Toys - Tödliches Spielzeug

Not as well done as Monte Hellman's surprisingly good entry in this rather weak horror franchise, but this fifth installment of Silent Night, Deadly Night is likely the second best in the series. Mickey Rooney plays elderly toy maker Joe Petto (get it, Geppetto) who lives with his oddball grown son Pino (you know, Pinocchio) who designs toys intended to kill their owners (which would be children). But the main characters are actually a mother and son who fall into the orbit of Joe and Pino's toy shop following the mysterious death of the boy's father at the hands of a killer toy left on their doorstep. There's a lot of twisted humor throughout the film, which you might expect from producer/co-writer Bryan Yuzna ("Society" "Re-Animator" "The Dentist"). One standout example is a hilariously repulsive scene where a couple in bed don't realize a sentient toy hand has joined late night trysts, making it an unwitting threesome. And without spoiling anything, the film's climax is particularly unexpected and entertaining. Top that off with a supporting role for Clint Howard and you've got a solid fifth sequel for a rather lame horror franchise. However, there's a lot of dullness in-between the interesting bits, but overall it's still worth watching for horror fans. FUN FACT! Mickey Rooney spoke out in protest against the first "Silent Night, Deadly Night" film in 1984, saying the "scum" who made it should be "run out of town" for having sullied the sacredness of Christmas. FUN FACT #2! The building used for external shots of Sarah's workplace is the headquarters of the now defunct Live Home Video, the company that released the movie on VHS!

The Silent Night, Deadly Night franchise is a weird one, the first was about a man who went on a killing spree in a santa suit, the second was about the same mans brother doing the same, the third picked up where the second left off and then suddenly they dropped that whole storyline with part 4 and told a dodgy story about witches.

Well here in part 5 it's another Christmas themed movie with absolutely no connection to the original plot.

It tells the story of a boy traumatised after watching a Christmas toy kill his father. It turns out that someone is creating killer toys, parcelling them up in gift wrapping and sending them to people for Christmas.

Though the movies sfx both practical and cgi aren't great they are saved by some originality. Truth be told I quite liked it despite its glaring flaws.

Starring Mickey Rooney and with a cameo appearance by Silent Night, Deadly Night 4 (1990) star Clint Howard this is an interesting (If a little goofy) horror movie.

The funny thing is that Rooney infamously slammed the creators of the first movie back in 1984. He deemed it disgusting that they'd make a horror movie set during Christmas and publically kicked up a stink about it, then several years later here he is starring in one!

I think this is the best of the Silent Night, Deadly Night franchise but treat it entirely as a stand alone film as that's exactly what it is.

The Good:

Mickey Rooney

Quite original

Well constructed

Great twist

The Bad:

Eyebrow raising finale

Lot of 90's cliches

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Having the same actor play a different character by the same name in the same franchise is logical, right?

A young boy sees his father killed by a toy that was anonymously delivered to his house. After that, he is too traumatized to speak, and his mother must deal with both him and the loss of her husband. Meanwhile, a toy maker named Joe Peto builds some suspicious-looking toys, and a mysterious man creeps around both the toy store and the boy's house...but who is responsible for the killer toys? despite being a part five in a weak (With the exception of part four and this one) and dead end series, SNDN5 is a very good horror film that is lifted by a interesting premise and innovative special effects. the acting isn't too bad but rather unimaginative and the script is flat. Other than that, this film is almost perfect. After all, Brian Yuzna produced it. You know it's going to be a winner!!!!!!! 7/10.

After subpar sequels 2 to 4, had lowered expectations for this final film in the franchise.

This film is different in comparison to the original but it works in a sense. The plot is creative and makes sense. There is a sense of intrigue as it starts out relatively mysterious and confusing where many things do unfold as the story progresses. Clever twists in the end.

The aspect regarding the toy owner and his creepy teenage son with these killer toys makes for an interesting story. How the intro began regarding the killer toy killing the character left us wanting more.

What ultimately makes this film watchable is not only is the acting passable, the characters are solid and the lead mother and her child son are easy to root for. There are some unique kill scenes, one highlight involving a young teenage man and girl in the bedroom where these killer toys go completely rogue.

A lot better than part 4, also noting that the lead female Kim and the boy Lonnie appear here with lesser roles. Perhaps not on the level of the original but it's certainly at least the second best of the franchise.

Although this movie is soon established as having a supernatural bent (as well as a Pinocchio complex), it follows the pattern of excellence that was set by the original "Silent Night, Deadly Night". Each movie is gorier than the last, yet still manages to come up with interesting and unique ways to kill the victims. (Warning though -- do NOT watch this movie while eating, as it has probably the most disgusting death scene I've ever viewed.) This movie is rich with a vibrant, talented cast, including Jane Higginson (as Sarah Quinn), Brian Bremer (as Pino), Tracy Fraim (as Noah), William Thorne (as the child Derek), and the incomparable Mickey Rooney (as Joe Petto ).

There's a host of strange and creepy characters in this movie, from the toy maker Joe Petto, who has the eerie ability to bring things back to life, to his "son" Pino(cchio) Petto, who is just plain weird and creepy in addition to the fact that he hasn't aged in over twenty years, to the mysterious Noah, who shows up in the town, doing his best to buy out Petto's toy shop, and having a strange obsession with your Derek Quinn. Just when you think you've figured out who the "bad guy" is, the movie throws you a curve ball, and you're left to wonder who really is the "evil toymaker".

Altogether, this was an excellent film, having all the aspects of a wild horror ride. You'd think the story of satanic Santas and Christmases best left forgotten, but this movie proves that follow-ups can be just as thrilling as the original movie, even following the same pattern -- no one really lives long enough for you to get attached to them, and as the movie goes on, you feel more and more pity for the character you're beginning to suspect. And make sure you watch closely -- this movie has some interesting cameos that are too good to miss.

But so as not to give the wrong impression, yes, there are parts of this movie that could be better left unseen. There's a long, drawn-out sex scene with absolutely no point, and another sex scene (which ends in a fascinating new way) which could have been drastically reduced. But for the child in all of us, that still believes our toys come alive at night, this movie is a horrifying adventure into a child's worst nightmare. If you like this movie, you'll love the horror flick "Dolls", where the toys are much more than living toys -- they're people trapped inside of toys.