This film is presented by St. Louis’s long-running cult film series Strange Brew and will feature a pre-film intro by Strange Brew programmer Jon Scorfina.

In Deadly Games aka Dial Code Santa Claus, a lone child must defend his house using strategically placed booby traps from a dangerous home invader on Christmas Eve. Sound familiar? Well, this kid isn’t Kevin McCallister. Thomas de Frémont (Alain Lalanne) is a child prodigy who uses his Minitel online service to contact Santa Claus. Unfortunately, the imposter  he mistakenly contacts is a murderous vagabond who just happens to dress in a Santa costume. When this killer Santa (Patrick Floersheim) invades his home, Thomas must use all his wits, toy weapons and a high tech security system to survive a deadly game of cat & mouse.   

Originally released in France in 1989 as 3615 code Père Noël, this gonzo action-horror holiday hybrid saw enough similarities with 1990’s Home Alone that writer/director René Manzor threatened legal action for plagiarism. The film did not have an official North American release until 2018 when it was rediscovered and restored by the American Genre Film Archive. Now Deadly Games aka Dial Code Santa Claus stands as one of the most insane Christmas films ever released, with Bloody Disgusting even commenting, “Deadly Games doesn’t shy away from going to nightmarish places, but it’s also got that holiday warmth you just love to see in Christmas movies.” 

In French with English Subtitles. 

Arkadin does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. However, we encourage researching titles to determine if a screening may contain content that could be upsetting to you. Please feel free to contact us for guidance on specific films. Information about content can also be found on Common Sense Media, IMDB and DoesTheDogDie.com, as well as through general internet searches.

THEATER POLICIES

All seats are first-come, first-served.

The theater opens 30 minutes prior to showtime, except for “Happy Hour” events and pre-shows when the theater opens at the listed start time.

All ages are welcome at Arkadin except for Drinkolas Cage events, which are restricted to 21+. We follow the MPAA rating guidelines for all other films.

Tickets can be purchased using the BUY TICKETS link above. Upon ordering, you will receive a confirmation email from Square. Tickets may also be purchased on the day of the show at the concession counter.

If you’ve purchased advance tickets, when you arrive, please give your name at the concession counter to check in.

Tickets are returnable by sending a request through the contact form located on our About Us page prior to showtime.

When an event is sold out, we reserve the right to release open seats to customers on the waitlist. If you have a pre-purchased ticket and arrive late and there is no seat for you, your ticket will be refunded.

All screenings are held in our indoor theater unless indicated otherwise in the event description above.

Please respect your fellow movie-goers by remaining quiet and refraining from using your cell phone throughout the screening.