Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) Movie Review

Overview

The reviewer calls Silent Night, Deadly Night a strong slasher with an unusually developed backstory. He considers it technically the best entry in the series, although the second film remains his personal favorite.

Billy’s backstory

As a child, Billy witnesses his parents’ murder by a killer dressed as Santa. He later grows up in an orphanage under the cruel, self-righteous Mother Superior. The reviewer sympathizes with Billy and jokes that the orphanage’s harsh discipline—and insistence that he face Santa—seems unlikely to help a traumatized five-year-old.

As an adult, Billy gets a job at a toy store and is asked to wear a Santa suit. The reviewer questions the decision, quipping that Billy could have been hired at a gas station or an accounting office instead. When Christmas triggers Billy’s breakdown, he begins punishing people he considers “naughty.”

Kills and dark comedy

The reviewer enjoys the film’s creative kills, including a hammer attack, a bow-and-arrow killing, an axe attack, and the impalement of Linnea Quigley’s character on deer antlers.

He also highlights several darkly comic moments: Billy gives a little girl a bloodied box cutter as a present, leaving her bewildered; police mistake one Santa for another; and Billy’s “naughty or nice” rules lead him to spare a sweet child. The reviewer laughs at the film’s odd logic and the characters’ poor decisions, while crediting director Charles E. Sellier Jr. with giving the slasher a real story and memorable details.

Controversy and verdict

The reviewer briefly discusses the controversy over advertising a killer Santa, arguing that the TV spots made the premise especially alarming to parents. He also jokes about Mickey Rooney criticizing the movie despite appearing in the fifth installment, while clarifying that he means no disrespect.

Overall, he recommends Silent Night, Deadly Night to slasher fans, particularly in its uncut version.

People discussed

• Billy (Robert Brian Wilson)
• Mother Superior
• Linnea Quigley
• Mickey Rooney
• The reviewer (unnamed)