It's been a weird holiday season, and for whatever reason, the best Christmas movies just aren't doing it for me this year. It's led me to seek out some of the more offbeat and bizarre Christmas offerings on streaming, and maybe that's why I've found myself on Tubi.
Tubi has gained a reputation as of late beyond being a free streaming service. It's also a place where people can find some of the most bizarre movies to stream. This includes the 1959 cult classic movie Santa Claus, which has been dubbed in English from the original version made in Mexico. If you're not familiar with the movie where Santa fights a demon, you need to be, because I absolutely loved it.
What Is Santa Claus (1959) About?
In Santa Claus, Jolly Old St. Nicholas is prepping for his annual trip across the world for Christmas, but Lucifer has other plans. He enlists the demon Pitch to make the children of the world angry at Santa in an effort to ruin Christmas.
Santa is onto Lucifer's game and takes precautions to counteract Pitch's efforts and ensure Christmas goes off without a hitch. This includes enlisting the help of the wizard Merlin, who lives in Santa's castle. The audience will watch as Pitch and Santa duel over everything from a little girl's morality to whether the world will end up having a merry Christmas.
This Movie Is Jammed With Weirdness Even Beyond Santa Battling A Demon
The premise of the movie is weird enough, as are the creative liberties that Santa Claus takes on the man in red. For example, in this movie, Santa lives in a castle on a distant planet, and instead of elves, he has a gang of children representing every country in the world. There's a portion of this movie that heavily resembles riding "It's a Small World" at Disney World, and viewers won't have to wait long to see it.
Oh, Santa also has mechanical reindeer and a telescope that is modeled after parts of the human body. Having Merlin as a trusted advisor is pretty neat, though, even if he is far removed from other depictions I've seen.
As weird as it all sounds, it makes for a fascinating and entertaining movie. I went in fully expecting to embrace the corniness of it all, and I found myself pretty invested only a short while in.
Those Who Love The Vintage Christmas Aesthetic Will Love This Movie
In addition to the plot, what I loved the most about Santa Claus is the vintage Christmas aesthetic throughout the whole movie. Of course, at the time, it was just Christmas decorations, but if you're a fan of vintage ornaments, blow molds and trees with loads of tinsel, this is going to be a treat to watch.
I would imagine those who enjoy the visuals of A Christmas Story enough to tolerate having it on all Christmas Eve and Day will be fans of Santa Claus' aesthetic. At the same time, those who are in desperate need of having something new to watch can check this out, and then enjoy the episode of Mystery Science Theater they did on it as well. According to Know Your Meme, it was their episode on this movie that spawned the term "nightmare fuel."
Beyond all of that, it's free to watch along with other great shows on Tubi. Those looking to shake up their routine and step outside of the offerings of the 2025 Christmas movie schedule should give it a shot, and if nothing else, tell others they saw one of the strangest holiday movies of the past.
Check out Santa Claus on Tubi right now, and if you don't have the streaming service, we have a guide that will walk through the process of watching Tubi online. I'll be continuing my search for the strangest Christmas movies and specials.
