Horror Movie Review: Santa-N: The Red Awakening (2025)

Awful title aside (even Google gets confused about it) Santa-N: The Red Awakening is a festive horror film with a really good premise. One that has familiar beats, but enough fresh ideas to turn heads, initially. Unfortunately, what we get is wholly disappointing and a downright frustrating experience.

Writer and director Frank Raybuck imagines a world where Santa is real, but not as we know it. For one remote town, the sound of bells is a reason to run and hide, and when night falls at Christmas, you better lock your doors and block up the chimney because you do not want a visit from this jolly fat man. For this version of Santa, everyone is on the naughty list.

How cool is that? It’s like a film version of the Futurama episodes about the killer robot Santa! Except it’s not, so pull hard on the reins of your imagination because Santa-N: The Red Awakening is far less inspired.

It is a vengeful being cloaked in tradition, but one that humanity has confused with Satan. After all, move one letter around and look what you get!? Several characters actually point out this fact as though it’s a breakthrough moment. You see, humanity wasn’t worshipping Santa, but actually Satan. This worship (and the tributes) has given Satan strength and now he stalks the streets looking for souls.

Oh, you better watch out
You better not cry
You better not pout
I’m telling you why
Satan is coming to town

I’m trying, I really am, but I did not like this film. Not only is what we get really dull, unless you like characters sitting around talking about Santa/Satan and one actor (Mark E. Holmes as Father Ellis) really going for drama with his performance (I suspect he might miss out on an Oscar this year), but it has many annoying aspects.

One of which, I simply couldn’t get past. It relates to Santa/Satan (played by Paul A. Rossi) and the fact that he must wear a demonic mask (not a nice looking one) and his voice is incredibly muffled because of that. At first, it’s kind of funny, as it really dents its threat, but after a while, it just starts to become annoying. Why in the holy hell would you not ADR this?

This is one good example of where something bad about Santa-N: The Red Awakening that is initially amusing because it’s bad, gets more frustrating as the film goes on. Another is the speeches by Father Ellis. I made a joke about the dramatic acting, but sheesh, his speeches and monologuing starts to really wear thin by the halfway point.

How about the fact that our villain also loves to talk and taunt, but has some hilarious limitations to his power? Or the fact that even though tons of people are killed by Santa/Satan every year, one character doesn’t believe it and others do, but still choose to sit outside drinking and, you guessed it, talk. All anyone does in this film is talk.

Be prepared to be bored, that is what Santa-N: The Red Awakening offers up in the end. From a good premise to something that no one will remember a week after they watched it, aside from the fact that it annoyed them.