What Christmas Movie Does Kevin Bacon Watch In The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special?

The movie Bacon is watching is the 1964 sci-fi comedy "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians," and the obscure must-watch Holiday movie is actually one of the cleverest Easter eggs in "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special." The film's plot, you see, actually telegraphs what's about to happen to Bacon in a pretty fun fashion.

The central story of "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians" revolves around aliens who are interested in Earth's Christmas, and set out to kidnap a figure they perceive to be crucial to the celebrations. In the movie, said figure is Santa Claus (John Call), but that sentence can also be applied verbatim to what Mantis and Drax do to Bacon himself mere moments later. The plots of the movie and the Holiday special differ in many ways, of course, but the fact that Gunn chose this specific movie for Bacon to watch before he himself gets abducted is a testament to the filmmaker's eye for detail. 

"The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special" is available for streaming on Disney+.