Attic Of Absurdity no.2

36.15 Code Père Noël (1989)

36.15 Code Père Noël | directed by René Manzer | 1989 | 92 minutes

Editor's note: This was meant to be published in December, however, the site was down all month. Put this film on your list for next Christmas (or, consider that it's a lot less lame to celebrate Christmas in January than in November...) and make sure to check back for the next ATTIC OF ABSURDITY review!

Welcome once again to the Attic of Absurdity. Christmas is right around the corner and I’ve got a treat for you. In 1989, french director René Manzer created one of the wildest Christmas films ever made, so wild, there’s multiple titles for the film. The original french title to the film is, 36.15 Code Père Noël, which in English was translated to Dial Code Santa Claus. The film is also oddly known by: Deadly Games, Game Over, and my personal favourite, Hide and Freak. The film follows Thomas de Frémont, an energetic kid who loves action films and creating high tech gadgets. He’s super smart and this year plans on catching Santa Claus to prove he’s real. The only problem is the man inside his house…isn’t the real Santa Claus, and now it's a game of life or death survival for him and his ill grandfather.

This film predates Chris Colombus’ film Home Alone (1990) and follows a very similar plot but takes it up a notch. Manzer was inspired by films like Die Hard (1988) and the Rambo series and wanted to show them through a child’s perspective. Unlike in Home Alone, the traps are more deadly, the damage is shown, the threat is tense and the house is INSANE. This film has easily the coolest and craziest house ever put to film. There’s so many twists and turns here with such elaborate rooms. You have no clue what or who is around each corner. Going in blind, you’ll be baffled when the film’s true plot kicks in. It's such a 180 from the rest of the film and truly kicks off the action packed thrill ride this film is. The second half is outrageously bold and emotional.

The film was a huge success in France in 1989 but only ever got its North American premier in 2018 at the Fantastic Fest in Austin. Audiences have since been blown away by the immense creativity and exhilarating nature of Thomas and his antics. Dial Code Santa Claus blurs many lines, such as family film, horror film and high paced action epic. The score composed by Jean- Felix Lalanne can put modern action films to shame. It’s big, it’s grand, it’s pulsating. Each scene is given such weight to it which makes the entire film vastly entertaining from start to finish. It may not be the best written film, nor does it have much consistent logic or continuity, but it’s insanely over-the-top entertaining and charming. Critic Peter Martin writes, “I was utterly bowled over with happiness. Sure, it's your standard clever kid vs Santa Claus home invasion tale…but it's exceptionally smart, funny and kinda fiendish too. It's a great family action movie for families who hate the holidays."

If you’re looking for an absurd and different kind of Christmas film this year, I’d highly recommend 36.15 code Père Noël. You’ll be amazed at just how charming and odd this film really is. There’s something here for everyone to like and you’ll definitely not be able to predict where this film goes. It’s a maze of constant entertainment and childlike wonder for the holidays.