SANTA **** USA 2019 Dir: Alexander Henderson. 7 mins
An effectively creepy short from the talented director of MOMO and TOUCHED BY A DEMON. A pre-pubescent kid (Dylan Kento Curtis) prays to God for forgiveness on Christmas Eve before apparently bearing witness to a malevolent Santa (James Salsman) invading the house. His parents (Adam Cabrera, Alli George) fail to offer reassurance and his terror of the jolly gift-bearing fat man might just be nightmarish visions born of Mom’s unnecessarily sinister use of the old “He knows when you’re awake…” sleep incentive. Curtis is a likeable juvenile protagonist in this atmospheric, horrific reinterpretation of the lyrics from “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town”. Cabrera and George are splendidly ominous as the fearmongering parents.
Review by Steven West