Santa Jaws

{{short description|2018 American Christmas horror comedy film written by Jake Kiernan, directed by Misty Talley}}

{{Infobox film

| name = Santa Jaws

| image = Santa Jaws 2018 movie poster.jpeg

| alt =

| caption =

| director = Misty Talley

| writer = Jake Kiernan

| producer =

| starring = Reid Miller
Miles Doleac

| cinematography =

| editing =

| music =

| studio =

| distributor =

| released = {{film date|2018|8|15|SyFy}}

| runtime = 88 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget =

| gross =

}}

Santa Jaws is a 2018 American Christmas horror comedy film written by Jake Kiernan, directed by Misty Talley and starring Reid Miller and Miles Doleac.{{cite web|last=Korngut|first=Josh|title=‘Santa Jaws’: 5 Reasons It’s The Ultimate Feel Good Christmas Horror Movie|date=December 22, 2021|website=Dread Central|url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/420693/santa-jaws-5-reasons-its-the-ultimate-feel-good-christmas-horror-movie/|accessdate=October 28, 2024}}

Premise

Trying not to spend time with his family during Christmas, Cody makes a wish by drawing a shark wearing a Santa Claus hat, until the animal manifests itself and starts killing the local population.

Cast

{{Cast listing|

Reid Miller as Cody
Courtney Lauren Cummings as Jena
Carrie Lazar as Caroline
Jim Klock as Peter
Hawn Tran as Steve
Haviland Stillwell as Georgia
Miles Doleac as Mike
Arthur Marroquin as Josh
Scott Allen Perry as Clark
Ritchie Montgomery as Papa Joe

}}

Production

The film was shot in Louisiana.{{cite newspaper|last=Bergeron|first=Judy|title=Beware: Louisiana-shot 'Santa Jaws' debuts tonight as part of Syfy's Sharknado Week|date=August 14, 2018|newspaper=The Advocate|url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/entertainment_life/movies_tv/beware-louisiana-shot-santa-jaws-debuts-tonight-as-part-of-syfys-sharknado-week/article_9ac3d232-9fe0-11e8-a031-3bb99b96cf72.html|accessdate=October 28, 2024|url-access=subscription}}

Release

The film premiered on Syfy on August 15, 2018.{{cite web|last=Scott|first=Ryan|title=Santa Jaws: Insane Christmas Shark Extravaganza Hits Syfy Tonight|date=August 15, 2018|website=MovieWeb|url=https://movieweb.com/santa-jaws-movie-syfy-premiere-date-sharknado-week/|accessdate=October 28, 2024}} The film was also released in the Surfside Playhouse in Surfside, Florida on December 10, 2021.{{cite newspaper|last=Sonnenberg|first=Maria|title=Holiday favorites 'Santa Jaws,' 'Merry and Bright' return to Brevard theaters|date=December 7, 2021|newspaper=Florida Today|url=https://www.floridatoday.com/story/entertainment/2021/12/07/mct-surfside-offer-variety-shows-get-you-holiday-spirit/8886455002/|accessdate=October 28, 2024}}

Reception

Chris Coffell of Bloody Disgusting awarded the film three "skulls" out of five, saying: "I’m not really a big fan of the shark mashup movies that SyFy and The Asylum regularly pump out. A lot of them have a thin premise built off one joke that quickly dies out and they typically seem to be hastily made in order to just get another one out. A lot of these absurd movies could actually be fun if they were made with real effort in an attempt to be good. Most fail to do that. Fortunately, Santa Jaws ain’t most."{{cite web|last=Coffell|first=Chris|title=[Review] We Watched ‘Santa Jaws’ and It Was Better Than Most Syfy Shark Movies|date=August 15, 2018|website=Bloody Disgusting|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/reviews/3515708/review-i-watched-santa-jaws-and-it-was-pretty-good/|accessdate=January 5, 2025}}