everything she's been looking for in a committed partner with book editor Graham.

Universal Pictures

Iris's 'aha' moment comes when she rejects Jasper, who has flown across the globe to get her to pander to his ego. And for Amanda, it's when she cries for the first time since her parents got divorced.

Schwartz also includes Arthur Abbott, the elderly gentleman that Iris befriends in LA, in this theory.

She suggests the screenwriter (Eli Wallach) too may be in the same post-death universe as Amanda and Iris, since all three characters need a do-over of sorts before moving on, a chance to heal their wounds and find their perfect partners.

Hey, it certainly makes sense - although it might be a little too deep for what is supposed to be a light bit of festive entertainment. What do you reckon?