For those who prefer humbug to holiday cheer, we present Xmess: featuring the weirdest, wildest and worst Christmas movies all time. Like a lump of coal in your stocking or a rancid mug of eggnog, these films show what happens when the holidays go horribly wrong. Tonight, we watch the infamous French action fantasy Dial Code Santa Claus (1989).

On Christmas Eve, tech savvy Thomas (Alain Musy) is left alone in his enormous family mansion with an ailing grandfather, When a deranged department Santa (Patrick Floersheim) breaks in, Thomas must fight for his life, setting traps and deploying weapons to stop St. Nick. René Manzor's deranged home invasion thriller is the most improbable Christmas fantasy ever made. Though it was released two years before Home Alone, this French cult curiosity is uncannily similar to that beloved holiday hit. Whether Hollywood ripped off Manzor remains an open question, but the influence goes both ways. With young Thomas acting as a pint-sized commando, the film pays outrageous tribute to 80s action movies like Die Hard and Rambo. Bizarre, violent, and yet somehow strangely wholesome, Dial Code Santa Claus is the Christmas gift you didn't know you needed. Watch the trailer.

Directed by René Manzor, 1989, France, 87 minutes. In French w/ English subtitles.

€5 entry