There is nothing like a holiday slasher film to put one in the proper mood for Christmas-ween. The film opens with a double homicide without showing us Santa's face. It then builds the character of Deputy Aubrey Bradimore (Jaime King) who works for Sheriff Cooper (Malcolm McDowell) who doesn't want outside help with his homicide problem. While building Aubrey's character we are introduced to suspects such as the creepy priest, the bad Santa, and the talking catatonic Gramps.The defining feature of a "Silent Night" film is the antler scene. I liked the original one far better. Likewise, the story was better developed in the original. In this remake, the characters are better developed, but lack good dialouge. It is certainly a viewable film and good addition to the collection. Ellen Wong plays a receptionist at the police department. She was Knives Chau, Scott Pilgrim's girlfriend.Parental Guide: F-bomb, sex, nudity (Cortney Palm)

The premise of the movie is simple enough; Christmas drives people crazy. As it is a slasher flick, people are going to die – only it is Santa Claus doing all of the killing. Not only is it a deranged psychopath, but he chooses one of the most innocent holiday icons in the world as his cover. The police are left to find multiple victims of the killer as they try to figure out his mindset and how he targets his victims. In the meantime, the Santa Claus killer is making his mark as he slowly picks off victims one by one. The movie has everything clichéd from a typical horror movie standpoint, right down to the killer in how he plays psychologically with his victims. The movie is can be downright terrifying at times and is littered with suspense; it also does not shy away with horror movie clichés and obvious death scenes.For those that like slasher flicks, I recommend the movie; those interested in more grotesque horror will not find it here.Originally posted to Orion Age (http://www.orionphysics.com/?p=6166).

Jaime King leads the cast here in this re-imagining of Charles Sellier's controversial holiday slasher as a deputy in a small town where a man in a Santa suit is killing residents on Christmas Eve. To complicate matters, the town's annual Santa Claus costume contest is scheduled, and the bodies are piling up like snowfall.The original "Silent Night, Deadly Night" is and always has been an exceptional piece of slasher trash; I recently re-watched it and was surprised at how shoddily put together it was, yet it still maintains enough charm and moments of horrific wit to keep itself afloat. It's a bad film with good qualities, and what horror fan doesn't love a holiday slasher? That said, it's not surprising that someone eventually sought a remake of the material. This re-imagining is loosely cribbed from the original film, but spins an entirely different premise and takes the point-of-view of a police deputy seeking the villain as opposed to the childhood trauma psychology lesson that the first film explores with Billy and his ticking-time-bomb rampage. It's a more predictable spin for sure, but the script is well written enough to compensate for this. The film has a gritty quality and is uncompromisingly grim in terms of violence— perhaps more than the original — and edges into the territory of 21st century splatter, but it's dark and effective for it. Jaime King leads the cast as a tortured police deputy, with support from veteran Malcolm McDowell, and both are very solid in their roles here. Former model and now-actress King is surprisingly believable as a cop, and her chemistry with McDowell is enjoyable on screen. Overall, "Silent Night" is a great revision of the 1984 film that is surprisingly watchable and not nearly as bad as you may expect of a direct-to-video slasher remake. Solid performances and McDowell's presence elevate everything a notch or two, but at the end of the day, the real fun here is watching a mad Santa wreak bloody havoc on unsuspecting suburbia. In some ways it's as absurd as the original, but it's overall a better-executed film, and, if nothing else, is a worthwhile complementary entry into the Christmas horror sub-genre. 7/10.

Call it a silly tradition, but I like to watch at least one holiday-themed horror movie each year around Christmas. After all, we can't all watch "Home Alone" or "Miracle on 34th Street" for the four hundred twentieth time, can we? This year I found in my stocking "Silent Night"; a totally insignificant but pleasantly deranged and entertaining Christmas horror comedy stuffed like a turkey with season's beatings! Partially a remake of the infamous (but overrated) cult slasher "Silent Night, Deadly Night" and partially inspired by the tragic real-life Covina massacre (husband kills ex-wife and former in-laws with a homemade flamethrower), "Silent Night" is primarily tongue-in-cheek with over-the-top acting performances and grotesquely gore killings. In the sleepy little town of Cryer, Wisconsin, Deputy Sheriff Aubrey reluctantly prepares herself to work a shift on Christmas Eve, while the rest of the town – including her beloved dad – attends the annual holiday parade and 'Santa Claus of the year' election. However, for Aubrey and her colleagues it will become a night full of ho-ho-horror, since a maniacal killer dressed as Santa came to town and leaves a nasty trail of mutilated corpses behind. The big bad Santa seemingly just targets sinners and scumbags, but the town of Cryer is full of them and Santa isn't finicky! I don't quite understand why the makers insist on labeling this a remake of "Silent Night, Bloody Night". Okay, so the film recycles the idea of a killer that suffered a severe childhood trauma during the Christmas period, but the original draws a detailed portrait of the culprit, whereas the remake barely just mentions the traumatic experiences as a footnote. Some of the death sequences are re-used as well, like the notorious deer-antlers impalement, but you could also call that a homage. "Silent Night" is a traditional slasher in the vein of the 80's classics, meaning there's a tremendously high body count and some gratuitous nudity; yet also a complete absence of suspense, logic or character depth. The most regrettable change since the 80's is that all the gore is computer generated and thus a lot less shocking or repulsive. Nonetheless does "Silent Night" feature a few sick highlights, like the chipping of topless model and an axe head-split. Director Steven C. Miller (his "Scream of the Banshee" was putrid) gathered quite an impressive cast for such a silly flick, even though they all have a history of appearing in B-movies. Malcolm McDowall clearly had a fun time as the grumpy old Sheriff who considers himself to be a gifted FBI-detective and Donal Logue appears as a cynical Santa who inevitably becomes the prime suspect. Jaime King ("My Bloody Valentine", "Mother's Day") is a likable female heroine, while the lovely Courtney-Jane Smith and Cortney Palm provide the film with a bit of ravishing bare flesh. In terms of holiday-horror, it certainly was a lot more enjoyable than the "Black Christmas" remake or any of the actual "Silent Night, Bloody Night" sequels, for that matter.