SILENT NIGHT (2012)

Streaming on Tubi!
Directed by Steven C. Miller
Written by Jayson Rothwell, Based on SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT by Charles S. Sellier
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Check out the trailer here!!

There’s a special spot reserved in my cold black heart for slasher films. I couldn’t get enough of them in the 80’s when the slasher craze was at full force. Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, Leatherface, Freddy Krueger; I had posters of all of them on my walls. Drew pictures and wrote stories about them whenever I got the chance and watched them over and over on VHS until the tape wore down. SILENT NIGHT is undeniably a slasher film of the old school variety. It’s got a silent killer making its way through a small town like a great white shark, slaughtering folks in a manner that is visually creative and uses a lot of different cutlery and other murdery weapons. Steven C. Miller has made a love letter to those old slasher films with SILENT NIGHT. Now if slasher films don’t interest you. I understand. It’s not for everyone, but if you like slasher films, you’re going to find a whole lot to like about this one.

The original SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT was not a fantastic film. Sure it’s got some gruesome deaths and a fun premise. It’s also got some very cool scenes such as the horrific opening sequence in the car, Linnea Quigley’s death by deer antlers scene, and that scene where the old man scares the kid talking about the true terrifying story of Christmas. SILENT NIGHT, on the other hand has all of what is cool with the original, but with better actors and better production value. Plus, I’m sorry not sorry, but this Santa is a whole lot scarier.

Jamie King is effective here as a timid cop who is trying to be a capable one. This is the one-year anniversary of the death of her husband and though she has a loving family, she still is having a tough time. At work, her boss, Malcolm McDowell does much better here than in his Loomis role in the HALLOWEEN remakes. He is supportive but stern, looking out for her, yet not wanting her difficulties to endanger lives. The cast is rounded out with Donal Logue doing his best Billy Bob Bad Santa and Curtis Moore playing a lecherous priest who ranks ten point two on the creep meter. But the film is King’s and she does a good job of struggling with the anniversary of a horrific event as well as this new series of violent crimes.

The shift from following the Santa Claus killer to the police searching for him is an interesting one. In the first one, we follow the troubled child turned homicidal holiday maniac from start to finish. Here we don’t know who this killer is, so instead we tag along with the cops who are searching for the truth. And we don’t really get that until the very end, but I found the payoff to be a fun homage to the previous films, while keeping us guessing right up until the credits.

But you’re interested in this movie because it’s Santa Claus killing folks. How are the kills, you may be asking?

The kills are damn good. This Santa isn’t afraid to get his beard dirty as all sorts of axes, scythes, knives, and even a blowtorch are packed away in his knapsack. These kill scenes are nicely orchestrated with some cool use of slo mo and just enough flair of Italian Giallo to make it work. There’s an especially fantastic scene where the Achilles tendon is sliced of one victim, followed by a gory kill that fans of the original will love. But the wood chipper scene is by far the best sequence of the film which starts with a half nude woman running through a Christmas tree yard and ends with…well, a wood chipper pushed to its wood chipping limit. All of the kills felt visceral and messy and fans of some key scenes from the original SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT will be happy to know they show up here as well.

Slasher films are often panned for being simplistic in story and I can’t say that this one is complex in any way. There are a few nice twists towards the end which make for a thrilling finale, but for the most part, SILENT NIGHT is just a simplistic and down-to-earth film about a man dressed as Santa who goes on a killing spree on Christmas Eve targeting the naughty. There are some cool scenes with a naughty kid and a nice kid that will most likely cause some ire with the more sensitive types, but if you’re looking for a fun, throwback to the 80’s with some better than average acting and some red splattery kills, SILENT NIGHT will definitely get your Yule log burning.