29 October · 57 days to ChristmasThe advent calendar opens 1 December →

Original painted Christmas scene, from the Cine Claus illustration set

Not really, no · 1964

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

Name: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
Released: 1964
Duration: 81 min

41/100Festive FactorWhy it scores 41 ↓

UK certificate Universal81 min
Comedy · Family

Not a film to rate as cinema, and a perfectly good one to laugh along with.

On Pluto TV · UK subscription →

Plan this film night ↓Can the kids watch? ↓

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Explore this film 5 sections

The CineClaus Christmas score

Festive Factor

Christmas in good measure.

Five ingredients make the Festive Factor.
Open an ingredient to find out more.

Christmas in the storyChristmas drives it, but another occasion could stand in.20/30

What we ask: Take Christmas out. Does the plot survive? Worth up to 30 of the 100 points.

A world dressed for ChristmasVisibly Christmas for the final act.5/20

What we ask: How much of the running time is visibly Christmas? Worth up to 20 of the 100 points.

The little seasonal details2 of the 10 kinds of Christmas icon we count turn up on screen.3/15

What we ask: How many kinds of Christmas icon turn up on screen: trees, lights, snow, carols and the rest? Worth up to 15 of the 100 points.

A Christmas heartHow far the ending rests on goodwill, family and belief: partly.10/20

What we ask: Does the ending depend on what Christmas means: goodwill, family, redemption, belief? Worth up to 20 of the 100 points.

A returning traditionNiche at Christmas (under 25,000).3/15

What we ask: Is it actually watched at Christmas in the UK? Worth up to 15 of the 100 points.

57/100

Cosiness Rating Rating

Mostly warm in tone. Moderate threat. A content ending.

How we score →

What do these scores mean?

Festive Factor measures how Christmassy a film is. Five ingredients add up to 100: story (30), setting (20), seasonal details (15), emotional heart (20) and returning tradition (15).

Cosiness is a separate score for warmth of tone, sense of safety, visual comfort, a reassuring ending and how easily you can settle into it.

How the Festive Factor works →

Your next film night

Where to watch

United KingdomChecked 29 Oct 2026

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Full Moon on Prime Video

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The story

About Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

A planet of listless children, glued to Earth television, prompts its rulers to fetch a Father Christmas of their own. They abduct two Earth kids to find the real one, carry him off to their red world and set him to work in a push-button toy factory. A sulking hardliner plots to be rid of him, and the children answer with a toy-throwing counterattack. The cheerfully cheap American production is now a cult staple of worst-film lists.

The CineClaus verdict

Not a film to rate as cinema, and a perfectly good one to laugh along with.

The premise is the kidnapping of Father Christmas by a planet of bored children, played with cardboard sets, painted ray guns and a man in a bear suit. It has an honest streak of kindness, and the toy-throwing finale is joyful chaos.

Christmas is the engine more than the setting, so the festive glow is thin. Best seen with company and low expectations.

The family desk

Can the kids watch?

Our take: fine from about six: there is an airlock threat, paralysis guns and a scrap, all played as slapstick, though the villain may unsettle the very small.

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