Satan Claus (1996)
* 1/2 (out of 4)
Extremely low-budget horror film has a psycho going around in a Santa outfit chopping up various people. The NYPD are baffled by the case (perhaps because they never actually look for clues) as more and more bodies begin to pile up. Satan CLAUS has a rather catchy title but it's certainly a long ways off from the classic SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT. As far as psycho Santa films goes, this here really doesn't offer too much but at the same time it's certainly far from the worst thing out there. I say that because with some better equipment I think the film could have been more entertaining. I'm not sure what type of equipment was being used but the entire film is just way too dark and there are times where you can barely see what's going on. Just check out all the scenes inside the police station and you'll be wondering if the city just forgot to pay the electric bill. The performances are pretty much what you'd expect from a film like this with some coming off decent with others coming off poorly. The special effects aren't much as most of the violence is seen after the fact. We get some decapitation heads and other body parts removed but nothing too graphic. The appeal of a film like this is going to be limited but it's mainly going to be for people who enjoy non-Hollywood, low-budget stuff.
* 1/2 (out of 4)
Extremely low-budget horror film has a psycho going around in a Santa outfit chopping up various people. The NYPD are baffled by the case (perhaps because they never actually look for clues) as more and more bodies begin to pile up. Satan CLAUS has a rather catchy title but it's certainly a long ways off from the classic SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT. As far as psycho Santa films goes, this here really doesn't offer too much but at the same time it's certainly far from the worst thing out there. I say that because with some better equipment I think the film could have been more entertaining. I'm not sure what type of equipment was being used but the entire film is just way too dark and there are times where you can barely see what's going on. Just check out all the scenes inside the police station and you'll be wondering if the city just forgot to pay the electric bill. The performances are pretty much what you'd expect from a film like this with some coming off decent with others coming off poorly. The special effects aren't much as most of the violence is seen after the fact. We get some decapitation heads and other body parts removed but nothing too graphic. The appeal of a film like this is going to be limited but it's mainly going to be for people who enjoy non-Hollywood, low-budget stuff.