Horror Extreme Movie Catalog

I wouldn't even call this a horror film. Horror requires some "unnatural threat." Something mysterious and larger than life. What made HALLOWEEN a horror film is that Michael Meyers wouldn't die.

SANTA CLAWS is more akin to THE TOOLBOX MURDERS and MANIAC and VISITING HOURS (although not as "slick") in that we see the killer right away, and we see that he's a seedy and pathetic little man. So he lacks the awesome power of a Michael Meyers or Jason Vorhees.

SANTA CLAWS is also not a horror film in that about half the film (and it's a short 82 minutes) is just various women posing semi-nude for the camera. The story is about an obsessed fan (Grant Kramer) who kills everyone around this horror-porn movie actress (Debbie Rochon). So we spend much time at the porn studio watching various actresses being filmed topless. If that's what you want, great, but know that this is as much a soft-core porn film as horror.

Not much story (what porn film has a substantive story?). The acting is uniformly bad. The "walls" wobble when struck -- we also glimpse where the tops of these "walls" end. And the special effects are laughably poor. Unlike many slashers, this killer sticks to only one implement, a relatively mild-looking garden rake. He hits people with it, leaving small red dots, which we're supposed to think are gashes. Doesn't look it.

Debbie Rochon bears some resemblance to Parker Posey, though without the talent. Grant Kramer evokes Chris Elliott, though not as funny. All the actresses in this film appear to have massive breast implants.

Certainly there are many better "killer Santa" films. While SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT has historically garnered the most attention, I'd say that CHRISTMAS EVIL is the most inspired and thought-provoking, while DON'T OPEN TILL CHRISTMAS is a personal favorite.

I'm giving SANTA CLAWS a generous two stars because I'm a fan of both Chris Elliott and Parker Posey.

This is a fun slasher flick which doesn't take itself to seriously. It has a wicked sense of humor and not only features the skewering of murder victims but it skewers the film industry too. It's not for everybody and those who dislike slashers should stay away, but for the rest of us there's a lot to like about this movie. The cast and writing are both on target and if you "get" these types of films you should definitely get Santa Claws.