Thanks to my friend, Zack, for tipping me off about the new Silent Night, Deadly Night DVD. I've been trying to track this one down for some time now but needless to say, the PTA boycotting the initial theatrical release back in 1984 hasn't helped the DVD all that much. It's about time they released an uncut version of the controversial Christmas slasher.

Silent Night, Deadly Night chronicles the life of Billy Chapman, a disturbed young man haunted by the grisly murder of his parents in 1974 at the hands of a convict dressed like Santa Claus. It doesn't help that he spent the remainder of his childhood in an orfanage abused by a tyrannical Mother Superior, who's mantra goes a little something like... "punishment is neccesary, punishment is absolute." Somehow, Billy manages to grow up into a relatively good kid. One of the nuns lands him a job at a toy store where he's taken under the wing of his relatively nurturing boss and co-workers. Everything seems hunky-dory until it's that time of year again. Oblivious to his dark history, Billy's boss decides to dress him up like old Saint Nick, forcing him to embody the very personality he's come to know as the supreme punisher of the "naughty." A few drinks and an attempted rape later, Billy goes berzerk and is off on a brutal killing spree, dishing out "punishment" to all the naughty boys and girls.

Silent Night, Deadly Night emerged during an era where many filmmakers were trying to cash in on the success of Friday The 13th with their own holiday-themed knock-offs. I feel Silent Night, Deadly Night is able to stand out amongst its contemporaries in both its character development and its generally mean-spirited and unapologetic attitude. The tone is set immediately when Billy's family engages in a sad but touching reunion with a catatonic Grandpa. Once the rents leave the room, Grandpa turns mean and tells Billy all about what Santa does and how he should run away when he sees him. Next thing you know, Santa's robbing a convenience story and raping Mommy while Billy hides in the bushes. This movie really pulls no punches. Still, it's impressive how well it chronicles Billy's evolution as a psychopathic killer. Every experience is significant for him and helps to pave the way to his inevitable breakdown. It's not enough to say a few spankings as a kid turned him Manson. As outlandish and movie-ish the plot may seem, the character is actually quite believable.

Overall, Silent Night, Deadly Night is an exceptional slasher. It succeeds in standing out amongst its kind and surpassing many of its predeccesors and yet maintains all the neccesary conventions of the genre. That is to say, it's still brimming with gratuitous sex and violence. An ideal holiday gift for any genre fan.

Glad you finally got to watch this little gem, James! I told you you'd love it. This is a very special movie that any horror fan MUST own. I feel as though it hasn't acheived the classic statis that it deserves, mostly due to the PTA boycotting.

However, don't bother with the sequels. They are all absolutely rubbish. I'd rather watch "TCM: The Next Generation" than watch on of this films shitty follow-ups.

~Zack~

I thought this dvd has been out for a while. It's the one that comes with Part 2 right. It says it's uncut.

No, they released a different version all by itself. I've seen the version packaged with part 2, and that one is not uncut.

~Zack~