The 1989 pre Home Alone horror/thriller Deadly Games, AKA 3615 code Père Noël; is all about murderous madness in a Santa suit. A madman who is both child and killer who only wants to play.
I had never heard of this brilliant forerunner to Home Alone. If not for Matt Donato over at Bloody Disgusting I still would not know of this splendid “one off.” The review he did was re-shared on Be Critical: The International Film Review Community and it caught my eye. I was intrigued and hunted the film down.
It did not disappoint.
Behind the camera
Writer/Director René Manzor gives us a more endangered “Home Alone” scenario here. Thomas is a Rambo enthusiast. (The action/thriller was released in 1982. Five years before Deadly Games hit screens.) The French lad also seems quite a bit smarter than the average bear. Manzor creates a villain that is both scary and, at times, worthy of our sympathy. The tale itself is unforgettable.
The Main Cast
Brigitte Fossey is Julie. Thomas’ widowed mum.
Alain Lalanne is Thomas, over achiever and a kid with an incredible IQ. He still, somewhat surprisingly, still believes in Father Christmas, AKA Santa Claus.
Louis Ducreux is Papy. Thomas’ grandpa.
Patrick Floersheim is Le Père Noël, AKA Santa Claus.
The story
Thomas, an incredibly capable young lad completely believes in Santa Claus. Even after his best friend Pilou (Stéphane Legros) assures him that Santa is not real, Thomas believes. It is his act of proving that Father Christmas is indeed real and can be communicated with that starts things going south is a huge way.
A mentally challenged man, who works very shortly as Père Noël in the department store owned by Thomas’ mum Julie. He is fired for slapping a young girl. The man connects with Thomas and then, still in costume, invades the small family’s home.
It works
Both Floersheim and Lalanne sell this one. Deadly Games, despite the far-fetched storyline is head and shoulders above most “Christmas” horror films. Floersheim is believable as the childish killer who switches from almost infantile glee to murderous killer almost instantaneously.
Lalanne manages to play every emotion with an ability that belies his young age. His interaction with all the cast is spot on and feels truthful. The traps he sets, his reactions to each scenario, and his attachment to Papy is absolutely believable.
This is a sublime Christmas horror. Watch it if you can. It is subtitled, but this does not distract.
The Verdict
This is a full 5 star effort from Manzor. It makes Home Alone look like an outing with Mary Poppins. Christmas is over but it is still close enough to enjoy this excellent Yule horror offering. Deadly Games is streaming on Shudder right now.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.