Deadly Games at Chapeltown Picture House

Tom Grieve, Cinema Editor

Book now

Deadly Games

Cultplex, Manchester
21 December 2022

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Chapeltown Picture House
Book now

A film for those who think that Macauley Culkin didn’t go far enough, Deadly Games A.K.A. Dial Code Santa Claus is a home invasion thriller that Slash Film called “a blend of classic Amblin and a grind-house nightmare.” It was released in 1989, a full year before Home Alone, and yet the films share a remarkably similar plot – albeit approached with wildly different sensibilities.

Deadly Games’ Thomas (Alain Lalanne) is an 80s kid, well-versed in computer games and the toys of the day. His mother is in the office, and he settles in for Christmas Eve alone with his elderly grandfather when a killer dressed as Santa Claus breaks into their home. Left with no choice but to defend his home, Thomas channels his best Rambo and sets out to incapacitate the red suited menace by any means necessary.

Directed by René Manzor, this festive French film was available mainly via VHS bootlegs for years. But a North American premiere at Austin’s Fright Fest in 2019 has increased its profile, with audiences and critics delighted by its deranged approach to the holiday season and happy to have a new bit of Christmas counter-programming.

Where to go near Deadly Games at Chapeltown Picture House

Cheetham Hill
Restaurant
Osaka Local

Wonderful Japanese street food vendor, often found at Grub and other street food events in and around Manchester and the North.

tours and activities guide
Cheetham Hill
Manchester Three Rivers Gin Distillery

Join the Gin renaissance with Manchester Three Rivers, a gin distillery situated in the heart of the Green Quarter making some fantastic gin as well as inviting people to get up close to the distillation process.

Manchester
Restaurant
Fairfield Social Club

Fairfield Social Club is a multi-purpose site next to Angel Meadows Park in the Green Quarter, ran by the team behind the much-loved Grub,.

Popup Bikes
Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Popup Bikes

Independently-run coffee shop and bike repair shop on the edge of the Green Quarter in Manchester.

Manchester
Event venue
Partisan

Partisan is a Manchester-based collective and volunteer-run space for independent, community led, DIY and cultural based projects. They have two floors for events, meetings, office space, live music, club nights, and art.

Salford
Gallery
1520 Studios

1520 Studios is bigger than a film and photography studio, also functioning as an event space and community hub.

Cheetham Hill
The Yard

New creative hub The Yard is home to a great little music venue, which tends to attract future-leaning electronic artists.

The exterior of The Pilcrow
Manchester
Bar or Pub
Sadler’s Cat

The Pilcrow is now Sadler’s Cat, a contemporary community pub at the heart of the NOMA neighbourhood. Overlooking Sadler’s Yard.

What's on: Cinema

Until
ActivityManchester
Film Course: French New Wave at HOME

Coinciding with the release of Richard Linklater’s film Nouvelle Vague, this HOME course offers an accessible overview of one of cinema’s most influential movements.

From £65

Culture Guides

Ceramic Sculpture
Exhibitions

Across Manchester and Salford, exhibitions are thinking hard about how things are made – and how materials carry stories.

A pair of white angel wings displayed against a dark, black background. The lower parts of the wings are stained with vivid red, resembling blood splatter.
Theatre

This month’s theatre highlights span dystopian classics, political thrillers and bold new opera.

Music

From underground festivals showcasing emerging talent to global icons unveiling new work, here are our latest live music highlights.

Food and Drink in the North

Spring is coming, at some point. As for now, it’s cold and grim so take our advice and shelter in a nice warm restaurant, pub or bar.

Emily Lloyd-Saini as Grace in Space and Harrie Hayes as Lieutenant Strong in Horrible Science
Family things to do in the North

Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.