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poster of Silent Night, Deadly Night
Rating: 5.9/10 by 356 users

Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)

Billy Chapman, who was traumatized by his parents' Christmas Eve murder, then brutalized by sadistic orphanage nuns, grows up to dress as jolly St. Nick for a yuletide rampage to punish the naughty.

Directing:
  • Denis L. Stewart
  • Perry Husman
  • Charles E. Sellier Jr.
  • Patricia Motyka
  • Michael Spence
Writing:
  • Michael Hickey
  • Paul Caimi
Stars:
Release Date: Fri, Nov 09, 1984

Rating: 5.9/10 by 356 users

Alternative Title:
Natal Sangrento - BR
Douce nuit, sanglante nuit - FR
Noche de paz, noche de muerte - ES
Noche silenciosa, noche de muerte - ES

Country:
United States of America
Language:
English
Runtime: 01 hour 19 minutes
Budget: $1,065,000
Revenue: $2,491,460

Plot Keyword: holiday, santa claus, gore, murder, decapitation, serial killer, orphan, killer santa claus, christmas, person snapping
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Lilyan Chauvin
Mother Superior
Gilmer McCormick
Sister Margaret
Charles Dierkop
Killer Santa
Tara Buckman
Mother (Ellie)
Geoff Hansen
Father (Jim)
Eric Hart
Mr. Levitt (Storekeeper)
H.E.D. Redford
Captain Richards
Danny Wagner
Billy at 8
Max Robinson
Officer Barnes
Vinc Massa
Young Boy Sledding: Doug
John Michael Alvarez
Young Boy Sledding: Jim
John Bishop
Older Boy Sledding: Bob
Richard C. Terry
Older Boy Sledding: Mac
Richard D. Clark
Officer Miller
Tip Boxell
Officer Murphy
Angela Montoya
Girl on Santa's Lap
Molly Cameron
Girl's Mother
Jayne Luke
Other Mother in Store
Joan Forster
Other Mother in Store
Betsy Nagel
Other Mother in Store
Barbara Stafford
Teen Lover at Orphanage
Paul Mulder
Teen Lover at Orphanage
Spencer Ashby
Santa at Orphanage
J. Paul Broadhead
Santa in Store
Alex Burton
Brother (Ricky) at 14
Max Broadhead
Brother (Ricky) at 4
Melissa Best
Infant Ricky
Dan Rogers
Dispatcher
Spencer Alston
Child at Orphanage
Kristi Ballard
Child at Orphanage
Jacob Peterson
Child at Orphanage
Jonathan Wilde
Child at Orphanage
Susie Massa
Child at Orphanage
Sarah Stuyvesant
Child at Orphanage

John Chard

The Original Bad Santa. A cult horror classic, Silent Night, Deadly Night is something of a treat for the old school horror faithful. Plot has a young boy witness the slaying of his parents by a man dressed as Santa Claus. He grows up in an orphanage run by an over zealous Mother Superior, moves out when manhood beckons and gets a job in a department store. Come Christmas time he is coerced into being the store Santa and promptly cracks up, grabbing an axe and wreaking slasher hell on everyone who gets in his way. That's pretty much it, the stalk and slash formula in all its bloody glory. It's done very well here, with invention, genuine shocks and it's all boosted by having the mad Santa as an angelic faced beefcake (Robert Brian Wilson). Of course any new-age horror film fan coming to it for the first time now will struggle to see what the appeal is? So listen to the staccato music, feel the nastiness - the humbug of it all, observe that the film makers don't use filler or padding - they get in for some short sharp shock, and it's deliberately icky to garner a reaction. Masterpiece of horror cinema? No of course not, the acting is sub-standard, the ending rushed, but in the same year as Wes Craven unleashed one of cinema's ultimate bogeymen upon us, Charles E. Sellier Jr. and his writers offered us a reason to actually hope Santa Claus doesn't exist. 6.5/10

Wuchak

_**Beware: An ax-wielding Santa**_ A traumatized boy grows up at a Catholic orphanage in a small Utah town near the mountains. Once he gets a job at a toy store at 18, havoc ensues. "Silent Night, Deadly Night" (1984) is infamous for causing moral outrage when it was released, but I never understood the indignation. Not only is this a horror flick, it’s a slasher. Shock and grisly killings come with the territory. Aduh. Consider clowns for a moment. They are whimsical & funny and yet no one had an issue when they were used for scares in “He Who Gets Slapped” (1924), “Terror on Tour” (1980) and “Poltergeist” (1982). How exactly is Santa off limits, especially since he was depicted as the killer twelve years earlier in “Tales from the Crypt” (1972), not to mention four years earlier in “Christmas Evil” (1980)? Unlike many slashers, this one takes the time to establish why the killer does what he does. The tone is mostly serious, but there’s also a wink of humor or camp here and there. While it lacks the mood and artistry of “Silent Night, Bloody Night” (1972), it’s serviceable as a one-dimensional (and sometimes amusing) slasher. I appreciated the scenic mountain town locations. Linnea Quigley is notable on the female front as Denise, as is winsome Toni Nero as Pamela. Both are shown top nude so, if that offends you, I suggest staying away. The full version is succinct at 1 hour, 22 minutes (while the theatrical version is 3 minutes shorter). It was shot at Heber City & nearby Midway, Utah, which are both east of Salt Lake City on the other side of the mountain pass. GRADE: B-


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