This quite recently newly unearthed holiday fun has many names, "Game Over", "Deadly Games", "Dial Code Santa Claus", "36:15 Code Father Christmas", but there ain't many doubts about being a stylish, hearty and odd little French adventure. And yes, the blueprint of "Home Alone", which came out a year later, is indeed about the same, but there are plenty of plot, genre and tonal differences.
Playful, resourceful, smart and full-of-wonder Thomas loves to play Rambo at home, and to take care and play with his close-to-heart grandpa, or Papy. It is Christmas day, and Thomas's mom has gone to work at the mall, where a creepy, mysterious bearded man, who seemingly just wants some love, is scaring kids as an impostor mall Santa. When he is let go, the certifiable killer nature of Santa clashes out at Thomas and his grandpa, and all three are now locked in a game of survival...
The beginning of the movie got me excited, not so much Thomas and his action, but the look and performance of Patrick Floersheim as the Santa Claus, the man can be eerie and looks absolutely fabulous as a killer Santa later in the film, props to the costume designers and make-up department. Immediately I was excited for a great Villain character, so a little of my disappointment lies in the fact that "Game Over" relies a lot on action and dramatic, stylized sequences, offering absolutely no back-story for Santa, giving him no clear motivations, and very few speaking lines. Visually striking villain at all times, substantially - not so much.
That action though is pretty cool, especially given the fact that this is an indie of the 80's. In the matters of style, "Deadly Games" is almost an overkill, cinematography is varied (and with lots of tilted angles), editing is pretty neat and energetic, almost as energetic as the synth orchestra soundtrack. Atmospherically and visually "Game Over" also reminded me of "The Crow", weird, I know, but not because of any substance, but the sets. Most of this film takes place in a mansion that from outside looks like Dracula's castle, and inside has half-vintage-like interior, big, dark spaces, etc., the set design really got me reminiscing on "The Crow". A gothic sort of vibe.
Thomas is a good kid, a sympathetic kid, and together with Papy they are the heart of this movie, so both the good and the evil in "Deadly Games" entertains and amuses, and brings solid acting to the table. The biggest flaws are still in the story, it plays out the first way one can imagine, not a lot of surprises. No extra story thread was worked on. The other flaw, and a plus at the same time, is action, it's funny because I said the film relies on it a lot, but here comes in the dramatic flair of these filmmakers... Plenty of action sequences are short and sweet in the core idea, but made longer and way dramatic frequently, slow-mo's, epic music, dramatic eye close-up and so forth. In the end it feels like an amazing looking sandwich lacking just a little filler.
"Game Over" is definitely a seasonal horror (perhaps less horror than You expect) to check out, killer Santa ticks the box big time, and the rest is up to You to check out. "Home Alone" can do without its tenth re-watch. My rating: 6/10.
