Yule Be Sorry: Deep Dive Part 1 – The Silent Night, Deadly Night Sequels
Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) was released at the very peak time for ‘80s era slashers. Due to the marketing which features a Santa with an axe, the film received massive backlash from conversative groups, not to mention Mickey Rooney (keep this in mind for later on). Moral watch dogs Ebert and Siskel of course hated it, as they didn’t like anything fun, especially horror. The latter critic went as far as to say the producers were earning “blood money”. In my opinion this kind of hyperbolic statement is laughable and screams of Maude Flanders famous quip, “Won’t somebody please think of the children?!”. Other critics were harsh as well, and though regarded as a firm cult favorite, the movie currently sits at a 44% RT rating. Despite that, or maybe because of it, the movie made a killing earning over $2 million on a budget of $750 thousand. It also did well on home video and later DVD and Blu Ray from various labels. It was no shocker that a sequel was planned.
Taking Out the Trash: Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 (1987)
Silent Deadly, Deadly Night Part 2 was released a mere three years after the original, and already the slasher subgenre was completely well-worn. Indeed, in the latter part of the decade, slashers devolved into either modest budget thrillers and cash-in sequels to already successful slasher such as Friday the 13th and Halloween. So, I always found the cult surrounding Silent Night 2 interesting to say that least. The movie is infamous for having a flashback that runs for a good chunk the movie. In fact, there is just under an hour of original footage in a scant 88-minute outing.
Of course, it also has the iconic and oft quoted, “It’s Garbage Day!” line. Its marketing was re-tooled to cool down the backlash (i.e no use of Santa in ads). Despite the previous film making over $2 million at the box office, its sequel failed to even make back its $250 thousand budget. However, the movie would find a new life on home video and has gained a loyal fan base not unlike films such as Troll 2 and The Room. It even got a deluxe collector’s edition from Scream Factory in 2018.Personally, the movie has the right amount of ‘80s cheese and so-bad-it’s-enjoyable quality that helps smooth over the film’s flaws. Bonus points for some creative kills and over-the-top performance by Eric Freeman. Not to mention a nice meta-moment in a theater. I think the movies over use of original footage makes it hard to forgive this one entirely. It’s one thing to pad a film out for maybe 5-10 minutes but over thirty minutes is lazy and kind of a middle finger to a paying audience. Still, it does go full tilt crazy, which sadly cannot be said about the next entry.
Physics, Psychos and Santa: Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out (1989)
Though Silent Night 2 tanked hard at the box office, the powers that be thought there was more money to be made from the series. Thus, a third direct-to-video offering was produced. It’s most notable for being directed by Monte Hellman who helmed such classics as Two-Lane Blacktop (1971). Hellman struggles to find the campy humor which is why I think this ultimately doesn’t work for me. The plot is far too self-serious and worse yet, is a boring slog. It has some interesting ideas, but again Hellman forgets that the first two films always had a tongue-in-cheek self-aware quality. It also ham-handedly connects Ricky from the first two films in a way that is tacked on. Outside of a rough plot, the movie frankly looks cheap. It doesn’t help that the acting and dialogue are of the bargain basement variety. Again, I think I could forgive all this had the filmmakers fully embraced the absurdity and didn’t feel the need to haphazardly tie this into the previous installments. The closest the movie comes to being outrageous is Ricky’s hilarious dome on his head which houses his brain which slooshes around with what I guess is supposed to be cerebrospinal. So, I always try to say something nice about a movie if I can. I did like some references to movies like The Black Cat (1935) (in the form of a quote), and there are a few effective jump scares. It also has Bill Moseley which for me helped make this watchable. Elizabeth Hoffman has a small but effective role as Grannie. Overall, the movie has some interesting ideas, but at the end of the day this is a depressing and joyless romp that completely sucks the air out of what should be a wickedly fun time.
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Big film nerd and TCM Obsessed. Author of The Ultimate Guide to Strange Cinema from Schiffer Publishing. Resume includes: AMC’s The Bite, Scream Magazine etc. Love all kinds of movies and television and have interviewed a wide range of actors, writers, producers and directors. I currently am a regular co-host on the podcast The Humanoids from the Deep Dive and have a second book in the works from Bear Manor.
