Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025)

Silent Night, Deadly Night was a controversial 1984 slasher film that was met with mixed responses. Opening the same day as Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street, the film was the bigger success on opening weekend, but its marketing, consisting of the image of a man dressed as Santa Clause wielding a bloody axe was so offensive and horrid to the eyes of housewives and conservative christians that the film was pulled from theaters just two weeks into release. The outrage was so enormous, Siskel and Ebert even condemned the film, and its filmmakers, live on air. This lead to the film being banned in many countries which added to its notoriety. While not a great film by most margins, the film, directed by Charles E. Seller, Jr., was an effectively disturbing and sleazy piece of exploitation. In 2012, a remake titled Silent Night was released to modest acclaim, using the original as a mere jumping off point and not much of a traditional redo. The latest film however, is a much more faithful send-up of the 1984 slasher, using the original’s template for something less icky, but still suitably violent and twisted.

Courtesy Cineverse

Billy (Rohan Campbell) was just a child when his parents were brutally murdered in front of him by a man wearing a Santa suit. Years later, Billy, as an adult, dons a Santa costume himself and embarks on a violent quest for retribution. He is driven by a voice in his head named Charlie (veteran character actor Mark Acheson) who guides him as a sort of “compass” towards punishing the evil during the yuletide season. Billy marks his kills by placing his bloody fingerprint in an advent calendar. When he relocates to a small town, he finds a job at a local Christmas store, working for Dean (David Lawrence Brown) and his daughter, Pamela (Ruby Modine). Billy quickly begins to fall for Pamela, who has her own issues. Pam suffers from “Explosive Personality Disorder”, meaning she’ll throw down at a moments notice if she gets triggered by something. She witnesses her son getting bullied at a hockey game, only to walk onto the ice and start pummelling the bullies. As their romance begins to blossom, Billy’s inner voice begins to demand bodies to add to their yearly tradition, causing his relationship with Pamela to be put in jeopardy. Also making matters worse is the fear of missing children, as a local killer dubbed “the Snatcher” has been kidnapping kids all over town.

Director Mike P. Nelson, who helmed the underrated and confident 2021 Wrong Turn reboot, has delivered a remake that is both faithful and distinct in its own right. Doing away with the uncomfortable sleaziness of the original for something more psychologically-driven, yet fully aware of its slasher roots. Nelson brings humanity to Billy, finding a narrative drive towards his kills, while keeping a twisted sensibility that retains the edge of the original. When Billy sets his sights on his next target, a humorous title card appears in crimson red, with the victim’s name, accompanied by the word “kill”. Nelson finds just the right amount of punchy morbid humor that doesn’t outdo itself. The film has enough dramatic stakes that works in tandem with the crazier, brutal carnage.

Courtesy Cineverse

The highlight of the festive carnage shows Billy showing up at a Nazi “I’m Dreaming of a White Power Christmas” party that ends in a full-blown massacre involving severed limbs, decapitations and an Uzi for good measure. This sequence perfectly encapsulates the tone Nelson is striving towards, working in brutal gore, black comedy and a satisfying body count. Given its unrated nature, the kills are appropriately gross and soaked in blood. The practical effects work makes the kills feel all the more visceral, with chunky pieces of flesh flying around the screen at the right moments.

Campbell infuses Billy with depth and a tortured side that makes him an effective anti-hero, of sorts. Modine is quite strong as Pamela, who is far from your typical slasher movie love interest. She gets to be flawed, vulnerable and headstrong. The two make for a compelling pairing as two severely damaged individuals who recognize something within each other. There is a bond between them that is apparent even in their awkward meet-cute introduction. Where Silent Night, Deadly Night falters is in its finale. For a 90-minute slasher, its momentum is alleviated as the film stops for a lengthy exposition dump before its climax. While the final moments are particularly satisfying, the rushed final act also stops the picture from truly soaring.

Courtesy Cineverse

Silent Night, Deadly Night is an entertaining and gore-filled remake of a holiday slasher classic. Director Mike P. Nelson adds just the right amount of dramatic heft and interesting new formula wrinkles to make his reboot work in its own right. Nelson’s film retains the franchise’s exploitation roots while giving it its own gnarly personality. For fans of yuletide horror, this is a worthy new slasher that is well worth seeing.

Silent Night, Deadly Night is now playing in theaters.