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      Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

      1964, Holiday/Sci-fi, 1h 20m

      24 Reviews 5,000+ Ratings

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      Critics Consensus

      The endearingly cheesy Santa Claus Conquers the Martians might just be so naughty it's nice for viewers seeking a sub-competent sci-fi holiday adventure. Read critic reviews

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      Santa Claus Conquers the Martians  Photos

      Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964) Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964) Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964) Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964) Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)

      Movie Info

      Martian ruler Kimar (Leonard Hicks) is upset that the children of Mars are lazy and under the influence of too much pop culture from Earth. They are obsessed with the planet's television programs and don't want to do much of anything. In an attempt to get the kids peppy again, Kimar orders the kidnapping of Santa Claus (John Call), hoping that the jolly old toymaker will know how to cheer the children up again. But two Earth children are also nabbed, and this complicates things for Kimar.

      • Genre: Holiday, Sci-fi

      • Original Language: English

      • Director: Nicholas Webster

      • Producer: Paul L. Jacobson

      • Writer: Paul L. Jacobson, Glenville Mareth

      • Release Date (Theaters):  original

      • Rerelease Date (Theaters):

      • Release Date (Streaming):

      • Runtime:

      • Distributor: Something Weird Video, Sinister Cinema

      • Production Co: Jalor Productions

      Cast & Crew

      News & Interviews for Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

      Critic Reviews for Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

      Audience Reviews for Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

      • May 03, 2016

        Hailed as one of the worst films ever, it really was.

        Super Reviewer
      • Dec 31, 2014

        A cult Christmas classic, "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians" concerns Martians and their selfish, perturbed children who have no fun and hope that Santa's goodwill will come to their planet. The Martians come to Earth, kidnap some kids, then Santa, and take them back to their planet. Some of the Martians dislike the idea of letting Santa on their planet, and plot to kill him and the children, but are thwarted time and again. The film isn't inherently bad: it has a logical plot, the performances aren't all that bad, and it's message of letting kids have fun is inspiring. The reason it's so ridiculous is the premise itself. That and the costuming is horrible, like, ridiculously bad. The Martians are all in green-face, the elves are all dwarves, and the Martian children look and sound like practiced wind-up dolls. While this isn't the best bad movie it's rather entertaining and fun for the entire family, even with its constant plot device of children killing alien life forms.

        Super Reviewer
      • Dec 23, 2014

        "Hooray for Santy Claus!" Extraordinarily awful and hysterically funny, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians is insanity wrapped in a bow. The plot is beyond idiotic; finding that their children have forgotten how to play and have fun, a group of Martians go to Earth to abduct Santa Claus in the hopes that he'll be able to revive their children's spirits. The acting is atrocious, but not as bad as the makeup and costumes, which are horrendous (even for '60s sci-fi). Yet it's all made infinitely worse by how seriously the film takes itself. Though it's terrible in every way possibly, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians is too ridiculous to hate and is just begging to be laughed at (which is actually kind of fun).

        Super Reviewer
      • Dec 20, 2010

        I just happened to catch this movie on TV the other night, unfortunately. It's got an interesting story, which may have been the inspiration for Disney's new movie Mars Needs Moms, because in this movie the kids of mars need a Santa. This movie is complete cheese, with bad actors, dialogue, special effects, directing, the works! An interesting bad movie, though.

        Super Reviewer

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