Silent Night, Bloody Night: The Homecoming

Silent Night, Bloody Night: The Homecoming (2013)

* (out of 4)

Wilfred Butler commits suicide by setting himself on fire. His grandson is left his mansion but when he plans to sell it a maniac with an axe shows up to start killing people.

SILENT NIGHT, BLOODY NIGHT: THE HOMECOMING is a British remake of the 1972 cult film that features Patrick O'Neil and John Carradine. When this film first went into production it really wasn't clear if it was a remake or a long-rumored sequel. Well, it's certainly a remake but those hoping for a sequel to the original film will be happy to know that it's on the way too. As for this film, it's a pretty bad film on many levels and also a very frustrating one.

I say frustrating because even though the original was quite good, there were some flaws that could have been ironed out and made into an even better movie. Sadly this isn't that movie. In fact, the flaws in the original are somewhat made worse here. On a technical level this film, like the original, really shows its budget. The entire thing has a very cheap look and feel to it and there's really not a bit at atmosphere or anything else creepy. The film contains one of the worst CGI effects I've seen in my life and it won't take long for you to know what I'm talking about. The gore effects really aren't any more impressive, although I must admit that they did have a certain charm if you grew up in the 80s watching those direct-to-VHS titles. These low-budget films often featured kills off screen and then someone throwing blood onto a blanket or wall. The same type of stuff is used here.

The performances are pretty much what you'd expect from a film like this and that's not very good. The biggest issue I had with the movie is that it pretty much copies the original film with only some changes towards the end. The original film had a terrific plot but there were a few things that could have been changed for the better but that doesn't happen here. In fact, I'd say the story appears to be the least concerning thing to the filmmakers. Instead they go for the blood effects and these here just aren't enough to carry the picture. Fans of the original Friday THE 13TH might want to check this out for Adrienne King but be warned that she only supplies a voice.

SILENT NIGHT, BLOODY NIGHT: THE HOMECOMING (2013, UK, dir. James Plumb) is a remake of the American horror flick SILENT NIGHT, BLOODY NIGHT from 1974, this one made in Bridgend on a tiny indie budget. The story involves an ancestral home being visited by various characters and one of its previous inhabitants returning to get rid of the intruders who've dared to show themselves...

Truth be told, this is awful stuff, the very worst kind of material that you see in independent cinema. There's no plot to speak of, the script is dull and the acting is seriously awful. The story merely consists of one murder sequence after another, as various courting couples turn up at the house and are bumped off by a mystery villain with a covered face. The gore is slapdash and typically involves scenes of an axe rising and falling and blood splashing on a wall. There's an obligatory shower scene and a boring reveal at the climax, but it's all so appallingly conceived that I hated every minute of it. The nice slipcover art is the only thing good about this film.

I first watched this about 5 years ago and had I had an IMDB account back then I probably would have scored this 2 or 3 out of 10. However, on a second viewing it did not come across as quite as terrible as my initial opinion. The opening scene is set in 1987 and has a man driving a Ford Transit MK6 van - these didn't go into production until 2000! To make matters worse they have scribbled on the vehicle's registration plate.Not a promising start. Anyway, initial goof aside, we have a masked killer who wears black leather gloves, a touch of Italian Giallo perhaps. Bad actors are killed at regular intervals, this is what most slasher fans want and it does at least deliver on that count. Some of the deaths are pretty gory, though the effects are dirt cheap looking. The house in which the movie is largely set is very creepy looking, and I liked the out of tune piano rendition of "Silent Night". Plus we have an almost obligatory girl in the shower scene. Thankfully James Plumb directed this, which is hardly a recommendation, but producer Andrew Jones has been in the director's chair for some of the worst movies that I have ever seen. My score 4/10, perhaps a bit generous but it is the Season of Goodwill!

I really can't even muster up the energy to write a full in depth review for this title. It was only on the off chance that I picked up this film, I looked at the awesome cover and read the synopsis and believe this had the potential to be a really good film.

I was wrong, as the saying goes; you can never judge a book by it's cover. The acting was poor, the storyline was terrible and the camera work was below that in which you would find in a soap opera.

It was obvious the budget was low but I feel more money went into the cover than that of the film. There was heaps of potential but it was never realised. Sadly and it pains me to say this, but this is one of the worst films I've ever seen. I've sat through, Freddy Got Fingered and Gigli and still they seemed so much better than this film.

British horror is dead and only seemed any good with the help of Shaun Of The Dead. Please bear in mind, this is only my opinion. One star might be harsh but two would be too kind.

Silent Night, Bloody Night: The Homecoming is an extremely low budget, modern, British remake, of the classic 1970's Christmas slasher of the same name (less the subtitle, of course).

And...while it's a well-meaning homage and all...it begs the question...why?!

Sure...it does make an effort to remain true to the viciousness of the original.

It just seems completely unnecessary, is all.

Mainly due to the fact that it's such a low effort reproduction...that it comes off as a disservice, if anything.

Like...why not make a more original film that riffs off the idea on which the original was based...instead of a direct remake that fails to capitalize upon the nuance that made it such a classic.

It just doesn't make sense.

I can appreciate the obsession the filmmakers, here, have for the original cult classic.

But just can't fathom why they felt the need to re-create it, in a format that is clearly inferior in every way.

Unless, maybe, it was a school project or something.

That aside...there's not much to say about the whole thing.

It's just a cheap, poorly made, ripoff of the original.

And that's that.

2.5 out of 10.