3615 Code Père Noël (aka Deadly Games)
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
This recently rediscovered home invasion thriller from France bore such a striking resemblance to Home Alone that its director threatened to sue John Hughes when the Macauley Caulkin smash debuted two years later. And yes, the similarity is strong: A young boy is forced to use traps to protect his home after a menacing Santa slides down his chimney.
Although it’s much darker than most holiday movies, what we found in this forgotten French flick was a lot of heart and a fun ride. Recently remastered, you can now catch it exclusively on the Shudder network.