12 Days Of Christmas Horror (Day 10)

As we reach the last few days of this countdown, I’ll freely it that my knowledge of Christmas themed horrors is slowly drying up. This means I’ve had to do a little research (ie. googling ‘Christmas themed horror films’) and it seems that Santa’s Slay is a favourite amongst the sub-genre enthusiasts. After watching this 2005 straight-to-video black comedy, I can understand why. It has become a firm festive favourite of mine.

After losing a bet with an angel, demon Santa Claus is forced to be good for a thousand years and become the bringer of toys and happiness. However, that wager is soon coming to an end and Santa comes to small town USA to return to his joyously evil old ways.

If Silent Night is the Santa horror spawned from the gritty reboot school of Rob Zombie’s Halloween, Santa’s Slay is its light-hearted little cousin – with more in common with, say the Nightmare on Elm Street or Child’s Play sequels. The emphasis here is on the comedy, with every kill from former-wrestler Bill Goldberg’s Santa arriving in full blood-soaked comic hilarity

Opening with a cameo-laden Christmas dinner scene in the world’s most dysfunctional family. James Caan, Fran Drescher, Chris Kattan and Rebecca Gayheart feature briefly as Santa’s first batch of victims as part of a family so naughty that they don’t have one nice bone in their body. From the busty family step-mother hitting on her son-in-law to James Caan’s patriarch in desperate need of anger management – the scene is a laugh out loud send-up of the ultimate fucked up family Christmas. The chimney-smashing arrival of Bill Goldberg’s Santa gives a taste of the comic-tinged violence to expect through Santa’s Slay – cut to Santa jamming carving forks into a mustachioed James Caan’s hands.

The over-the-top carnage continues as Santa goes on a spree of outrageous murders across small-town USA, with only two young school friends (Lost’s Emilie de Raven and Douglas Smith) willing to stop him. On his spree Santa stops at the local strip club and unleashes his macabre holiday greetings on a batch of pole dancers (who are later hilariously eulogised by a seedy town pastor (Rat Race’s Dave Thomas) – “RIP Ms. Tess Tickler”), hunts down the USA’s most rude pensioner, and takes on said sleazy pastor.

Director and writer David Steiman complete gives 110% here, this is a dark comic romp that creates a killer Santa in the vein of classic trash horror figures like Freddy Krueger, Chucky or the Leprechaun. Santa here is a leather vest wearing, beard-braided rocker with nothing to gain but a rock ‘n’ roll pleasure from his killings. You cannot really view this as a serious horror film when we have a Santa that shoots fireballs from his mouth, throws explosive presents, and has his fate decided in a curling game with a pensioner (fantastically played by Robert Culp).

With lashings of Santa-themed violence, a game cast, and a truly wicked sense of humour, Santa’s Slay is a fleeting yet terrifically enjoyable slice of festive trash.