| Okay, okay, so Santa Claus Conquers The Martians isn't exactly White Christmas (it isn't exactly Black Christmas , either). But where else can you find... By RENFIELD The Nightmare Before Christmas . True, it’s only one "Scary Christmas" offering, but at least the Christmas stocking isn’t empty in that regard. However, there is another "Scary Christmas" flick, one that many would consider the cinematic equivalent of finding coal in your Christmas stocking…we refer, of course, to the spaced-out Santa-saga, 1964’s Santa Claus Conquers The Martians (also released as Santa Claus Defeats The Aliens It might as well have been entitled Mars Needs Santa , since Z-movie maven Larry Buchanan could very well have made it. Golden Turkey Awards , a "bad-movie" designation that has dogged the film ever since. It certainly deserves the "bad" designation…although the film is in color, the dreary, impoverished sets, the dime-store props (the menacing Martian robot would hardly pass muster as an early Japanese tin toy), the threadbare costumes (particularly the high school production quality of the Martian attire matched by the goopy green makeup jobs), the corny acting that’s strictly Romper Room in its sophistication, the hackneyed script that works only slightly better in the comic-book version of the feature film…and then the truly Godawful title song "Hooray For Santa Claus" sung by a bunch of kids who desperately need their tonsils removed…well, the movie | |
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