Scotland Yard’s finest, Chief Inspector Harris (Edmund Purdom, who also directed) and Detective Sergeant Powell (Mark Jones), investigate a series of killings of Santa Claus’s around London.
A man is castrated while taking care of his business at a urinal, one gets chased around in the London Dungeon museum, a Santa gets speared through the head while blowing a party hom, an undercover cop Santa gets kicked in the crotch with a knife-shoe and another gets his face burnt by a chestnut warmer.
Between gratuitous Santa slaughters, there’s some unfunny British sex-comedy type stuff, several ridiculous plot twists, Caroline Munro singing a horrible disco song called I Am the Warrior of Love, a third-rate John Carpenter style synth number repeated over and over, and a peep-show stripper named Cherry who saves the day.
The killer is eventually revealed to be Daily News reporter Giles Morgan (Alan Lake), who, coincidentally, is Harris’ brother.
He has been killing Santas because they remind him of Christmas. A flashback reveals that as a child, he saw his father dressed as Santa, necking with a partygoer at their house.
When his mother intervened, his father knocked her downstairs, killing her.
Giles himself ultimately falls down some stairs to his death.
Finally, at home on Christmas Day, Harris opens a present from Giles marked “Don’t open till Christmas”. It is a music box with a revolving Santa: Harris listens to it, but it explodes.
The film took two years to make. Director Edmund Purdom either walked out or was fired (depending on who you believe), and his replacement – British exploitation veteran Derek Ford – was fired after only two days, leaving Ray Selfe to rescue the resulting mess with a hastily re-written script that tried to make sense of the footage that had already been shot.
Purdom finally returned to the director’s chair to take the credit/blame. He never directed again. The film was denied a UK theatrical release and headed instead for semi-obscurity, cluttering up the dustier corners of video rental shops.
Alan Lake took his own life shortly before the film was released.
Inspector Harris
Edmund Purdom Detective Sergeant Powell
Mark Jones Giles Morgan
Alan Lake Kate
Belinda Mayne Cliff Boyd
Gerry Sundquist Caroline Munro
Herself Gerry
Kevin Lloyd Housekeeper
Wendy Danvers Sharon
Pat Astley Kate’s father
Laurence Harrington “Experience” girl
Kelly Baker “Experience” Santa Claus
Wilfred Corlett Theatre Santa
Ricky Kennedy Dungeon Santa
Sid Wragg Store Santa
Max Roman Market Santa
George Pierce Drunken Santa
Ashley Dransfield Circus Santa 1
Derek Ford Circus Santa 2
Adrian Black Santa in car
John Ashton
Director
Edmund Purdom
Derek Ford
Ray Selfe
Video
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A man is castrated while taking care of his business at a urinal, one gets chased around in the London Dungeon museum, a Santa gets speared through the head while blowing a party hom, an undercover cop Santa gets kicked in the crotch with a knife-shoe and another gets his face burnt by a chestnut warmer.
The killer is eventually revealed to be Daily News reporter Giles Morgan (Alan Lake), who, coincidentally, is Harris’ brother.
The film took two years to make. Director Edmund Purdom either walked out or was fired (depending on who you believe), and his replacement – British exploitation veteran Derek Ford – was fired after only two days, leaving Ray Selfe to rescue the resulting mess with a hastily re-written script that tried to make sense of the footage that had already been shot.
