Yes, Christmas movies are already coming out. But if the latest Hollywood releases (um, Fred Claus) have lost your interest, you need only look to LDS film for help.

Excel’s Stalking Santa takes a comedic-documentary approach to the age-old question: is Santa real? So, what happens when they attempt to unmask the jolly man in red? You’ll have to read our review!

Santa Claus represents one of the more important, exciting and powerful figures of childhood faith. He prompts many soul-searching questions - Who is he? How does he do it? Why do some believe and others stop?

These are the questions of the soul that fictional PhD Lloyd Darrow (Chris Clark) engages, with the support of his intern Clarence (Daryn Tufts) and the narrative assistance of William Shatner.

Stealing the mock-documentary (not to be confused with a mockumentary) style of The Office, we’re taken along for the ride on what could be Dr. Darrow’s most important holiday season of research.

Along the way, every bizarre phenomena imaginable, including crop circles, alien sightings and ancient petroglyphs are analyzed by our ever-believing “Santologists”.

This mix of odd ingredients makes for a light-hearted look at both the phenomena of Santa and humanity’s desire to find something exotic to believe in. And by the end, there is decisive evidence for Dr. Darrow. Of course I’m not going to tell you what it is.

The documentary format, not totally unlike Tuft’s American Mormon, can be fun but does have some weak points. Many Santa believers (like those still attending Primary) won’t get much from the film. If children are old enough to doubt Kris Kringle, they are old enough for the film.

Sadly, the film misses the opportunity to examine “alternate theories” about Santa - namely the ones that find meaning in the myth. While all aspects of Santa are scrutinized, no time is spent celebrating the meaning behind the giving of gifts. Of course, the film also misses Santa’s commercial side leaving us on neutral ground for meaning.

The film is light, funny and a good Christmas watch. It is one you’ll probably dust off each year to get in the spirit of the season. It’s no replacement for heart-warmers like Mr. Kruger’s Christmas or Its a Wonderful Life. But it is fun and entertaining in its own right.

Stalking Santa is available on November 6th at Deseret Book