Movie Review: Santa's Slay

 

Hey everyone, my name is Anthony and welcome back to my review in Holiday special.

Yup, Christmas is upon us once again that im doing another Christmas themed movie review and its been 2 years since i reviewed Die Hard, and i wasn't able to do Christmas movie review due to either my job or maybe i miss my passion of my movie review in 2020 (either that or the pandemic). So im now back to do a Holiday that instead of fun Christmas movie, how about a Christmas movie, with Kill-fest?

"Santa's Slay" is a 2005 Christmas Slasher Comedy film that was written/directed by David Steiman and produced by Sammy Lee, Brett Ratner (Who happens to be assited with Steinman before) and Doug Steeden.

Ever since i reviewed Halloween, several filmmakers tried to make a horror movie with holidays elements, but Halloween isn't the first one as i said, that goes to "Black Christmas" in , which is the first Christmas horror film and the first Christmas Slasher films, which somehow got an inspiration of numerous Christmas horror/slasher films like, Silent Night Deadly Night, Christmas Evil, Krampus, Fatman, and the one in my subject review, Santa's Slay. And this will be my first taste of Christmas Horror/Slasher film.

So, with all that said, is Santa's Slay is a Christmas cheer of killing, or is this film belongs to Naughty list?

Well, lets find out.

The Story

Now you think that this is gonna be another slashing murderer movie in polar opposite? Well, it may sounds like it, but with demonic element and some irony, but il ge the characters later.

The movie begins with a bang with Manson family hanging out for Christmas dining in Christmas Eve (though they're in Alberta, Canada), despite they bickering over Jewish Stereotype, not before when Santa Clause bursting out of chimney to killing the entire Manson family like "Thrust kick" to the cabinet with shards of glasses, burnt the hair drowning in the big bowl of eggnog, using a Christmas star as a Ninja Star and shoving down a leg in a mouth and mashing head to the table (Pretty brutal start might i add, eh?). Not before in the opening (along with the book of Klaus scene later) where it explained where Santa was started as a virgin born from Satan (kinda like Jesus, but in opposite that Santa is an Antichrist), making Santa going into killing spree in "The Day of Slaying", not before he was interrupted by an angel for challenging to a curling match (talk about the most lamest match ever), which Santa was defeated and forced to be wage as a good Santa Claus that we all know and love for 1 one thousand years before reaching to 2005, meaning Santa is back in freedom of killing spree on December, its up to an unlikely teenager named Nicholas Yuleson and his love interest Mary McKenzie to save the citizens in Hell Township (my guess it takes place in Hell, Michigan) from the evil threat of Santa Claus.

It may sounds like unique, rather than a generic serial killer on the loose of slashing, this one is about an evil Santa wants to break free from the wage to "Slaying time", it sounds good idea, if the execution could've gone better, mainly the movie focuses on the kid Nicholas who simply doesn't know about Christmas and needs to learn about from his unnamed Grandpa and his love interest Mary. Not to mention, the use of Jew and Hanouka is suppose to give the reason why Nicholas or others hates Christmas, but really they have no purpose of this movie (Im not trying to offend the Jews or others, but again, it just comes off as out of context, its just dealing with evil Santa). As for the humor, it is soo millennium with pop-culture jokes kinda all over, sure i did chuckle, but other times, some jokes are either scratching our heads of confusion or even facepalming, even if some of them is amateur at the time.

While the story is a pretty concept, but the writing's execution just came off as messy what it delivered us.

The Presentation

With the film had a minimal of budget, you think it has an average presentation that ranging from alright to cheaply done? Well, certainly yes.

For the filming, i always convincing the movie's main town "Hell Township" is based on Hell, Michigan (just because they put Hell on the name of this fictional town), but in reality, it was filmed in Canada for their obvious budget, one of which is the inclusion of hockey ring.

As for the effects and the designs, once again, the low budget are definitely shows, especially some of the effects of the fire when Victory got caught on by Santa's fire breathing from alcohol, Santa's fire ball out of his mouth and some other bad computer effect of this movie, but i will give a credit that their traditional effects are better.

But the most unique part of this film that we witnessed is the flashback stopmotion scene, which im assuming they wanted to do a reminiscent of Rankin/Bass's stopmotion Christmas movies. The stopmotion itself is not bad, even if the way it moves is a little bit weird and choppy.

And also like to point out that since this is a Christmas movie, there's always the inclusion of songs of Christmas, while some have a good tunes, but i just can't take those cringe lyrics, this is soo cheaply millennium stuff.

While some of the presents have some flaws and cheap, but at least they tried to having something good ones, for the most part.

The Characters

As for the characters, well, its not easy to tell if some are likable based on the writing, even if some has an irony twist.

Lets start with Nicholas Yuleson (played by Douglas Smith), the main teen who lives in the life that he really want to truth about Christmas, while we questioning about his lack of parents, yeah he's pretty much act like an outsider that he's like Scrooge from "A Christmas Carol", but more younger and probably unlikable when he didn't believe about Christmas, until he was or not. While Douglas did a nice work of his role, but his character isn't.

Next is our main antagonist, its the evil version of Santa Claus (played by current WWE wrestler Goldberg), as i said, he's a Santa version of Jesus Christ, but flipped upside down as sorta Antichrist for slaying anybody before got a wage to be a good Santa before his time has expired. He may not be the scariest version of Santa, but he's quite of killing machine of killing innocent bystanders and he had some either interesting to questionable lines. While Goldberg did a pretty good job of his role (and even some stunts, because he's a pro-wrestler), but the biggest irony part is that Goldberg is actually JEWISH from his family. That's a big fat "Yikes" to hearing the a wrestler from Jew heritage to playing as signature character on Christmas...

Anyway, we have Mary McKenzie (played by Emilie de Ravin), Who's Nicholas's love interest and a sorta now-at-all girl. She's pretty much a typical sidekick of the movie, even if she could be forgettable too, despite Ravin's acting in this movie is limited at the time, sure she might be famous in the show Lost, even though i never watched that show.

And we have unnamed Grandpa (played by the late Robert Culp), an isolated oldman due to his knowledge about an evil Santa is on the loose when the time has expired. He's pretty much giving up some plot device for our unlikely main kid in order to stop Santa for killing people, though i will say that Bob Culp did a pretty good work.

As for the rest, they may or may not have purposes for the plots, there's Pastor Timmons (played by Dave Thomas), a religious person for having money for playing god, but ended up being hypocrite for bring his money to strip club (That's another yikes, man), Mr. Green (played by Saul Rubinek) who's a Jewish delicatessen owner (which explains he has menorah), and one gas station attendant (played by the late Tiny Lister), because why the hell not for having one not-so A-list celeb since he played as Zeus in "No Hold Barred" with Hulk Hogan.

Another one that i like to point out is Jason (played by Chris Kattan, also ironically Jewish from his family for Christmas movie) is kissing with Virginia (played by Fran Drescher, also born from her Jewish family, Jeez, this movie is ironic on purpose) which we assuming they're in relationship, but guess what? They're all RELATED in Mason's Family, like he probably groping his mother (or mother-in-law?)...! Ohh god no...!

While the characters may not as likable, ironic or other times flatout gross, but il give a credit for their acting, plus i think Goldberg's Santa is probably likable in the movie, for better or for worse, my friends.

SPOILER ALERT for anyone who haven't seen the movie or just don't mind.

The final act is... Lets just say, either predictable or... Not as climatic as i expected.

After Santa summons his Buffalo acting like Rudolph as "Helldeer" to not only ran over Grandpa (in reference of "Grandma got run over by a Reindeer") and kills him with a harsh stomp, Nicholas and Mary are chasing away in Snowmobile while Santa flies at them with his slay and Helldeer with his presents as grenades. Our "heroes" (which i used the term loosely for how forgettable they are) driving away in the town in alert from evil Santa on the loose, but Timmons (dressing up as Santa) gut ran over and sits on Santa's ride and being hold hostage by Santa. Nicholas and Mary enters the school to hide themselves from "Father Christmas" (along with his cheap CG fireball out of his mouth), they reached to the hockey ring before they're about to turning into bloody Christmas slushies by Santa's Zamboni, Santa is interrupted by an Angel who happens to be Grandpa and for some reason, Grandpa is i think the old Yuleson generation of Nicholas for like centuries ago (which i have no idea if its the purpose for character development or Bullcrap). Despite the not-so-shocking twist, Angel Grandpa is asking Santa for curling rematch for either going back to positive or being taken down to hell by Santa before killing Nicholas. After cheating Grandpa by sliding him down to hell (Spoiler Alert, he survived), he tries to kill our main kid but got backstabbed by a nutcracker launcher on his chest before drives away with his Zamboni (due to the fact that wen Christmas is over, he'll lose his power, but once again, no purpose for extra depth). After Grandpa said that his time is up and letting the kids to kill Santa, they brought the ski shooters (including Vinny who's not just a veteran, but also has a voice box for addicted of smoking, not the drugs btw) for not only whistle Helldeer, but also trying to shoot it down. After poorly aiming like Stormtroopers, Mary's mother helps our "heroes" by blow it up with his bazooka, which we assuming that Santa is now dead, but in reality its Pastor Timmons who's held hostage to death for accident or whatever.

In the end, our "heroes" thought that Santa's gone as Christmas is over, but in reality, Santa is still alive and planning to going back to North Pole (along with his fake name "Shatan"). That is until in Post-Credit, Santa goes full on Goldberg that after reading his Naughty list, he asks "Who's next?". (I guess its a last minute decision to show us how Goldberg is a Pro-Wrestler).

Yeah, it was a pretty anti-climatic for the film's conclusion.

And now for my final opinion of this film.

Overall, Santa's Slay is like if you wanna combine between Nightmare on Elm Street and Child's Play with Christmas, mushing all together that it just comes off as either maybe entertaining or a questionable slasher movie.

The story is good, if the execution could've gone better, the kills are, despite not as bloody, but pretty cool and Goldberg as Santa is somewhat likable, even if he may or may not a pr actor. Though yes, the writing is messy, the effects are cheap (especially the use of CG) and the characters aren't as good for either forgettable or cliché.

Do i think its a recommended film? Well, its gonna be debatable, though i watched this film with my friends for fun, which i admitted im having fun with it, but as i rewatched by myself, while i may like the movie, but im definitely can agree some flaws that could've gone worse.

For my rating, im gonna give this movie a 5/10. Its not the worst movie ever, but could've gone worse.

So this ends of my movie review, if you guys have your opinion or any suggestions, let me know at comment bellow and support me on https://ko-fi.com/blackevil.

Thanks for reading, Merry Christmas to you all and im Anthony, signing out.