Plot

Two boys get locked in a department store overnight at Christmas and are stalked by an animatronic Santa who, legend has it, goes after nice children instead of naughty ones.

Cast

Not familiar with anyone involved.

Verdict

I came across this thanks to the television series Creeped Out which is a show that walks a fine line between being enjoyable Goosebumps-esque PG horror fun and Saturday Morning kids tripe, Splinta Claws is a fine example of this.

One overwhelming flaw with the show as a whole is that it's lead by kids, I hate kids and also tend to find kid characters in movies/tv shows more than slightly obnoxious. The ones in this short are a fantastic demonstration of this, which unintentionally had me rooting for the antagonist.

Speaking on the antagonist though silly I thought it was at least interesting as was the setting overall, if this had been a smidge darker and with a more mature cast I think this could have actually pulled it off. In this form it comes across as a rushed Goosebumps episode with horrible child actors and a remarkably dark finale.

Rants

I hate kids, never had them for more reasons than I could begin to list so kiddie orientated things like this suffer greatly. Combine that with my hatred for Christmas and it's amazing I rated it as high as I did. This Christmas I'll be happily child free with a glass of whisky and no festive films!

The Good

Neat idea Love the setting Surprising finale

The Bad

Kids are obnoxious Feels rushed.

The horror genre features stories that aim to elicit fear, suspense, and a sense of dread in its audience. Horror stories often explore themes related to the unknown, the supernatural, and the macabre, and they frequently evoke strong emotional reactions such as anxiety, terror, and unease.

The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

Two boys get locked in a department store overnight at Christmas and are stalked by an animatronic Santa who, legend has it, goes after nice children instead of naughty ones.

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Splinta Claws

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