There seem to be three roads to take when making a horror
film these days. The first and least used path is to make something original.
Unfortunately few in charge these days are willing to risk anything to make an
original film. The second is to make a sequel. The sad part here is that when
an original film is made that succeeds it tends to go this route to far lesser
productions. The last road is that of the remake. The bad news is that some
people feel they need to improve what can be considered a classic and update it
for the times, more often than not by adding a few more scenes of titillation
or more gore. Most of these fail. But once in a while...
SILENT NIGHT is not actually a remake of the classic bad
movie SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT, the film that caused such an outrage when it
was released years ago. Yes, a few of the memorable items from that film are
here including a killer dressed in a Santa costume and the antler scene. But
this film feels more like a tribute to all of those low budget slasher flicks
from the 80s instead of a remake.
Its Christmas time and in a small Midwestern town everyone
is gearing up for the annual Christmas parade as well as the Santa costume
contest. Aubrey Bradimore is a new deputy for the Sheriff's department. Still
dealing with the recent loss of her husband, Aubrey is called in to work the
night shift when another officer fails to show for work. Bad goes to worse when
Aubrey is sent out to find him only to discover his body strapped to a chair
and electrocuted in a basement as well as the dismembered body of a woman
upstairs. For those of us watching we know full well who the killer was. Well
sort of. It was a man dressed in a Santa outfit with a mask on to keep everyone
from knowing up front who the killer is.
The cantankerous Sheriff Cooper (Malcolm McDowell) insults
his deputies and rules with an iron fist. Discovering he has a possible serial
killer in his town while a major event is schedule doesn't bother him. Instead
he welcomes the chance to face down the killer without the help of the State
Police or FBI since the roads to town are presently closed. To him this just
means that the killer can't leave.
As Aubrey and Cooper as well as the other deputies search
for clues, signs of what is about to happen creep up around town. Various town
members each receive a small wrapped package but none of them open them. Had
they done so perhaps a clue would have led them to the killer? Included in
those who receive a package are the mayor, the sheriff and Aubrey's father, an
ex-policeman in town.
The victims at first appear to fall prey to that most
dangerous of things found in slasher movies; they all seem to be having sex.
The deceased deputy was having a fling with a married woman. The killer's next
victims are shooting low budget soft core porn in a motel room giving the film
makers the chance to offer some nudity, thus satisfying the prerequisite
T&A required for all low budget horror films.
As the body count rises, Aubrey continues to try and figure
out just who this mass murderer is. Cooper, on the other hand, is ready to
blame almost anyone. The clues slowly unravel a bit but in all honesty it
doesn't matter. For slasher films of this sort its more about body count and
the methods of murder that matter most.
As I said at the start this movie isn't quite a remake of
the classic bad film of the same name. That movie revolved around a young boy
scarred by a life in an orphanage who had traumatic experiences around
Christmas time as well as having witnessed his parents murdered and raped by a
man in a Santa outfit. A twist on that is offered here at the very end, but
nothing that would lead us to the identity of the killer early on.
The movie seems to pay homage to those cheap slasher films
of the 80s by following their patterns fairly faithfully rather than try and
make something more meaningful. It offers the masked killer who seems
unstoppable. It offers the gushing fake blood by the gallon, more than any wound
would actually spout out. It offers victims who are either in the midst of sex
or have a secret in their past that began this whole cycle to start with. And
it offers a heroine who comes to the rescue before the final reel. It also
offers one more classic 80s slasher item but I won't reveal that one. If you
don't recognize it then you're not a fan of the genre.
Offering few scares but enough story to hold your interest,
this movie isn't that bad. It will be a nice addition to the collection of
holiday horrors on your shelf. If you're offended by that sort of thing it will
be easy enough to walk by. But for those who have a fond remembrance of those
80s slasher films then you'll want to give this one a watch. The vibes that
emanate from this one bring back the feeling of those films in spades.
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