I realized this week that there’s a plethora of scary holiday films out there that I haven’t covered. I’m slipping in my old age. I was thinking about covering the epilogue to Home Alone (a.k.a. :DRYVRS, or, Kevin McAllister Is a Messed Up Adult), but then I found this little gem from Dionysis & Manos Atzarakis called Santa. It’s a minute and a half long, and totally effective. Check it out.

Click here to view Santa.

Here’s the thing: Santa Claus has been known to have creepy components to the mythos, and this one capitalizes well on it. Themes aside (don’t worry, I’ll expand more on that thought in next week’s Rare Exports post), the cuts, lighting and special effects are well-done. Stop and think about the skillset involved with that feat: with a 90-minute film, it’s easier to accomplish a good scare because you’ve got the time to build the plot, complete with characters and mood; with a 90-second film, you really need to know what the hell you’re doing in order to accomplish that. Hell, some directors can’t even get it right with 90 minutes; this one nailed it in a minute and a half. Well done, fellas. I would continue to slow clap, but I’m currently eyeballing my tree and hoping that your version of Santa doesn’t appear next to it.

On that note, happy Saturday.