Slay Belles

Name: Slay Belles
Released: 2018
Duration: 77 min

55/100Festive FactorWhy it scores 55 ↓

Not BBFC rated77 min
Comedy · Horror

A crowd-funded horror comedy that pits a retired, foul-mouthed Santa against Krampus on Christmas Eve, and…

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Explore this film 4 sections

The CineClaus Christmas score

Festive Factor

Christmas in good measure.

Two paper elves inspect a miniature striped park entrance with peeling paint, coloured bulbs and hoof-shaped tracks between pine trees on a red workbench. — A little magic in the making.

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

Christmas in the storyIt can't exist without Christmas.30/30

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 details1 of the 10 kinds of Christmas icon we count turn up on screen.2/15

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: incidentally.5/20

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.

33/100

Cosiness Rating Rating

Mostly warm in tone. Strong threat. An unsettled 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 Slay Belles

On Christmas Eve, Alexi tags along with her friends Dahlia and Sadie, who make online videos exploring abandoned places, as they break into a derelict Christmas theme park out in the woods. Something there wakes up: Krampus, the horned demon of Christmas folklore. Their only help is a scruffy old biker who insists he is Santa Claus, long retired. A scrappy, crowd-funded horror comedy that puts jokes and practical monster effects ahead of scares, with Barry Bostwick having fun as the out-of-practice Santa.

The CineClaus verdict

A crowd-funded horror comedy that pits a retired, foul-mouthed Santa against Krampus on Christmas Eve, and knows exactly how daft that is. The Christmas is all in the premise: there is no snow, the theme park is a husk in a dusty pine forest, and the jokes land about half the time.

What carries it is Barry Bostwick, gruff and clearly enjoying himself, and a proper rubber-suited Krampus that leaves real practical gore behind it. Short and scrappy, but good-natured. One for a late night with friends, not the family.

The family desk

Can the kids watch?

Not BBFC rated

Our take: not for children: bloody monster attacks, constant swearing and skimpy costumes put it in late-teens territory at the earliest.

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.