Dial Code Santa Claus

"When the world of childhood encounters that of horror."

1990 1h 28m FR

😐

5.9

MID

★5.9TMDB · 122

ThrillerHorrorActionAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Thomas de Frémont, a precocious child obsessed with action films, sets himself up for a terrifying Christmas Eve after he unwittingly makes contact with a deranged psychopath who claims he's Santa Claus.

“When the world of childhood encounters that of horror.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Brigitte Fossey
Julie de Frémont
Louis Ducreux
Papy
Patrick Floersheim
Le Père Noël
Alain Lalanne
Thomas de Frémont
François-Eric Gendron
Roland
Stéphane Legros
Pilou
Franck Capillery
Le policier
Nicole Raucher
La cuisinière

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: René Manzor
Writers: René Manzor
Languages: French
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

88 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

36 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by René Manzor, shot by Michel Gaffier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jean-Félix Lalanne. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Christine Pansu shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Brigitte Fossey and Louis Ducreux and Patrick Floersheim carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "When the world of childhood encounters that of horror.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0096741 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

René Manzor directs. Michel Gaffier behind the camera. Jean-Félix Lalanne scores. Christine Pansu cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
236 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by René Manzor, shot by Michel Gaffier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Jean-Félix Lalanne. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Christine Pansu shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Brigitte Fossey and Louis Ducreux and Patrick Floersheim carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "When the world of childhood encounters that of horror.".
8IMDB entry: tt0096741 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 17 themes, including "video game", "psychopath", "santa claus", "grandfather".
10Released under 17 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Michel Gaffier
Original score: Jean-Félix Lalanne
Editing: Christine Pansu
Makeup / hair: Jean-Luc Russier
Runtime: 88 min · 1h 28m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: FR
IMDB: Dial Code Santa Claus (1990)

Also by

René Manzor

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Community reviews

What people are saying

JPV8522020-11-07
★ 7/10
Fun killer Santa Claus horror-thriller that took a bit to get going (found the first 35-minutes to be a bit dull), but after that some truly suspense-filled scenes and hilarious moments with the kid going all out on Claus. A mish-mash of Home Alone meets Rambo with a little John Wick thrown in. 3.5/5

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