Silent Night, Deadly Night review: A new twist on the holiday murder spree
‘Silent Night, Deadly Night’ reimagines the festive serial killer as a vigilante Santa crossing names off the naughty list.
In Silent Night, Deadly Night, killing is a holiday tradition passed on from one St. Nick to another.
When Billy was a child, a man dressed as Santa Claus slayed his parents on the side of a road. Now, in his twenties, Billy (Rohan Campbell) is racking up his own body count. The voice (Mark Acheson) in Billy’s head selects his victims and helps the socially awkward young man navigate the world. But everything changes when he meets Pam (Ruby Modine).
This is a remake of the 1984 slasher film of the same name. The Billy in this film also kills people on the naughty list, but they’ve potentially done more than have sex before marriage. When Billy dawns his Santa suit, he becomes a Christmas vigilante. Unfortunately, falling for Pam distracts him and makes him a bit reckless — much to the voice’s chagrin.
Like many good, low budget horror pictures, most violent acts occur off screen or at a distance. But there is plenty of blood spray to repeatedly stain Billy’s white suit trim. Nonetheless, what it lacks in gore, it makes up for in style. A flashy title treatment precedes each murder, setting the stage for what’s about to come. The simple addition gives the film character.
Billy’s gravelly imaginary friend has a surprisingly likeable personality. One can almost imagine the bearded sage speaking just out of frame.
Overall, this film is an improvement over the original. It replaces the standard slasher fare with a more complex story that forces audiences to reserve their judgement.
Read the full review of Silent Night, Deadly Night at thatshelf.com.
Director: Mike P. Nelson
Starring: Rohan Campbell, Ruby Modine and Mark Acheson
