Streaming: Santa Claus gets sinister in 5 horror films for the holidays
By Carla Davis
5. The “HO-HO-HO” Santa in A Christmas Story
When Mom and “the old man” take Ralphie and Randy to the Christmas parade in town, it’s a festive occasion. Afterwards, the two boys stand in a very long line at Higbee’s to see Santa, who has seemingly had a very hectic day, and is kind of irritable.
So loud and impatient is this Santa, that little Randy bursts into tears, and can’t even manage to divulge his Christmas wishes. As he stands wailing, an equally belligerent elf picks him up, places him at the top of a slide that seems to be a mile long, and gives him a good shove. Down the slide Randy goes, and sits at the bottom crying, waiting for his older brother.
At first, Ralphie seems just as frozen with fear as his brother, and stands stammering in agreement as Santa basically tells him he wants a football for Christmas. When the angry elf tries to shove him down the slide, Ralphie stops himself, and, clinging to the top, uses his big boy voice to tell Santa what he REALLY wants: an “Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle!”
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Then, Santa utters the words Ralphie has heard from every other adult in his life: “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid.” With a sinister “Ho HO HO”, Santa shoves Ralphie down the dreaded slide. Just to add insult to injury, he does so by applying his booted foot to Ralphie’s face.
Even though A Christmas Story is mainly a comedy, this Santa would cause nearly any child to pee his pants! A Christmas Story can be seen on most streaming platforms, or you can probably watch it over and over again on TBS between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.