Stille Nacht - Horror Nacht

Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)

*** (out of 4)

Low-budget slasher is without question one of the most controversial of the "Golden Age" of the genre. A young boy sees his mom and dad viciously murdered by a man in a Santa suit, which of course traumatizes him. After years in an abusive orphanage, the boy grows up and one Christmas Eve his job requires him to put on the red suit. He flips out and goes on a killing spree. SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT is a fine little movie that manages to do quite a bit with its very limited budget. There are some very obvious flaws including some questionable script moments, some really bad acting and some at times weak direction but there are also some very effective moments. The opening of the film has always been rather creepy in a low-budget way and especially the early scenes with grandpa. I'm sure every kid remembers being young and having some old person creep them out and the film perfectly shows this. The opening murders of the parents are also quite effective when seen through the eyes of a kid. The first half of the film really isn't all that violent because it's building up the trauma of the main character so that he has a reason to snap later in the picture. This here is something not too many slashers tried and while it doesn't work perfectly due to the screenplay, it's at least a good shot. Once the death scenes start up we get quite a few memorable ones, which of course are best seen in their uncut glory. There's the infamous reindeer sequence plus several rather over-the-top but effective scenes at the toy store. Fans of the red stuff are going to get quite a bit of it here even though it's certainly not the most graphic film out there. There's also plenty of gratuitous nudity including some great shots of a young Linnea Quigley. Again, the performances are all pretty bad and this takes away from some of the elements that the story is trying to tell. Still, the low-budget actually adds a certain atmosphere to the picture that it wouldn't have had with more money and a more talented cast. SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT is certainly a very flawed film but it remains an entertaining slasher.

A classic to many fans of horror and independent cinema, Silent Night Deadly Night definitely wins the award for having the most gorgeous, super nice, hunk of a killer ever on screen!

I mean, if this guy came at me with an axe, I wouldn't be running...

Robert Brian Wilson, who went on to star in many US soaps, just has you hooked as the beautiful, gentle killer with his W shaped smile that has such good reason to be the way he is, you can't help feel sorry for him.

Adding to the tragedy of what he witnessed as a young boy when a guy dressed as Santa killed his parents, comes an evil nun bitch who just makes his life worse, and to be honest, would do the same to anyone!

With great 80's flair and drama, the final cherry on top is when the store he works at has him dress as Santa for the Xmas period. Even as his worst nightmare, our hero is sweet enough not to upset his boss and gives it a shot.

Unfortunately from here on in, the rest of the community is in for a jolly time as our handsome killer Santa slays his way to mother superior to take revenge on the wicked penguin that taunted him!

A classic, yes. Perfect, no. But still highly enjoyable and well worth the watch for any true horror fan...

Second viewing- 7.5/10.

"Santa's Watching, Santa's Creeping, Now you're nodding, now you're sleeping. Were you good for mom and dad? Santa knows if you've been bad"- The best damn original song from any horror movie... ever. In my opinion, of course.

A very enjoyable flick. The kills are top notch, the acing is... passable. The setting is spooky ad the music is super duper great.

So rather Santa's raping you, strangling you with Christmas lights, or decapitating you, there's tons of Christmas bloodshed to go around.

You've Made it Through Halloween, now try and survive Christmas

It isn't hard to see why this movie offended so many people. I mean, it's a slasher movie about CHRISTMAS, and it actually has SANTA as the killer. However, I feel the movie deals with an interesting question. What if you suffered some traumatic event right at Christmas, and the event was somehow bound up with one of the major icons of the holiday? This is what happens to 5-year-old William, who, on Christmas Eve, sees his mother raped and both parents murdered by a street thug dressed as Santa Claus -- right after his semi-senile grandfather tells him that Santa Clause punishes those who are naughty. I think the first part of this movie does an effective job of showing the preadolescent William's struggle to deal with this event as he is raised in a Catholic orphanage and brought face to face with Christmas every year.

I was particularly impressed with the portrayal of the Mother Superior. Although she was most definitely from the Old School of discipline, beating children, locking them in closets for extended periods, and such, I somehow was able to believe she was sincerely trying to do the right thing and cared about the children -- that she was not simply a sadistic hag. There was also an interesting conflict between her and a younger nun, who believed in gentler, more progressive methods.

Alas, the whole thing turns rather formulaic when William puts on the Santa suit and goes on his killing spree. So, as a serious exploration of the question we started with, it falls very short of what it could be. As a slasher movie, though, it's definitely above average.

Watching SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT today, it's difficult to believe that it was quite controversial when first released in theaters. In reality, it's just another slasher film with a holiday theme. The controversy arose from its depiction of a killer Claus, and its daring to use Christmas time as a backdrop.

Far from being blasphemous, it's purposefully absurd, and the not-so-merry madman (Charles Dierkop) is perfectly "suited" for the subject matter: revenge against those on his naughty list. The entire mood of SN, DN lets us know immediately that it's not to be taken seriously, at all. Linnea Quigley's "death-by-antlers" scene alone should be enough of a tip-off that the whole affair is tongue-in-rosy-cheek. Speaking of Ms. Quigley, she just can't seem to keep her clothes on. Not even in December! Brrr! Anyway, just settle in for a nice cozy evening of jingle kills...