Review by
Eric Hillis
Directed by: Mike P. Nelson
Starring: Rohan Campbell, Ruby Modine, Mark Acheson, David Lawrence Brown, David
Tomlinson
Before social media allowed Christian busybodies to express their outrage
at a perceived "war on Christmas" from the comfort of their couches, they
had to get out in the cold December air and protest. The 1984 seasonal
slasher Silent Night, Deadly Night famously rankled America's
Bible-thumpers, who picketed outside cinemas showing the movie. In the
decades since, slashers featuring killers in Santa outfits have become an
annual tradition. Silent Night, Deadly Night itself spawned
four sequels, along with a 2012 remake and now this latest reboot from
writer/director Mike P. Nelson.
2012's Silent Night owed little to the 1984 original, save
for the basic premise of a killer dressed in Santa garb. Nelson's remake
keeps the original setup, along with character names, but takes some
distinct diversions. Some of these departures work and some don't, and
overall the movie is confused as to just what tone it's aiming for.
As with the 1984 original, this Silent Night, Deadly Night is
focussed on Billy Chapman (Rohan Campbell), who as a child witnessed
the double murder of his parents by a psycho wearing a Santa costume. Now in
his twenties, Billy is a serial killer who takes out those he believes have
been "naughty" in the run-up to every Christmas. A new addition here is that
Billy hears the voice of his parents' killer, which goads him on
Venom-style.
Arriving in a small town, Billy gets a job in a bric-a-brac store where he
falls for the store owner's daughter Pamela (Ruby Modine). Most women
would find Billy's social awkwardness a turn-off, but Pamela is something of
an oddball herself, prone to violent outbursts. A mutual attraction develops
while Billy sets about adding various locals to his naughty list.
Much of this remake plays like a variation on films like
Psycho II, Sling Blade, Maniac and Henry: Mask of Sanity, in which killers try their best to ignore their violent compulsions and
lead as close to a normal life as possible when a stranger treats them with
unexpected humanity. Making Pamela a borderline sociopath and thus
potentially ideal romantic partner for Billy is an intriguing idea, and
Campbell and Modine have a uniquely offbeat chemistry that almost makes us
root for their relationship to succeed.
Nelson's film works to some degree when it's honed in on its unconventional
will-they-won't-they dynamic and on Billy's attempts to ignore the literal
voice in his head. But it goes disastrously off the rails around the halfway
point with a ridiculously over the top sequence in which Billy follows a
potential victim and finds himself in the middle of a Nazi rally. The
subsequent massacre plays out in cartoon fashion and belongs in a completely
different film. From that point on it becomes impossible to remain invested
in Billy and Pamela's plight.
By pitting him against Nazis and a local child snatcher, the film clearly
wants us to sympathise with and maybe even cheer on Billy's murder spree.
The problem then is that the narrative never really places Billy in any
palpable danger of being brought to justice. The local police somehow don't
even seem to be aware of his mass slaughter of a bunch of Nazis, and despite
the glaring fact that residents started being murdered at the same time this
young stranger arrived in town, Billy isn't even considered a potential
suspect. This is a movie set in some alternate America where nobody is
viewed with suspicion by the cops. Even when Pamela bludgeons a couple of
bullying kids with a hockey stick, she gets away with it because her cop
ex-boyfriend pulls some strings. Surely the kids' parents would have a thing
or two to say to her?
This remake wastes an engaging central premise, preferring to veer off into
pseudo-grindhouse territory. Thanks to its two leads, it manages to draw us
into a believable relationship between two troubled people, only to squander
this good faith with a misjudged cartoonish turn. Ultimately this umpteenth
Santa slasher gifts the audience yet another lump of cinematic coal.
Silent Night, Deadly Night is in
UK/ROI cinemas from December 12th.
