Young Billy (Robert Brian Wilson) becomes traumatised by Santa Claus and the coming of Christmas after a criminal dressed as Santa shoots his father in the head and attempts to rape his mother before slitting her throat and leaving Billy without parents.
He is sent to a brutal catholic orphanage in Utah where he is abused by the sadistic Mother Superior (Lilyan Chauvin) who teaches him that not only is he a piece of useless flotsam, but that sex is horrible and disgusting and anybody caught engaging in it should be punished severely.
By the time Billy has reached his eighteenth birthday, he lands a job at a local toy store.
There he meets and is attracted to a flirtatious clerk with an exceptionally large bosom. Billy manages, though, to keep his nightmares at bay.
However, when he is required to don a Santa’s suit for Christmas Eve 1984 and his co-workers begin referring to him as “Santa”, Billy goes on a murderous axe-wielding rampage in revenge. Most victims are choked with Christmas lights and the like, although one unfortunate fornicator does get impaled on the antlers of a mounted elk head, which is pretty disgusting – especially for the elk.
Most of the victims are teenagers who are killed after having sex (cue a great deal of gratuitous nudity). There’s no actual acting to speak of from the unknown cast – they just say their lines, then die.
Billy is pursued by Sister Margaret, a sympathetic nun (Gilmer McCormick) and police detective Captain Richards (H.E.D. Redford).
When the film was released in 1984 many parents were outraged that a movie featuring a killer Santa was being shown.
Theatres showing it were picketed and the film was hastily withdrawn by the distributors, Tri-Star. All this controversy naturally made it a huge favourite when it came out on video.
Avoid the sequels at all costs.
Billy Robert Brian Wilson
Mother Superior
Lilyan Chauvin Sister Margaret
Gilmer McCormick Pamela
Toni Nero Mr Sims
Britt Leach Mrs Randall
Nancy Borgenicht Captain Richards
H.E.D. Redford Billy at 8
Danny Wagner Denise
Linnea Quigley Tommy
Leo Geter Andy
Randy Stumpf Grandpa
Will Hare Mother (Ellie)
Tara Buckman Father (Jim)
Geoff Hansen Killer Santa
Charles Dierkop Mr Levitt
Eric Hart Billy at 5
Jonathan Best Sister Ellen
A. Madeline Smith Cindy
Amy Stuyvesant Officer Barnes
Max Robinson Dr Conway
Oscar Rowland Officer Miller
Richard D. Clark Officer Murphy
Tip Boxell
Director
Charles E Sellier Jnr
Video
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He is sent to a brutal catholic orphanage in Utah where he is abused by the sadistic Mother Superior (Lilyan Chauvin) who teaches him that not only is he a piece of useless flotsam, but that sex is horrible and disgusting and anybody caught engaging in it should be punished severely.
Most of the victims are teenagers who are killed after having sex (cue a great deal of gratuitous nudity). There’s no actual acting to speak of from the unknown cast – they just say their lines, then die.
