Santa Claws

Name: Santa Claws
Released: 1996
Duration: 83 min

33/100Festive FactorWhy it scores 33 ↓

Not BBFC rated83 min
Horror

A shot-on-video slasher from John Russo, co-writer of Night of the Living Dead, in which the obsessive…

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Explore this film 4 sections

The CineClaus Christmas score

Festive Factor

A different kind of Christmas.

Two paper elves inspect a miniature Christmas studio set. A small tripod camera, silver tree and spray can stand before red curtains and a green sofa under bright lamps. — A little magic in the making.

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

Christmas in the storyChristmas is only the occasion.10/30

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 most of it.15/20

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

The little seasonal details3 of the 10 kinds of Christmas icon we count turn up on screen.5/15

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: not at all.0/20

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.

34/100

Cosiness Rating Rating

Chilly in tone. Strong threat. A bittersweet 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 →

The story

About Santa Claws

As a boy, Wayne turned a gun on his mother and her boyfriend on Christmas Eve. Years later he lives next door to Raven Quinn, a scream-queen actress and mother of two who is shooting a cheap Christmas-themed picture just as her husband asks for a divorce. Wayne, her devoted fan and babysitter, decides she has been wronged, sprays a Santa suit black and starts killing the people around her. A shot-on-video slasher with a lot of softcore nudity, made by the co-writer of Night of the Living Dead and plainly for grown-ups only.

The CineClaus verdict

A shot-on-video slasher from John Russo, co-writer of Night of the Living Dead, in which the obsessive neighbour of a horror actress sprays a Santa suit black and kills the people around her. It looks as if it was made in one room over a weekend, and half of it is women posing for a camera.

Debbie Rochon gives it more than it deserves. The carols and the tree in the corner are the only warmth on offer. Strictly for collectors of Christmas horror at its cheapest.

The family desk

Can the kids watch?

Not BBFC rated

Our take: adults only: repeated killings, drugged children and a great deal of nudity.

Content advice & accessibility

Not BBFC rated: The BBFC has no classification for this film, so it has no UK certificate. Our age guidance above is editorial, not an official rating.