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Jose Elias Moreno, Jose Luis Aguirre, Armando Arriola, Antonio Diaz Conde, Angel di Steffano ... see more see more... , Queta Lavat , Polo Ortin , Cesareo Quezada , Ken Smith , Nora Veryán , Pablo Ferrel , K. Gordon Murray , Graciela Lara , Juan Antonio Edwards , Guillermo Bravo Sosa , Conde Hijo , Lupita Quezadas , Manuel Calvo , José Carlos Méndez , Jesus Brook , Ruben Ramirez , Rosa Maria Aguilar

Yet another oddball Mexican fantasy brought to American audiences by cut-rate exploitation titan K. Gordon Murray, this seasonal tale concerns Santa Claus (Jose Elias Moreno), who we discover doesn't ... read more read more...work out of the North Pole after all. Instead, Santa and his friend and associate Merlin the Magician have a base of operations in a castle orbiting the Earth on a small satellite, upon which they observe the activities of children both good and bad through an elaborate surveillance system. While kids all over the globe (most of whom apparently wear stereotypical native costumes at all times) are trying to be good, the Devil wants to increase youthful misbehavior. With this in mind, he sends his emissary Pitch (Cesareo Quezadas, aka Pulgarcito), a demon with a digestive problem, to Earth and Pitch starts his reign of terror by attempting to goad a little girl from a poor family into stealing the doll that she wants. Eventually, Santa and Merlin catch up with Pitch for a final battle of Good vs. Evil. Santa Claus also offers new insight into St. Nick's weight, eating habits, and mode of transportation; the film played the kiddie matinee circuit for years, and later was analyzed by Mike Nelson and his robot pals on Mystery Science Theater 3000. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

42% liked it

2,223 ratings

Unrated, 1 hr. 34 min.

Directed by: René Cardona

Release Date: November 26, 1959

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DVD Release Date: October 5, 2004

Stats: 166 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (166)


  • November 21, 2010
    This movie is incredibly bad, I really do not recommend watching this one. The story is silly, I mean Santa lives in space and the devil is trying to stop him from bringing toys to kids by making them behave bad? That's crazy.
  • June 9, 2007
    On the surface, a cute kids' Christmas film from Mexico. But this has many religious overtones. The Devil whispers in childrens' ears to do bad things; Santa is watching through a telescope from his cloud-castle in the sky and makes note of which kids are good or bad. This is por... read moretrayed in an authoritative manner, as if the gospel truth; it ends up feeling creepy and exploitative. The production values are cut-rate, adding to the cheese-factor. It's truly laughable and fits into the so-bad-it-becomes-good-category.
  • December 19, 2010
    This was really weird with having the devil in a movie about Santa Claus and also that Santa doesn't live at the North Pole, but a weird cloud floating in space...
  • April 29, 2010
    Santa Claus, The Devil and Merlin. If that doesn't sound like a recipe for a bad film! Okay, it is pretty bad, but such fun when mocking it.
  • February 21, 2011
    The score reflects the MST3K version, as I imagine watching this one on its own merits would be simply hellish.

    You know if you're into this kind of thing, so proceed accordingly.
  • December 18, 2009
    Best christmas movie ever! If you watch closely you'll see that this santa is in fact a vegetarian superman.
  • July 18, 2009
    LOL. Cheesy movies are always better than boring movies. This is a cheesy movie. There is no God in this film... It's Santa versus that pesky Satan! More specifically, a crazed minion called "Pitch" with shiny face paint. Sure, Santa can't face a tiny dog on his own, but he gives... read more an "aggressively cute" little girl her holiday wish, and that's all that matters. <3
  • March 5, 2007
    Santa scores wacky dust from Merlin the Magician and fights the devil. If Alastair Crowley grabbed a camera after a mug of mescaline-spiked eggnog, this'd be the result. And, yes, it's a kid's film.
  • November 21, 2006
    Santa living in the clouds? Mechanical reindeer? Child slavery? Satan?!? Man - what is there to hate about this? I mean, other than it's a piece of crap?
  • July 17, 2006
    The only reason I gave this incredibly bizarre Mexican Christmas movie two stars is because it is absolutely hilarious! Santa keeps laughing diabolically, Satan dances in puffy pants, and one scene says Christmas is a time to remember Craig. I almost hurt myself laughing at thi... read mores. Hell, it's hilarious even with out the MST3K commentary!

Critic Reviews


John J. Puccio
December 28, 2011
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis

I couldn't help feeling as I watched it that it must have a strong cult following somewhere simply because it's so...strange. Full Review

Phil Hall
July 15, 2005
Phil Hall, Film Threat

Ho Ho Horrible! Full Review

Emanuel Levy
August 17, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Santa Claus : Watch Free on TV


Santa Claus Trivia


  • In The Santa Claus and The Santa Claus 2 what is the name of the head elf?  Answer »
  • What Fictional Character, have the following actors voiced or portrayed? Leslie Neilson Tim Allen Tom Hanks Hulk Hogan   Answer »
  • in waht movie would you find the following all together Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, Sandman, Father Time, Mother Nature, Cupid, Tooth fairy and Jack Frost  Answer »
  • in what movie did jack "the pumpkin king" try to steal santa claus and remake christmas using his own ideas  Answer »

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