''Silent Night, Deadly Night'' is a 1984 American
slasher film
A slasher film is a subgenre of horror films involving a killer or a group of killers stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a generic ...
directed by
Charles E. Sellier Jr.
Charles Edward Sellier Jr. (November 9, 1943 – January 31, 2011) was an American television producer, screenwriter, novelist and director, best known for creating the American book and television series ''The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams'' ...
, and starring Robert Brian Wilson,
Lilyan Chauvin,
Gilmer McCormick, Toni Nero, and
Linnea Quigley
Barbara Linnea Quigley (born May 27, 1958) is an American actress, best known as a scream queen in low-budget horror films during the 1980s and 1990s. Born in Davenport, Iowa, Quigley first pursued her career in the late 1970s, shortly after movin ...
. The story concerns a young man named Billy Chapman, who suffers from
post-traumatic stress over witnessing his parents' murder on
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...
by a man disguised as
Santa Claus
Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...
and his subsequent upbringing in an abusive
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
orphanage. In adulthood, the Christmas holiday leads him into a psychological breakdown, and he emerges as a
spree killer
A spree killer is someone who commits a criminal act that involves two or more murders in a short time, often in multiple locations. There are different opinions about what durations of time a killing spree may take place in. The United States ...
donning a
Santa suit.
The film was released by
Tri-Star Pictures on November 9, 1984; it received substantial controversy over its promotional material and content, which featured a killer Santa Claus. In addition to receiving mixed reviews, it was pulled from theaters a week after its release. However, it was a success during its opening week, grossing $2.5 million on a budget of $750,000. Since its release, it has developed a
cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...
and spawned a
series
Series may refer to:
People with the name
* Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series
* George Series (1920–1995), English physicist
Arts, entertainment, and media
Music
* Series, the ordered sets used i ...
, consisting of four sequels, with the fourth and fifth installments having no connection to the original film, as well as a
loose remake in 2012. Another
reboot
In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
is in development.
Plot
In 1971, 5-year-old
Billy Chapman and his family visit a nursing home in
Utah
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
where his catatonic grandfather lives. When Billy's parents leave the room, his grandfather suddenly awakens and tells Billy to fear
Santa Claus
Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...
, as he punishes the naughty.
On the way back home, a criminal dressed in a Santa suit – who had just robbed a liquor store and killed the owner – attempts to carjack the family. As Billy's father tries to drive away, the criminal shoots him dead and attempts to sexually assault Billy's mother; when she hits him, he slits her throat with a
switchblade
A switchblade (also known as switch knife, automatic knife, pushbutton knife, ejector knife, flick knife, gravity knife, flick blade, or spring knife) is a pocketknife with a sliding or pivoting blade contained in the handle which is extended ...
. Billy flees and hides, leaving his baby brother Ricky in the car.
Three years later, in December 1974, 8-year-old Billy and 4-year-old Ricky are celebrating
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
in an orphanage run by
Mother Superior, a strict
disciplinarian
Discipline is the self-control that is gained by requiring that rules or orders be obeyed, and the ability to keep working at something that is difficult. Disciplinarians believe that such self-control is of the utmost importance and enforce a ...
who
beats children who misbehave and considers punishment to be a "good" thing. Sister Margaret, who sympathizes with the children, tries to help Billy, but he is regularly punished. On Christmas, the orphanage invites a man in a Santa Claus suit to visit the children; Billy, forced to sit on his lap by Mother Superior, punches the man before fleeing to his room in horror.
10 years later, in the spring of 1984, Billy, now 18, leaves the orphanage for a normal life, and obtains a job as a stock boy at a local toy store, with support from Sister Margaret. At the store, he develops a crush on his co-worker Pamela; he has sexual thoughts which are often interrupted by morbid visions of his parents' murders. On
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...
, the employee who plays the store's Santa Claus is injured and Billy's boss Mr. Sims makes him take his place. After the store closes, the staff has a Christmas Eve party. Billy, still in a Santa Claus suit, tries to have a good time, but keeps having memories of his parents' murders, causing him to feel depressed. He sees his co-workers Andy and Pamela kissing and then walking into the back room. Billy follows them and sees Andy trying to rape Pamela. This triggers his insanity; he hangs Andy with a string of Christmas lights and, declaring that punishment is "good", murders Pamela with a
box cutter
A utility knife is any type of knife used for general manual work purposes.Peterson, Harold L., ''Daggers and Fighting Knives of the Western World'', London: Herbert Jenkins Ltd., , p. 1 Such knives were originally fixed-blade knives with dura ...
.
Next, Billy murders Mr. Sims and his manager Mrs. Randall. Sister Margaret discovers the carnage and goes to the police station to seek help. Billy breaks into a nearby house where a young couple named Denise and Tommy are having sex and a little girl named Cindy is sleeping; he impales Denise on a set of deer antlers and throws Tommy through a window. When this awakens Cindy, Billy asks if she has been nice or naughty; she says nice, and he gives her the box cutter he had used earlier. After this, he witnesses bullies picking on two teenage boys and stealing their sleds, and decapitates one of the bullies with his axe.
The next morning, Captain Richards and Sister Margaret deduce Billy will go to the orphanage, where Ricky is still living. Officer Barnes responds to orders to secure the orphanage and kills a pastor, Father O'Brien, who was dressed in a Santa outfit, mistaking him for Billy. As Barnes continues patrolling the area, he is struck in the chest by Billy's axe. Billy confronts Mother Superior, now in a wheelchair. Just as he prepares to kill her, Richards shoots him in the back. Billy drops to the floor and tells the children "You're safe now, Santa Claus is gone", before dying from his injuries. A 14-year-old Ricky, scowling at Mother Superior, utters "Naughty."
Cast
Production
The concept of the film was pitched by executive producer Scott J. Schiend who at the time, accepted screenplay ideas in submissions from the public. One of these was a short story entitled ''He Sees You When You're Sleeping'' written by a
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
student named Paul Caimi. The story was about a killer
Santa Claus
Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...
and Schiend was impressed with the concept even though he disliked
slasher films
Slasher may refer to:
* Slasher (basketball), a style of play in basketball
* Slasher film, a subgenre of the horror film
* Slasher (tool), a scrub-clearing implement
* ''Slasher'' (2004 film), a 2004 documentary film
* ''Slasher'' (2007 film), ...
. He then contacted writer Michael Hickey and requested him to write a screenplay based on the short story in which he agreed. Afterwards, Hickey sent the screenplay to
Tri-Star Pictures who were pleased with it and agreed to finance and distribute the film.
The film's working title during production was ''Slayride'' and it was to be produced by Slayride Productions Inc. Producer Ira Richard Barmak was recruited by Tri-Star to produce the film. Executive producers, Scott J. Schiend and Dennis Whitehead were hoping to hire a new and young director who would be the "next
John Carpenter
John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American filmmaker, composer, and actor. Most commonly associated with horror film, horror, action film, action, and science fiction film, science fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s, he is ...
" and considered
Sam Raimi
Samuel M. Raimi ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the first three films in the ''Evil Dead'' franchise (1981–present) and the ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007). He also directed the super ...
,
Albert Magnoli
Albert Magnoli (born 1954)[The San Bernardino County Sun: July 16, ...](_blank)
, and
Ken Kwapis for the position. Tri-Star expressed interests in television producer
Charles E. Sellier Jr.
Charles Edward Sellier Jr. (November 9, 1943 – January 31, 2011) was an American television producer, screenwriter, novelist and director, best known for creating the American book and television series ''The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams'' ...
who was well known for producing the ''
Life and Times of Grizzly Adams'' motion picture and TV series. Schiend and Whitehead disagreed believing that a veteran producer would not give the film a good look and reputation; however, Tri-Star insisted and eventually hired Sellier for the position.
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
lasted from March to April 1983 and was shot on location in Heber City and
Midway, Utah. At the time, most of the snow was beginning to melt, so the production crew raced to shoot all exterior shots first. Numerous buildings were used for the interior scenes during filming. The orphanage building was an abandoned school house that was renovated by the crew during production. It was then demolished not long after filming concluded. The Ira's Toys building was a vacant building that was rented out by the crew. As of 2022, it still stands and is currently a
gym
A gym, short for gymnasium (: gymnasiums or gymnasia), is an indoor venue for exercise and sports. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasion". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learn ...
. During filming, director Charles E. Sellier Jr. was too uncomfortable with shooting the murder sequences and this resulted in editor Michael Spence to come in as the stand-in director for these scenes.
The film's cast mainly consisted of local actors in the state of
Utah
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
. Lead star Robert Brian Wilson (Billy at age 18) was at the time living in
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...
and had no acting experience. He auditioned for his role as the request of his girlfriend. No major and well-known actors were featured in the film and many mostly had experience in only television acting roles.
During
post-production
Post-production, also known simply as post, is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording indivi ...
, TriStar had decided to change the ''Slayride'' title of the film to ''Silent Night, Deadly Night''. Music composer Perry Botkin was hired to compose the musical score; he did so by watching a
betamax
Betamax (also known as Beta, and stylized as the Greek letter Beta, β in its logo) is a discontinued consumer analog Videotape, video cassette recording format developed by Sony. It was one of the main competitors in the videotape format war ag ...
copy of the film while composing the score as it played. Afterwards, TriStar hired graphic designer Burt Kleeger to create the infamous theatrical release poster that depicted Santa Claus climbing down a chimney while holding a double-bit
axe
An axe (; sometimes spelled ax in American English; American and British English spelling differences#Miscellaneous spelling differences, see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for thousands of years to shape, split, a ...
that also included the film's tagline: "You've made it through Halloween, now try and survive Christmas" along with "He knows when you've been naughty".
Because the film's concept had been done before in the 1980 horror film ''
Christmas Evil'' as well as the first segment of the 1972 horror anthology film, ''
Tales from the Crypt'', the producers and TriStar were not concerned about the killer Santa Claus theme being controversial. However, there was concern that the portrayal of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
in the film would be. Because of this, TriStar agreed to distribute the film in a limited release in the mostly
protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
midwestern United States before moving forward with releasing it in the dominantly
catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
northeastern United States. TriStar set the film's theatrical release date as November 9, 1984, around the start of the
Christmas season
The Christmas season or the festive season, also known as the holiday season or the holidays, is an annual period generally spanning from November or December to early January. Incorporating Christmas Day and New Year's Day, the various celebrat ...
. Robert Brian Wilson expressed dissatisfaction with this decision, believing that the film should have been released around
Halloween
Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...
to cause less controversy.
Release
The film was released theatrically by
Tri-Star Pictures on November 9, 1984, opening in 398 theaters in the
Midwest
The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...
United States.
In November 2013, it was announced that ''
Fangoria
''Fangoria'' is an internationally distributed American horror film fan magazine, in publication since 1979. It is published four times a year by Fangoria Publishing, LLC and is edited by Phil Nobile Jr.
The magazine was originally released i ...
'' in association with Brainstorm Media and
Screenvision
Screenvision Media is a cinema advertising and film distribution company in the United States.
The Screenvision Media cinema advertising network includes over 15,000 screens, more than 2,400 theatre locations, and 335 universities in every sta ...
would be re-releasing the film to theaters in the United States throughout December 2013.
Marketing
''Silent Night, Deadly Night'' was one of the most controversial films of the 1980s due to its advertising campaign, particularly its posters and TV spots, that made significant emphasis on the killer being dressed as
Santa Claus
Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...
. The
PTA fought to have this film removed from theaters due to its subject matter and the fact that it was shown around
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
, although an earlier film with a similar premise, ''
Christmas Evil'', had gone unnoticed. Television advertisements, which aired between episodes of family-friendly series such as ''
Little House on the Prairie
The ''Little House on the Prairie'' books comprise a series of American children's novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls). The stories are based on her childhood and adulthood in the Midwestern United States, Americ ...
'', led to parents complaining that their children were terrified of Santa Claus.
[ Large crowds (mostly angry families) formed at theaters and malls around the nation to protest the film; at the film's East Coast premiere at the Interboro Quad Theater in ]The Bronx
The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
in New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, protesters picketed the theater and sang Christmas carols
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A liturgical feast central to Christianity, Chri ...
in protest.
In response, Tri-Star Pictures (which was the joint venture between Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
, HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
, and CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
), the film's original distributor, pulled all ads for the film on November 15, 1984, six days after its release.[ The film itself was also withdrawn shortly thereafter, due to the controversy.] In response to the public outcry, producer Ira Barmak told ''People
The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...
'' magazine: "People have taken offense at Santa being used in a scary context... Santa Claus is not a religious figure, he's a mythic character. I didn't deliberately ride roughshod over that sensitivity and I didn't anticipate the objection to it." An editorial published in ''Variety'' stated: "Most protests were generated by the feeling that the depiction of a killer in a Santa Claus suit would traumatize children and undermine their traditional trust in Santa Claus."[ When the film was castigated at length by Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, the backlash against the film became louder and more widespread.
The film was due to be re-released by an independent distributor, Aquarius Films, in May 1985, with an ad campaign replacing the original "Twas the night before Christmas"-themed trailer with a new one that centered on the controversy surrounding the film and edited out all close-up shots of Billy in the Santa suit with weapons. The print ad material also replaced the original 'Chimney' picture with one that talked about the controversy. However, the film only had further test engagements.
]
Home media
Originally planned to be released on home media by RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (which was a joint venture between Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
and RCA
RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...
) in early 1985, the home media release was cancelled. The film was then originally released on VHS and Beta in May 1986 through USA Home Video. The film was released on Laserdisc in 1987 and reissued on VHS by International Video Entertainment in 1987 and 1988. In 1992, the film was last released on VHS for the last time by Avid Home Entertainment.
The film was released on as a double feature
The double feature is a Film, motion picture industry phenomenon in which theaters would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which the presentation of one feature film would be followed by various short subjec ...
disc alongside sequel '' Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2'' in 2003. The second release was in 2007. The first two Region 1 releases are out of print
An out-of-print (OOP) or out-of-commerce item or work is something that is no longer being published. The term applies to all types of printed matter, visual media, sound recordings, and video recordings. An out-of-print book is a book that is ...
.
In the United Kingdom, the film was never submitted for certification to the BBFC
The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films exhibited at cinemas and video works (su ...
, and its sequel was denied a video certificate in 1987 after the distributors refused to make the cuts required for an '18' certificate. However, in 2009, Arrow Films
Arrow Films is a British independent film distributor and restorer specialising in world cinema, arthouse, horror and classic films. As Arrow Video, it sells Ultra HD Blu-rays, Blu-rays and DVDs online; it also operates its own subscript ...
submitted the film to the BBFC for classification, who passed the film uncut with an 18 certificate. The Arrow Films DVD was released on November 23, 2009.
On December 4, 2012, the film was again released in the U.S. alongside '' Part 2'' as a two-disc "Christmas Survival Double Feature", containing the same archival bonus features as the 2003 release.
Part 2 was heavily criticised due to the excessive use of footage from the original film. The film has gained a cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...
as a black comedy
Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...
, due to Freeman's performance. In addition, the scene in which Ricky shoots a man who is taking out his trash after shouting the phrase "Garbage day!" became a viral internet meme
An Internet meme, or meme (, Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''MEEM''), is a cultural item (such as an idea, behavior, or style) that spreads across the Internet, primarily through Social media, social media platforms. Internet memes manif ...
. On Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the film has an approval rating of 22% rating, out of 9 reviews, and an average score of 4.2/10. Part 2 has been described as one of the worst films ever ''Screen Rant'' has since deemed the film to be "a masterpiece of the so bad it's good variety," and "one of the worst movies ever made." Meanwhile, Rabin stated it was "the sleaziest, craziest, worst and most ridiculous movie ever made. That’s why it’s great and every one should see it." Emmett O'Regan of ''Comic Book Resources
''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...
'' also selected it as the worst movie ever made, and an article in '' Paste'' asserted that: "in terms of filmmaking quality—it’s hard to believe that in terms of pure, unadulterated crap, anything could ever surpass it." Additionally, ''Flavorwire'', ''/Film
''/Film'', also spelled ''SlashFilm'', is a blog that covers movie news, reviews, interviews, and trailers. It was founded by Peter Sciretta in August 2005. The site's reviews appear on Rotten Tomatoes, and as of 2024, two of its leading film cr ...
'', and ''Paste'' have all listed it as the worst Christmas film ever made. ''Time Out'' and ''Flavorwire'' later included it on their respective lists of the worst films ever made.
On September 16, 2014, it was released on Blu-ray by Anchor Bay/Starz Entertainment. No new special features were included, with the exception of a few new commentaries, none of which any of the actors participated in. The Blu-ray contains exactly the same release as previous DVD editions with the extended scenes edited back into the film with noticeable picture quality changes. There has yet to be a release of the full, uncut print from a single source.
On December 5, 2017, Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory, LLC, doing business as Shout! Studios (formerly doing business as Shout! Factory, its current legal name), is an American home video and music distributor founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases, issued i ...
, under its Scream Factory label, released the film in a two-disc set collector's edition on Blu-ray
Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
and DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
. It contains the film remastered in a 4K resolution from the original negative sourced from the original R-rated theatrical cut while the unrated version used SD inserts. It also contained new special features such as an interview and audio commentary from actors Robert Brian Wilson and Linnea Quigley, co-executive producers Scott J. Schneid and Dennis Whitehead, writer Michael Hickey, music composer Perry Botkin, and editor Michael Spence. It also contained a new documentary on the making of the film entitled ''Slay Bells Ring: The Story of Silent Night, Deadly Night'' which included interviews from the cast and crew. The original theatrical trailer, radio and TV spots are included. It also contained the original special features from the 2003 and 2012 DVD and 2014 Blu-ray releases as well.
Scream Factory also released a limited edition deluxe offer that contained the collector's edition set along with a 18x24 size poster of the new artwork for the film, as well as an 8" tall figure of Billy in his Santa suit holding his double-bit axe. This offer was limited to 2,000 orders and pre-orders started on September 7, 2017.
Reception
Box office
On its opening weekend, the film finished eighth, grossing $1,432,800. It outgrossed Wes Craven
Wesley Earl Craven (August 2, 1939 – August 30, 2015) was an American film director, screenwriter and producer. Amongst his Wes Craven filmography, prolific filmography, Craven worked primarily in the Horror film, horror genre, particularly sla ...
's landmark slasher ''A Nightmare on Elm Street
''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' is a 1984 American Supernatural horror film, supernatural slasher film written and directed by Wes Craven and produced by Robert Shaye. It is the first installment in the A Nightmare on Elm Street (franchise), ''A ...
'', which opened the same day (albeit in 235 fewer theaters). Before being pulled from theaters, it grossed over $2.4 million in its first 10 days of release.[
]
Critical response
On the review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...
website Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, ''Silent Night, Deadly Night'' holds an approval rating of 50% based on 28 reviews, with an average rating of 5.2/10.
Siskel and Ebert
Gene Siskel (January 26, 1946 – February 20, 1999) and Roger Ebert (June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013), collectively known as Siskel & Ebert, were an American film critic duo known for their partnership on television lasting from 1975 to Siske ...
condemned the film, and Siskel went as far as to read names of the film's production crew on air, telling them, "Shame on you". Gene Siskel
Eugene Kal Siskel (January 26, 1946 – February 20, 1999) was an American film critic and journalist for the ''Chicago Tribune'' who co-hosted a movie review television series alongside colleague Roger Ebert.
Siskel started writing for the '' ...
also said that all the money the filmmakers were making off of this film was " blood money".
Leonard Maltin
Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic, film historian, and author. He is known for his book of film capsule reviews, '' Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'', published from 1969 to 2014. Maltin was the film criti ...
also denounced the movie, calling it a "...worthless splatter film
A splatter film is a subgenre of horror films that deliberately focuses on graphic portrayals of gore and graphic violence. These films, usually through the use of special effects, display a fascination with the vulnerability of the human body a ...
", citing it as a "BOMB" and asking: "What's next, the Easter Bunny
The Easter Bunny (also called the Easter Rabbit or Easter Hare) is a folkloric figure and symbol of Easter, depicted as a rabbit—sometimes dressed with clothes—bringing Easter eggs. Originating among German Lutherans, the "Easter Hare" origi ...
as a child molester?" A ''Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' review argued that whatever arguments the film was making on the commercialism of Christmas were overshadowed by the graphic violence, which the reviewer saw as off-putting. Michael Wilmington wrote in the ''Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'': " t'ssafe to predict that ''Silent Night, Deadly Night''... will start making 'Worst Movie of All Time' lists almost immediately".
One positive notice came from Kirk Ellis from ''The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'', who complimented director Sellier's "workmanlike competence" and praised the cinematography and Gilmer McCormack's performance as Sister Margaret.
Sequels and remakes
Due to the minor success of the film, four sequels were produced. The first two, '' Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2'' and '' Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out!'', focus on Billy's younger brother Ricky becoming a serial killer. However, '' Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation'' and '' Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker'' have no connection with the characters from the previous films, with each of them focusing on a different Christmas-themed horror story.
A loose remake of the film, titled ''Silent Night
"Silent Night" () is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO
The United Nations Educati ...
'', was released on December 4, 2012, starring Jaime King
Jaime Barbara King (born April 23, 1979) is an American actress and model best known for her roles in TV series '' Hart of Dixie'' (2011–2015) and ''Black Summer'' (2019–2021), and films such as ''Pearl Harbor'' (2001), ''Slackers'' (200 ...
and Malcolm McDowell
Malcolm McDowell (born Malcolm John Taylor; 13 June 1943) is an English actor. He first became known for portraying Mick Travis in Lindsay Anderson's ''if....'' (1968), a role he later reprised in ''O Lucky Man!'' (1973) and ''Britannia Hospital ...
.
On March 2, 2021, another remake was announced when Orwo Studios and Black Hanger Studios acquired the rights to the original film. The film has been shelved as of 2025.
The 2022 film '' Christmas Bloody Christmas'' began as a pitch for a remake of ''Silent Night, Deadly Night''. The pitch was rejected for straying too far from the original, then was further developed into its own film.
In November 2024, a "reimagining" of the film was announced to be produced by Cineverse
Cineverse Corp. (originally Access IT Digital Media, Inc., and later, Cinedigm) is an American entertainment company headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Cineverse’s businesses encompass digital cinema, streaming channels, content marketi ...
. The movie
A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
is set to be written and directed by Mike P. Nelson, and is set for a late 2025 release. Rohan Campbell was cast as Billy in April 2025, later Ruby Modine joined the cast.
References
Works cited
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Silent Night Deadly Night
1984 horror films
1984 films
1984 thriller films
1980s horror thriller films
1984 independent films
1980s slasher films
1980s Christmas horror films
1980s exploitation films
American exploitation films
American psychological horror films
American psychological thriller films
American splatter films
American independent films
American thriller films
American Christmas horror films
American slasher films
Christianity-related controversies in film
Films set in 1971
Films set in 1974
Films set in 1984
Films set in Utah
Films shot in Salt Lake City
Films shot in Utah
Santa Claus in film
Silent Night, Deadly Night films
TriStar Pictures films
Censored films
Advertising and marketing controversies in film
Obscenity controversies in film
Films about child abuse
Films about rape in the United States
Films about orphans
Films about post-traumatic stress disorder
Films about mass murder
Films about sexual repression
Films about Catholic nuns
Films directed by Charles Sellier
Films scored by Perry Botkin Jr.
Films with screenplays by Michael Hickey
American religious horror films
1980s English-language films
1980s American films
English-language horror thriller films
English-language independent films