In keeping with the long history of horror movies with a title that tells you exactly what to expect from what you’re about to watch, indie horror Werewolf Santa has just been unleashed on Home Entertainment. As the title suggests, this movie finally answers the question, “What if a werewolf bit Santa?”

An amateur monster hunter with a lack of monsters to hunt and dwindling subscribers goes home for Christmas hoping to catch a glimpse of a reported creature, but things take a turn when she witnesses Santa being bitten by a werewolf. The big jolly one gets a taste for human flesh, and he’s not even checking his list once, let alone twice, before going on a bloody rampage. Much like Shudder’s revival of Creepshow, key moments in the film are shown in comic book panels, which works just fine in Creepshow. However, its use here becomes a little jarring as Werewolf Santa is largely presented in found footage/vlog style.

Like many indie horror films, there is a fair chunk of the limited runtime spent on character beats that neither help nor hinder our understanding of Lucy, and at a lean 71 minutes (the credits are rolling at 65 minutes), you do have to wait a while before the titular antagonist makes an appearance. Lacking the biting humour and OTT nature of fellow Lycanthropy-based indie horrors Wolf Cop and Another Wolf Cop, Werewolf Santa could have done with a little more fun. Considering its title, it occasionally takes itself too seriously. That said, there is plenty of gore soaked carnage and it is easily the best motion picture about a Werewolf Santa you’ll see this year or perhaps any other year.

Werewolf Santa is available on DVD and digital now.