Silent Night Deadly Night (1984)

December 7, 2009 by Morbid  

It’s a well-known fact that we are trendsetters here at D’D. Don’t believe it? Take a look at other crime sites and notice how all they have modified their look to mirror ours. It’s all quite flattering. But we are not above jumping on bandwagons ourselves. It never fails that in December, every two-bit piece of shit horror website will undoubtedly write up an article on “Silent Night Deadly Night” because well, you know, it’s Christmas time and that’s what you do. So you can imagine my surprise when I realized the only review we had on the film was one that I did back in our piece of shit, two-bit forums back in 2004. I though about porting it over but you know what? Fuck it. The movie isn’t even that special to warrant that much time and effort and the article isn’t nowhere near as funny as I thought it was when I first wrote it (even though it does have some video clips from the film). But I do like “Silent” and our list of reviews just isn’t complete without it. Besides, if you are game for an ill-tempered, ’80s slasher you cannot go wrong with this one.

Released during the Christmas holiday and featuring a killer Santa, the film tanked because of the bleeding vaginas that populated the slasher witch hunt of the ’80s (including the PTA, Siskel and Ebert and Leonard Martin) were on the film quicker than Geraldo Rivera on a Satanist and with pressure mounting from parents, Tri-Star Pictures removed the film from US distribution — ultimately giving the film an undeserved reputation of being a lot nastier than it really was. Directed by Charles E. Sellier, who had made a pretty good career for himself before “Silent”, having written the novel The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams as well as some popular television documentaries.

“Silent” details a young boy named Billy who witnesses his parents brutally murdered at the hands of a man dressed in a Santa suit. Billy and his little brother are then left in the care of a Catholic orphanage run by the sadistic Mother Superior. That’s where the first half of “Silent” stays focused; Billy’s time at the orphanage and the issues he still experiences in regards to Christmas. He continues to have nightmares of that tragic night his parents were slaughtered, and whenever he is in the presence of a Santa suit, he loses his shit. But eventually, the film jumps ahead ten years and we see that Billy has transformed into a handsome, polite 18-year-old (Robert Brian Wilson) who seems to have worked out all his issues thanks to the strict upbringing of Mother Superior and the sound beatings she delivered.

But Billy’s mental issues are definitely unresolved and merely lurking beneath his handsome exterior. After taking a job at Ira’s toy store and eventually being asked to don the Jolly St. Nick attire to play Santa for the visiting kiddies…well, let’s just say this is when Billy’s mask of sanity begins to crack and fall away, revealing one fucked up kid. Billy attempts to hold things together, but ends up snapping at the office Christmas party after having a few too many drinks, leading to one of the most bizarre crimes in the annals of Utah history. The Ira’s Toy Store Massacre. Afterward, Billy embarks on a murder spree in the surrounding neighborhood as he dispatches anyone he deems “naughty” and “Silent” becomes your standard slasher fare.

While overall unremarkable, “Silent” is still entertaining film for me mostly because of it having a bit of a mean streak running through it. This becomes apparent quickly during the scene where Billy witnesses his father and mother murdered by Santa ( a scene that includes a gratuitous tit shot of his mother you will see about 5 more times in flashbacks). This scene is a little disturbing not only because of the notion of a little kid watching his family get killed by Santa, but also because while his parents lay dead on the road, baby Ricky is in the car screaming his head off, and Santa is looking for Billy yelling, “Where are ya’ you little bastard?!!”

Also adding a bit to the cantankerous nature of “Silent” is the Catholic angle shown in the film, specifically Mother Superior. She is a cross between Nurse Ratchet and the grandmother from “Flowers in the Attic” who is quite handy with a belt and played convincingly by film and television veteran, Lilyan Chauvin. You’ll recognize Chauvin from any number of her film and television roles dating as far back as 1957. She is still working today and is the only person who brings anything resembling actual acting to “Silent”. But because of this particular character, and the way the Catholic orphanage is represented (beating children, tying them up, utter lack of compassion), Sellier was accused of making this film as a veiled attack on the Catholic religion — adding even more fuel to the flames of controversy.

If you go into the film hoping for some graphic violence, you’ll get some. But none of the gore effects shown in the film are anything remarkable or worth noting aside from a hilarious sledding decapitation and the appearance of  Scream Queen Linnea Quigley who is in the film long enough to show off her rack before ending up impaled on a set herself. Overall I thought “Silent” was a decent, yet bitter entry in the 80′s slasher genre even if it didn’t bring much else along with it. It wasn’t the first Santa killer themed horror movie, and not even the best Christmas themed one. The bad press that surrounded sit imply helped turn it into a cult classic whose nasty reputation is barely warranted. Regardless, I’m giving “Silent Night Deadly Night” 3 archery sets from Ira’s toy store out of 5.

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