Silent Night, Bloody Night: The Homecoming

Was drawn into seeing this, with a cool poster/cover, a somewhat intriguing if very derivative premise and as someone with a general appreciation for the genre it fits under. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there (though there are decent to good ones as well), made me though apprehensive.

It is sadly however yet another film seen recently, hence some reiteration because the exact same strengths and flaws present in those films are here, that to me was incredibly disappointing considering its potential which it doesn't do anywhere near enough with. The film is really very bad, with so many huge flaws and doesn't do anything with any potential it had. There is net to nothing good here. The best thing about it is the house, which is actually quite creepy. Shame the rest of the film wasn't.

Going on to the negatives, the story does feel over-stretched and some of it comes over as vague and under-explained in the last third where the film especially became duller, more predictable, more senseless and less unsettled and never gaining momentum. All the characters are too sketchy and with cardboard thin and colourless personalities and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. Their annoying and illogical decision making and behaviours frustrates. The chemistry is bland and unfocused.

The sound quality is obvious and utilised cheaply (being too loud in the build ups and people's reactions), the effects are shoddy and nearly all of the acting is lacking severely on the whole, though Lee Bane tries. There is no sense of horror or engagement with the awful predicament they're in, and no connecting with the character, it just reeks of indifference which makes the viewer not care less too.

Dialogue can be stilted and rambling while the pace and film drags on forever, apparent from the very start, never recovering that interest is lost fast. The ending has no build-up and just ends ridiculously. Found too many of the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness, a lot of dumb and vague moments and explanations and the lack of tension and suspense. Thrills are none, thanks to stodginess and excessive over-familiarity, and found myself never invested in the drama, which tended to be indifferently acted, interminably paced and statically directed.

There are a lot of really dull and going nowhere plot elements and often nonsensical and confusing character motivations, while too many of the things to make you shocked are far from creative or unsettling. It all feels rather tame and so what-like, while there is no real feel of the Christmas spirit here.

Nothing freaky or interesting, no development and too derivative, while everything is unimaginative and are more odd than scary, completely failing to show any sense of dread. There is nothing interesting or illuminating with what the film was trying to do and the drama is overwrought with no momentum and a lot of weirdness. The direction is barely there and disorganised and the music is ill-fitting. The film is very amateurish visually, too drearily lit and shows no care in the way it's shot. The opening shot is a good example at how shoddily the film is shot.

Summing up, very bad. 2/10 (only for the house) Bethany Cox

I always try to be positive about low budget British horror films, for in the main there is good intentions and some skill involved from the makers, Silent Night, Bloody Night: The Homecoming is practically impossible to be positive about. From the cheapness of the opening shot, picture is awash with bad effects, bad acting, boorish plotting and direction (James Plumb) that wouldn't pass muster as an entry in a first time teenage director competition. In short it's an absolute mess, like a bunch of people sat in a bar drinking one day and decided to pop around to the local abandoned house and play Am-Dram and see what happens. Basically an unofficial remake of an early 1970s film that itself wasn't exactly good, this is best avoided by anyone who values low budget horror. For this may just turn you off the medium. 2/10 purely for the house itself and some rather nifty artwork that has promoted this drek.

James Plumb's gory, violent festive horror is for adults only, about a man who inherits his grandfather's home, unaware that an axe killer lives there too.

This is a British remake of the original version of Silent Night, Bloody Night, released 41 years earlier - and the final product here is one that should never have been done.

The story concerns the uninhabited house of Wilfred Butler (Philip Harvey), a rich but concerned man who killed himself in 1987, who has been willed to his grandson, Jeffrey (Alan Humphreys).

The home has sat in turmoil since Wilfred's demise, standing in the way of creators who desire to turn the property into residential homes.

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 (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.