Director Glenn Miller made Zoombies and Aquarium of the Dead and writer Anna Rasmussen wrote Shark Side of the Moon. That means they are the people to create a movie where Santa (John P. Fowler) encounters three little cats - Patches, Mittens and Hairball - who create an allergic reaction that nearly ruins the holiday until the kittens jump in the sleigh and fix things. All because Julia (Nicola Lambo) wouldn't let her son Tommy (Ezra James Colbert) keep them.

There's also a story about how obsessed Santa conspiracy believing neighbor Marcus Bramble (Evan Boymel) grew up with Julia but another cat-inspired encounter with Santa caused them to never be friends again. Marcus looks for a video tape to copy over to prove Santa exists and nearly uses his copy of Sharknado. This is because Asylum made this movie.

There's a moment where one of the kittens is in danger and it kind of upset me. I watch Italian cannibal movies all the time and I worried about the cats in a Christmas movie.

It's a good movie, don't be dramatic. If you like Christmas and cats, then you'll like the movie. I've always liked movies with pets, and happy endings.

Despite my reservations about the ridiculousness of the premise (and it was) and finding the cover looking like most cheap-looking family film covers, watched 'Santa Claws' anyway because of my love of Christmas films/specials, anything Christmas and finding kittens cute and usually very difficult to dislike.

Actually sort of wanted to like 'Santa Claws' in a guilty pleasure sort of way, but unfortunately it is as awful as the rating and reviews say and as far as Christmas-themed films go it is down there as one of the worst. Should have trusted my reservations, but wanted to be fair on the film as is intended with every film viewed. Can't find much redeeming about it, other than perhaps the odd nice soundtrack choice. There is no warmth or charm at all, lots of mean spirit and what should have been easy to like actually grated.

'Santa Claws' is a cheap-looking film, with colours that are both drab and garish, less than slick and sometimes gimmicky photography and tacky editing that indicated it was all hastily put together. At best the effects are slapdash and again indicative of very rushed and under-budgeted production.

The script fails completely at being tongue-in-cheek, is full of cheese and awkwardness and is very childish and lacking in wit. The story is paper thin and padded while also being very jumpy and rushed structurally, which made the excessive over-familiarity less forgivable. The Christmas spirit just isn't there, there is no charm or warmth, the cute parts are a mix of saccharine and annoying and some of it is mean-spirited and distasteful. Detected no enthusiasm in the direction.

None of the characters are engaging, with the kittens being more obnoxious than cute when there were signs of proper personality going on, their resourcefulness never being sincere or well-intentioned and making for head-scratching moments. Even worse is one of the most despicable bullying mother figures in any family film and the kid is annoying. The acting generally has no energy and some of the actors, especially with the mother, over-act in almost pantomime fashion.

Concluding, awful catastrophe of a film. 1/10 Bethany Cox