When it comes to non-traditional Santa Claus movies, there are some great ones to choose from. There are plenty of movies to watch at Christmas, and most of them are about spreading holiday cheer and expressing joyful themes. However, when a movie distorts Santa into something dark, the films take on new meanings.
The best of the non-traditional Santa Claus movies are often horror films, but there are also dark comedies and even some explosive action flicks. It is often fun to see a rude, violent, or comedic version of Santa Claus rather than the joyful fat man. When done right, it hits all the perfect notes and remains a solid piece of holiday entertainment.
Fatman (2020)
Fatman is a 2020 dark comedy about a man named Chris Cringle who operates a Christmas present workshop from a farm in Alaska. While he survives on government subsidies, he soon finds that kids are getting more vicious and the government wants to cut back. Instead, the government asks if he can produce jet-fighter components for them instead.
The main action comes when a child, angry that he got coal for Christmas, hires an assassin to go and kill Chris, leading to a massive fight. As expected, this is a non-traditional Santa Claus movie about a man who once held the Christmas spirit but now lashes out at a world that seems to have lost its way.
While Fatman had little success at the box office, it was a hit when it arrived on streaming. Critics were lukewarm, with most saying it might have been better served by delivering more crazed action. Still, it remains an interesting movie and a solid later career Mel Gibson performance as the frustrated Santa Claus.
A Christmas Horror Story (2015)
Most of the non-traditional Santa Claus movies are in the horror genre, and A Christmas Horror Story might have the least creative name of them all. However, this Canadian anthology film tries to offer something different, and it even includes a performance by William Shatner as a radio DJ tying the stories together.
Shatner is “Dangerous Dan,” a radio DJ working on Christmas who warns his listeners to avoid a disturbance at a local mall while playing music for their enjoyment. The film has four stories, with the first involving murderous ghosts, the second about a changeling, the third about Krampus, and the fourth about zombies.
Critics praised the anthology film, awarding it an 83% Rotten Tomatoes rating, with the third and fourth segments receiving the most attention. It was those segments that involved Santa, with Krampus in both, and a mall-store Santa Claus slowly losing grip on his sanity.
Santa’s Slay (2005)
Released in 2005, Santa’s Slay starred former WWE superstar Bill Goldberg as a serial killer Santa Claus. The mythology here is that Santa was originally a demon forced to spread yuletide cheer after he lost a bet with an angel. However, this movie sees him finally reverting to his true evil self.
It was interesting to see Goldberg in a leading movie role, especially since acting wasn’t one of his strong points in wrestling. However, given the chance to just scowl and attack people, he had a good grip on the character in this very violent and often vulgar holiday horror slasher movie.
What works best is that the dark humor is prevalent throughout the running time. There are some intense horror scenes, but there is also a wink and a nod to let people know that this is all in good fun. Goldberg was never going to be a movie star, but this was one film where he actually pulled it off.
Red One (2024)
Red One was a movie that received a lot of criticism when it came out, thanks partially to the slow burnout some fans have had toward Dwayne Johnson over the past few years. It was also a tough sell since it had a budget of around $250 million, which made it a film that wasn’t going to make a profit.
Red One was a box office bomb, only making $186 million, and a critical failure, sitting at 30% on Rotten Tomatoes. That said, there is a lot here to like for people who want to turn off their brains and enjoy some popcorn entertainment. Johnson does his schtick, Chris Evans is good as a bad boy, and JK Simmons is a great Santa Claus.
To enjoy Red One, fans need to understand that the film was meant to be family-friendly entertainment, with some great action, told in a very self-aware manner. The filmmakers knew what kind of movie they were making, and it works for people who want to settle in for something fun.
Krampus (2015)
A few years after making his brilliant Halloween horror anthology Trick ‘R Treat, Michael Dougherty set his sights on another holiday. Krampus brings the legend of the demonic counterpart to Santa Claus to the big screen in a dark comedy horror film.
The story follows a dysfunctional family at Christmas whose fighting causes a young boy to get angry enough to summon the wrath of Krampus onto his home. Unlike Santa, who brings holiday cheer and presents to good kids, Krampus punishes naughty children in the most horrifying way imaginable.
Krampus didn’t find the same appreciation as the cult favorite Trick ‘R Treat, although it delivered a fun holiday horror story with some great set pieces. With a cast that included Adam Scott and Tony Collette, there was a lot here to love, and by the end, bad kids had something new to fear at Christmas.
Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)
There have been sequels and a remake, but ignore all those and watch the original 1980s Santa Claus horror movie. Silent Night, Deadly Night is a non-traditional Santa Claus movie about a man who dresses up as Saint Nick and then sets out on a holiday killing spree. It was one of the better holiday-themed horror films of the ’80s.
The movie was made on an extremely low budget, hoping to make a profit at the box office. It also received mixed reviews, which helped people discover it at the time. The bad reviews made it an even bigger cult hit for horror fans, especially when Roger Ebert said “shame on you” to the filmmakers and Gene Siskel said it was made on “blood money.”
Those comments ensured that Silent Night, Deadly Night would retain a solid backing from horror fans and gore hounds, and it has remained beloved, earning four sequels and a poorly received reboot in 2012.
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale is a cult non-traditional Santa Claus movie that remains obscure, but it deserves a massive audience from the horror community. This is a Finnish horror movie about a group of people who learn the real secret behind Santa Claus and end up trapping wild Santas and exporting them around the world.
This is a movie about there being multiple Santa Clauses, all demonic evil beings who hurt children, similar to the Krampus stories. The twist is that all these demonic creatures are reprogrammed and sent to malls around the world to serve as Santas there. However, getting to that twist is the best part of the movie.
Rare Exports was actually a small box office success thanks to its lower budget, and its 90% Rotten Tomatoes rating ensures that horror fans will one day discover it, if they haven’t already. This is a quality horror movie, even without the idea that it involves murderous Santas and evil reindeer.
Violent Night (2022)
Violent Night is a much better non-traditional Santa Claus movie than it had any right to be. Much of its success lies in the performance of Stranger Things’ star David Harbour as Santa Claus. The film sees Santa as a drunk, ready to retire and quit his job since the world has become too materialistic for his tastes.
However, when he ends up at a house on his final Christmas to deliver presents, he encounters a group of mercenaries who threaten the family there and take them hostage. Santa decides he will rescue the family, especially when he learns the mercenaries in the house are all on his naughty list.
This is a very violent and often hilarious action comedy, and Harbour is perfect as Santa Claus. Critics praised the film, with a 73% on Rotten Tomatoes, and it was a box office success. There is also a Violent Night sequel coming in 2026, proving there is always a place for a violent, non-traditional Santa Claus in movies.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
The Nightmare Before Christmas remains one of the best animated Christmas movies ever made, while also being one of the best Halloween movies as well. Directed by Henry Selick, based on a story by Tim Burton, the film follows Jack Skellington, the King of Halloween Town, as he wants to rule over Christmas Town as well.
When he has Santa Claus kidnapped, Jack brings his own version of cheer to the Christmas holidays, much to the surprise and chagrin of everyone. Selick made the film with stop-motion, and he proved to be a master at the technique, moving on in later years to create masterpieces like Coraline.
The Nightmare Before Christmas remains a beloved classic, with the Library of Congress adding it to the National Film Registry in 2023 for preservation. With a 95% Rotten Tomatoes rating, this is still a movie that is replayed every holiday season over the decades since its initial release.
Bad Santa (2003)
Bad Santa might be the best mall Santa Claus movie ever made. Billy Bob Thornton is an alcoholic criminal who has a con where he robs stores in the mall after it closes and uses his role as a mall Santa as his disguise. Tony Cox is his main Elf, and his partner in crime as he sets out to pull his cons.
However, things get out of control when he meets an impressionable young boy and falls for a woman named Sue (Lauren Graham), leading him to question his life choices. The film was a huge hit, with a 78% Rotten Tomatoes rating, and critics praised it as a “gloriously rude and gleefully offensive comedy.”
There was a sequel which didn’t come close to the original, but Bad Santa remains not only one of the best non-traditional Santa Claus movies ever made, but one of the best holiday comedies, with or without Saint Nick.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
