SANTA’S GOT A BRAND NEW BAG
5 Oddball Takes on the Jolly Christmas Icon
By Robert Newton

Anyone who wants to continue to know Santa Claus as the benevolent elfin beacon of goodness, go ahead and enjoy ad nauseum the wacky exploits of Tim Allen in The Santa Clause or any number of animated Rankin-Bass Christmas specials. However, if you’re in the mood for something slightly weird to downright unsettling, sample these slices of fruitcake and change your view of St. Nick forever.

The Movie: SANTA CLAUS [1959]
The Santa: Creepy. Not to be confused with the perennial cult favorite Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964), this Mexican fantasy is perhaps the Holy Grail of all weird Santa Claus movies. This laugh-hardy Santa Claus gleefully spies on children, particularly a poor young girl named Lupita who wants nothing but a doll for Christmas, with a gi-normous telescope. And if Santa (and his robotic department store proxy) weren’t off-putting enough, there’s Pitch, Satan’s mischievous minion who must get the children of the world to do evil, else he be force-fed chocolate ice cream. Seriously.

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