Rene Cardona’s Santa Claus movie from 1959 is so utterly bizarre that it transcends Christmas.
Theres simply nothing more to say.
Oh, but thats far too simple.
Theres another level out there.
English-speaking audiences can thank Murray forTheBrainiacandRobot vs. Santa Claussounds about as innocuous as they come.
Who would even pay attention to a title like that?
Heres something for the whole family to see together!
Another tagline makes it sound even more ominous:
See All the Weird and Wonderful Characters of Make-Believe!
The Fantastic Crystal Work-Room of the Happy Elves!
The Fabulous Realm of the Candy-Stick Palaces!
Those families who werent scared away by those dire warnings were never the same again.
read more: A Complete Guide to MST3K Christmas Episodes
Ten minutes later we cut to Hell.
Although this happens in mostChristmasmovies, few do it so literally.
Behind each story, we hear Santas echoed laughter.
Santa laughs through the entire film, often at scenes of misery and despair.
As the narrator (Murray himself) describes it:
This is Santas Magic Observatory.
The Teletalker, that knows everything!
Nothing that happens on Earth is unknown to Santa Claus!
Hes not kidding, either.
Its not an issue.
Its a world of remarkable and sometimes frightening imagination.
The telescope features a large, roving eyeball instead of a lens.
The color palate throughout the film (if you could find a decent print) is intense.
And the films multiple dream sequences are, well, pretty jaw-dropping.
