- Director: Mike P. Nelson
- Writer: Mike P. Nelson
- Stars: Rohan Campbell, Ruby Modine, David Lawrence Brown, David Tomlinson, Mark Acheson.
REVIEW
Christmas never fails to gift us with an assortment of horror films that, mostly, range from kind of bad to really awful, but we watch them anyway because nothing warms the soul like some homicide during the most wonderful time of the year. As you wade through the numerous Tubi holiday horror films and classics like Black Christmas and Christmas Evil, treat yourself to Mike P. Nelson’s Silent Night, Deadly Night. A remake of the 1984 cult classic, this is one of the original ‘family trauma as horror’ movies and it’s a mean, nasty little gem of 80’s exploitation that also doubles as a cautionary tale against Catholic school. Nelson’s iteration keeps the family trauma in, but focuses the nastiness on people who absolutely have it coming.
Starring Rohan Campbell (Halloween Ends) as Billy, this remake isn’t just a rehash, but a love letter to the original that creatively repackages it for modern audiences. Out with the Catholic guilt and in with, for lack of a better term, a Dark Passenger à la Dexter Morgan. This Billy is guided by an internal dialogue that has psychic abilities to find the real villains in the world and every December, Billy and his invisible friend Charlie fill out their macabre advent calendar by killing someone every day until the 25th. On a current perfect ten year streak of homicides, Billy finds himself in the town of Hackett and things begin to go sideways.
Immediately taken with Pamela, a local woman who works at a trinket store, Billy gets a job at the shop and quickly ingratiates himself into Pam and her father’s life in Hackett. Played by Ruby Modine (Happy Death Day to You), Pamela is a no nonsense lady who also has an angry streak in her and a proclivity for true crime: all of this makes her and Billy a strangely delightful duo.
No stranger to inhabiting already existing universes, Nelson makes sure to pay homage to Linnea Quigley’s iconic death in the 1984 film, calls out garbage day from the 1987 sequel and also sneaks in two references to another Christmas horror remake, 2006’s Black Christmas. Basically, Nelson understands the assignment and Campbell and Modine expertly inhabit their roles as social/emotional misfits and this all makes for a truly fun film going experience. While the finale scene is creepy and unsettling in it’s own right, the absolute anarchy that is Billy taking out a party of Nazis is the crown jewel and it fits so perfectly with the overall throwback grindhouse aesthetic. This movie knows exactly what it’s niche is and perfectly fills it while also throwing in a surprising love story that actually works really well. The biggest Christmas gift in this movie, however, is it’s ability to set up a sequel in a truly awesome manner. Bittersweet and tragic, it also leaves you giddily anticipating the next chapter.
The Silent Night, Deadly Night cinematic universe is an insane roller coaster of films that consistently ask you to chuck logic and go along for the ride. Psychic connections, visible brains, witch covens, homicidal toys, humanoid boys with Elektra complexes, it’s all here and it’s all bonkers. Nelson seems to have taken a page from the 2012 “loose remake” Silent Night and focuses on a town that has far more secrets than people realize and a killer Santa who is making things right by taking out the human garbage. *pun intended. This is expert level B-Horror movie making that doesn’t skimp on the blood or fun, but surprises you with it’s knowing cheekiness, likable characters and a solid storyline. A true Christmas miracle.
Lisa Fremont
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