Silent Night, Deadly Night
by Charles E. Sellier Jr
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Charles Dierkop, Jonathan Best, Leo Geter, Lilyan Chauvin, Tara BuckmanDirector: Charles E. Sellier Jr
Cinematographer: Henning Schellerup
Composer: Perry Botkin, Jr.
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 85 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-12-11
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: ANCHOR BAY
Movie Reviews of Silent Night, Deadly Night
Movie Review: PUNISH!
Summary: 3 Stars
If anything is learned from Silent Night, Deadly Night it's this: rip off the pretty boys' shirt before throwing him out of the two-story window.
The cover of this movie screams "hordes of angry mothers couldn't keep it away!" This is further proof that controversy will keep something alive longer than it ever would've been as well as giving it a much bigger audience than it ever would have received.
Released in 1984, the movie opens on Christmas Eve, 1971. A young boy named Billy, his parents, and their newborn go to see Billy's grandpa at the Utah Mental Facility. Grandpa appears to be a vegetable until Billy's parents are out of the room and Grandpa explains to Billy that Santa punishes boys who aren't good all year. On the drive home, Billy tells his parents what Grandpa said and warns his mother "Santa will punish you."
Soon, the family is waved down by a man dressed as Santa, who proceeds to kill Billy's father and cut his mother's throat after trying to rape her.
Soon, it's 1974 and Billy is at Saint Mary's Home for Orphaned Children. Billy is constantly haunted by the flashbacks of his mother's demise and is constantly getting in trouble with the nuns because of this. Billy catches two young people have totally gratuitous sex and is caught watching them by Mother Superior. She tells Billy (in an example of the film's Oscar-worthy dialogue) that what he has seen "was something very, very naughty. They thought they could do it without being caught. But when we do something naughty, we are always caught, and than we are punished. Punishment is absolute. Punishment is necessary. Punishment is good."
Later, in a hilarious scene, Billy is forced to sit on Santa's lap and opts to punch him in the face instead.
Ten years later, 1984; Billy (now played by Robert Brian Wilson), all grown up and resembling a Playgirl model, is given a job at Ira's Toys.
Cue cheesy musical montage that illustrates Billy's diligence as an employee.
When Christmas comes around, Billy's attitude changes and his flashbacks begin to affect his work, relationships, sexual fantasies, and this viewer's patience. Of course, Billy is soon given the job of store Santa Clause...And soon Billy becomes a homicidal maniac. And one of the nuns is informed of Billy's new job.
Cue ominous music and freeze-frame close-up.
Finally, no horrible 80s horror movie is complete without the sexually promiscuous babysitter and the boyfriend who has an entire portfolio of embarrassing sexual innuendoes.
One death scene in Silent Night, Deadly Night (it involves deer horns) is creative but there's little creativity anywhere else.
The acting is bad of course. Wilson could barely be convincing as a dumb, stoned, jock character let alone a homicidal Santa Clause. When he's in the suit for the first time, his voice, while talking to the little girl on his lap is creepy. Not "menacing" creepy, but "pedophile" creepy. You'll cringe when he says "you're being naughty" to the little girl. Yelling "punish!" everytime he kills someone doesn't help either.
The script, by Michael Hickey, is ludicrous. Bad dialogue, way too many flashbacks (to the SAME EVENT!), etc.
Due to the film being uncut there is a noticeable change in picture quality in several scenes. It's like watching a DVD, blinking, and suddenly watching a VHS. It's not too annoying though.
Finally, the score by Perry Botkin is your typical 80s piano and synthesizer fare.
This movie has no suspense, no jolts, no (intentional) comic relief, and nothing remotely frightening. The most timid, easily frightened 5-year-old will not lose any sleep because of this movie. Why 3 stars then? Because it doesn't take itself seriously. It knows it's bad, it's OK with being bad; it's almost good because of how bad it is. Its acceptance of its mediocrity saves it from one-star reviews and from drifting into the oblivion of forgotten movies. The fact that its sequel has the "Garbage day!" scene (a sort of internet phenomenon) doesn't hurt either. This movie was so controversial when it was released and if you see the movie you'll laugh at how stupid it was for people to be angered by this movie. It's completely ludicrous.
I can't recommend it per se, but I can't say "not worth your time" either. It's entertaining, short (82 minutes), and is actually better than most recent horror films. I expected something much more unbearable. If you can get the joke, see the movie.
GRADE: C
Summary of Silent Night, Deadly Night
Traumatized by his parents Christmas Eve rape andmurder, little Billy Chapman is brutalized by sadistic orphanage nuns. When a grown-up Billy is forced to dress as jolly St. Nick, he goes on a yuletide rampage to punish the naughty. Santa Claus is coming to
town...and this time he's got an axe! Robert Brian
Wilson and Linnea Quigley star in this jaw-dropping horror hit that a nation of angry mothers still can t stop!
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