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Picture
After his family is killed by a man dressed as Santa Claus,
​young Billy grows up with a fear of Santa that drives him to kill.
HORROR

Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)

Directed by Charles E. Sellier Jr.

Written by Michael Hickey

Starring Robert Brian Wilson, Lilyan Chauvin, Gilmer McCormick, Toni Nero, Randy Stumpf, Britt Leach, Linea Quigley, Leo Geter

Connor Eyzaguirre
December 22, 2021
7/10
There are so few Christmas horror movies, and in that pool there are even fewer decent ones. A lot of horror fans consider Silent Night, Deadly Night to be the definitive holiday horror flick. It's hard to argue with them. This controversial film has taken on a life of its own since its release in 1984 that was shut down by protestors after just a week in theaters. People didn't like the idea of Killer Santa. Controversy breeds intrigue, though, and the film was a hit. It spawned a franchise of five movies, was remade once, and has another on the way. More than anything, though, it's a good watch.

As a child, after his creepy catatonic grandpa says Santa is gonna get him, Billy (Wilson) witnesses his parents' murder at the hands of a maniac dressed like Santa. He's then sent to an orphanage run by a tyrannical, oppressive nun (Chauvin), who tells Billy that people deserve punishment when they're naughty. As an adult, Billy is forced to be Santa at the toy store he works at, which triggers an emotional response and drives Billy to go on a killing spree, punishing naughty people. We don't really have a hero, and the story is told through Billy's eyes. The only thing holding it back, in my eyes, is how tame it ends up being. With all the controversy and the film's reputation, I expected more. But that isn't to say the final product isn't worth watching. It totally is.

Silent Night, Deadly Night is a bizarre Christmas classic for all the wrong reasons. But it's still worth a watch in your holiday rotation. My only gripe is that I wanted it to be gorier, but apart from that it's got a intriguing original story and a host of decent performances.

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