The DV feature Psycho
Santa (2003) is one of many brain-dead Santa slasher films trying to copy the
infamous Silent Night, Deadly Night
(1984) but fails at every turn due to the low (or “no”) budget and sub-par
production values.
A couple is on their way to a friend’s Christmas party when
one of them decides to tell the other several stories about a crazed psycho who
has killed people repeatedly in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, the stories that are told are
conventional of every other slasher film making them uninteresting. This style is an attempt to mask the fact
that this is a simple anthology film with the same killer Santa killing
different people each episode. This
could have worked if not for the weak stories and even weaker performances by
generally the entire cast. There isn’t a
solid performance in the bunch.
This is a slog of a film to get through (if you even do) and
it is a reminder of the early ‘00s when anyone and everyone decided that they
were going to be a film-maker simply because they could acquire the means to do
so cheaply. The film is written and
directed by Peter Keir (who has only directed one other film) and it is his
debut feature and it shows as he makes all the mistakes of a novice director –
weak script, bad direction of actors, uninspired cinematography, and the list
goes on. If there is one thing to
recommend the film for is that it has plenty of female nudity (if that’s all
you need in your “z”-grade horror film).
You’d be “psycho” to watch Psycho Santa.
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