Horror Movie Review: Santastein (2023)

Filled with promise, writer/director duo Manuel Camilion and Benjamin Edelman do a hearty job of living up to said promise, even if the overall experience of Santastein is quite rough around the edges. It’s far from perfect, but it is entertaining, taking the classic Frankenstein story and putting a festive twist on things. It just so happens that the twist is a head being removed by a rampaging killer Santa Claus.

Fun, right? Yes and no. As Santastein is part comedy, part horror, and sometimes doesn’t know what it really wants to focus on. Except Christmas. That is the one thing the film does nail. This is one of the most festive horror films I’ve seen in a long time.

Set in a world where Santa Claus is real, the film stars Fletcher Hammond, Jared Korotkin, Ophelia Rivera, Michael Vitovich, and Damian Edwards.

So, Santa actually goes around delivering presents to people, does he? Well, he should. Except no-one has seen or heard from Santa Claus for years, and slowly but surely, the Christmas spirit is being sucked out of the world. Everyone is just unhappier during the festive period, least of all Max, except his reasons are bit more troubling.

It turns out, as a kid, he was so desperate to prove that Santa exists, he ended up accidentally killing him, burying his corpse in his backyard. Desperate to right a wrong, Max has spent years working on a way to resurrect the jolly fat man, and alongside his friend, Paige, he might finally have found a way. It just involves stealing body parts from the local morgue (something he has been doing for a while), connecting all the bits, and inserting Saint Nick’s brain, which Max saved after offing Claus. Then, using good old electricity, the pair can bring Santa back from the dead.

A plan so foolproof that it can’t fail, after all, it already worked on a rat. Except when Santa comes back, he’s not feeling very festive and we’re all on the naughty list.

High energy fun with flashes of traditional slasher moments, Santastein is the epitome of a popcorn flick. A roaring fire, a few beers and snacks, some friends and family, and this film. That’s a good evening, even though most are unlikely to remember much about it, long term. That is an issue, but when it comes to entertainment, Santastein can’t be faulted too much.

The concept is solid and played up to in amusing fashion. You might not be ‘ho ho hoing’ all the time, but the film’s black comedy will get a chuckle or two out of you here and there. Especially as the classic 1931 Universal Frankenstein film is sent up in style here. Which is all very enjoyable, but let’s be honest, we’re all here for the horror, right? A resurrected mindless Santa monster on a rampage, heading for a Christmas party, with festive tools to slaughter the masses with. It should be great, but it’s not, and that’s disappointing.

There is entertainment to be found with the horror, but it often has a more serious slasher tone, and avoids the blood quite significantly. This might have been a budget thing as the film is notably cheap (hence the rough around the edges remark), but there really should have been a bit more effort put in to make this a gorier experience. Also, while there are seasonal based deaths, it’s another area that Santastein could have doubled down on. Considering the story, the gags, the tone of the first half, it’s really surprising to see the film take its foot off the gas in the second half. Again, though, you will be entertained with what’s on offer. It’s just a shame the film didn’t go ‘jingle balls to the festive wall’ when it came to murder and mayhem.