Saint AKA Sint [2010]

November 20, 2023

With New Year’s Eve fast approaching it’s the perfect time to talk about this movie. Saint AKA Sint is a Dutch horror comedy about a killer zombie Santa. Yes, you read that right, killer zombie Santa is coming to get you whether you were good or not. This movie caused quite a controversy in the Netherlands and some people actually sued the production. However, the concept of a killer Santa Claus is not new. Actually, the first movie I can think of is the 1984 Silent Night, Deadly Night. And who can forget Futurama’s Robot Santa Claus?

In recent years this strange subgenre got a couple of more additions in Violent Night (David Harbour), Christmas Bloody Christmas, and Fatman (Mel Gibson). 2010 turned out to be the year of Santa as we got not only this movie but also the Finnish horror comedy Rare Exports. So, if you’re looking for movies to watch during the holidays there’s your answer right there. You’ll have enough movies to last you at least 3 or 4 days as this IMDb page lists no less than 39 titles. Moving on, Saint is coming to us from none other than Dick Maas.

You might remember him as the guy behind such cool titles as Amsterdamned, Prey, and Down. And while the first one is a relatively standard serial killer movie, the other two are about a killer lion and a killer elevator. So, Mr. Dick Maas is a man who doesn’t shy away from weird but intriguing themes. And right away Saint shows you it’s not fucking around by killing women and children. We then switch to the main story of a group of high school students getting ready for a big holiday party. However, their plans are about to be spoiled by the eponymous Saint Nicholas. By the way, the character of Santa Claus is based on him, Saint Nicholas.

This means we’re in for a classic story of a high school student trying to survive the night along with a cop who nobody believes there’s a killer zombie Santa on the loose. These poor high school kids can’t catch a break. They’re either fighting vampires, zombies, aliens or some other creatures while also trying to get laid. Ahhh, to be young again. Now, the budget for Saint AKA Sint wasn’t too big but at least the movie has a big heart and a lot of that trademark Euro-charm. For example, cool kids in Dutch high schools don’t drive cars, they drive scooters. Amsterdam is also such a beautiful and unique city.

Featuring so many canals and historic buildings, it’s got that old-world charm. And I’m not saying this just because weed is legal there. That just enhances the experience. And Dutch is such a strange language. It sounds like they’re trying to get something out of their throat and constantly failing. Of course, as with all our foreign movie recommendations, I strongly suggest you watch the movie with the original audio. When it comes to the graphic content, there will be a couple of gruesome scenes although I was expecting more.

So, Saint is not some unhinged killing feast but a more classic horror movie with a couple of nasty kills. It all depends on your taste in movies. If you’re a horror fan, you will want more and if you’re a regular movie fan, this will be just enough violence and blood. I just think that our titular character should’ve appeared more in the movie as his screen time is quite limited. Although all of his scenes are really fun and exciting. Finally, if you’re looking for movies like Saint check out Krampus starring Toni Collette and Adam Scott. It follows a boy who summons a Christmas demon instead of getting the present he wants.