# Bad Santas depicted in film or on television **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 25, 2011, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-santas-depicted-in-film-or-on-television/607327 "2011-12-25T00:52:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-santas-depicted-in-film-or-on-television/607327/1 "2011-12-25T00:52:48Z")
The 2003 film is making it hard to google this one. I can think of: Dan Akroyd in Trading Places (1983) An episode of Cheers, “Christmas Cheers” (1987) The drunk Santa in Miracle on 34th Street (1947) ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-santas-depicted-in-film-or-on-television/607327/2 "2011-12-25T01:00:05Z")
Does the Art Carney drunk Santa in the Twilight Zone episode “The Night of the Meek” count as “bad”? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-santas-depicted-in-film-or-on-television/607327/3 "2011-12-25T01:09:02Z")
Three Santas appear in _The Hebrew Hammer_. The first and third are evil. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-santas-depicted-in-film-or-on-television/607327/4 "2011-12-25T01:09:32Z")
The department store Santa in **A Christmas Story.** ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-santas-depicted-in-film-or-on-television/607327/5 "2011-12-25T01:13:56Z")
The antagonist of “Silent Night, Deadly Night”. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-santas-depicted-in-film-or-on-television/607327/6 "2011-12-25T01:15:58Z")
He had good intentions, but I’m sure Jack Skellington could be considered a bad Santa in _The Nightmare Before Christmas_. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-santas-depicted-in-film-or-on-television/607327/7 "2011-12-25T01:20:05Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Does the Art Carney drunk Santa in the Twilight Zone episode “The Night of the Meek” count as “bad”? I would think so. Good one. I haven’t thought of that episode in a long time. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-santas-depicted-in-film-or-on-television/607327/8 "2011-12-25T01:20:09Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Three Santas appear in _The Hebrew Hammer_. The first and third are evil. Well, technically four, it occurred to me afterward, and the fourth wasn’t such a great guy, either. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-santas-depicted-in-film-or-on-television/607327/9 "2011-12-25T02:28:28Z")
Futurama has robot Santa, who is flat out evil. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-santas-depicted-in-film-or-on-television/607327/10 "2011-12-25T02:34:49Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Futurama has robot Santa, who is flat out evil. Well, except to Doctor Zoidberg, for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-santas-depicted-in-film-or-on-television/607327/11 "2011-12-25T02:35:45Z")
If pro wrestling counts, WCCW did an angle where “Santa” appeared during a show on or near Christmas Eve. For most of the card, Santa played it straight–passing out out candy, playing the jolly elf for the kids. Until one of the Von Erich boys got in the ring for a match. At that point, “Santa” attacked, and revealed himself to be the dastardly heel, Freebird Michael Hayes, in disguise. I think other promotions have run similar angles, but this is the one that stands out in my memory. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-santas-depicted-in-film-or-on-television/607327/12 "2011-12-25T02:39:37Z")
I guess [Robot Santa](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_recurring_characters_in_Futurama#Robot_Santa) in Futurama could be considered a bad Santa. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-santas-depicted-in-film-or-on-television/607327/13 "2011-12-25T02:42:43Z")
There seems to be an over abundance of shitty Santas in tv commercials this year, if those count. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-santas-depicted-in-film-or-on-television/607327/14 "2011-12-25T03:27:51Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Does the Art Carney drunk Santa in the Twilight Zone episode “The Night of the Meek” count as “bad”? No no no! Carney’s portrayal was one of the most wonderful, heartfelt, “true meaning of Christmas” Santas ever! Nothing bad about it! There was the mall Santa in **Fast Times at Ridgemont High** : _“How fuckin’ long do I have to wait!”_ ---
**Author:** ![UFC\_Is\_Sux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/46a35a/32.png) [@UFC\_Is\_Sux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UFC_Is_Sux)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-santas-depicted-in-film-or-on-television/607327/15 "2011-12-25T03:34:53Z")
There’s always the inoffensive cheeseball Santa in 1964’s _Santa Claus Conquers the Martians_. Even through the Z-rated costuming job and oh-so-fake beard you can practically feel the diabetes gobbling up your pancreas as a result of his portrayal. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-santas-depicted-in-film-or-on-television/607327/16 "2011-12-25T03:47:19Z")
In the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” TV episode entitled “The Body”, the character Anya says that Santa Clause is a "demon from the Sixteenth Century known for operating on Christmas night, using flying reindeer, climbing down chimneys, and disemboweling children. " ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-santas-depicted-in-film-or-on-television/607327/17 "2011-12-25T04:04:20Z")
In Santa Claus the Move, the real Santa is good, but there’s a street Santa collecting for ‘charity’ and pocketing the money. Has nobody mentioned Bad Santa because it’s too obvious? ---
**Author:** ![ataraxy22](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ataraxy22/32/307_2.png) [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-santas-depicted-in-film-or-on-television/607327/18 "2011-12-25T04:05:59Z")
The Santa in Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale is evil. Probably. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_A.Robrin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sam_a.robrin/32/14497_2.png) [@Sam\_A.Robrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_A.Robrin)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-santas-depicted-in-film-or-on-television/607327/19 "2011-12-25T04:26:53Z")
I first ran across the EC Comics story “And All Through the House” in a paperback _Tales from the Crypt_ anthology when I was about 11, and it scarified the snot out of me. (It was adapted, though not very well, for the TV program.) A woman murders her husband, then finds her house under siege by a homicidal maniac dressed as Santa Claus. The closing pun–that this was a Santa Claus who liked to “sleigh bells”–was, up to that time, the best play on words I’d ever heard, and probably helped engender my paronomastic proclivities. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-santas-depicted-in-film-or-on-television/607327/20 "2011-12-25T04:35:35Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > In Santa Claus the Move, the real Santa is good, but there’s a street Santa collecting for ‘charity’ and pocketing the money. > > Has nobody mentioned Bad Santa because it’s too obvious? “Bad Santa” was indirectly mentioned in the OP, to wit: > [@](#): > > Bad Santas depicted in film or on television. The 2003 film is making it hard to google this one. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-santas-depicted-in-film-or-on-television/607327.md?page=2)