The remake of the “silent, deadly night” does not sound in the joy of the holidays

A serial killer disguised as Santa Claus Fraying his way through a small town in Minnesota. Along the way, he also fell in love with a local business owner. He’s bad; He should be the villain, but in Silent night, deadly nightWe are forced to consider, maybe it is not?
Written and produced by Mike P. Nelson, Silent night, deadly night is a remake of the classic cult of 1984 of the same name of Charles E. Sellier Jr. This film also followed a man disguised as Santa Claus who thinks that he kills for good, but, in this remake, things become even deeper, while the film painted his central character as hero with a deadly flaw, instead of a psychopath. And in this balance, this is the place where the film loses its way.
Every Christmas, Billy (Rohan Campbell de Halloween ends) Puts a Santa Claus costume and kills a person every day before the holidays. He did this for years, largely inspired by the man who killed his parents in front of him when he was a child, who later possessed him. Now Billy lives with a killer in him, who talks to him about life, love, murder and more. On the run of his latest series of murders, Billy lands in a small town and is instantly in love with Pamela (Ruby Modine), which works in the local Christmas store. The two tie a friendship, then a romance, while Billy begins simultaneously to kill people around her.
Although Billy’s motivations seem to be sinister at first, we quickly learn that he and his serial killer subconscious choose the victims according to their past transgressions. They are sometimes as mean as him. Thus, as the film progresses, its ax murders are less presented as harm and more like a bad bad. The problem with this is that the film is infinitely more interesting when Billy must have trouble hiding his evil side. Looking at a masked killer like a pleasant and normal guy gives the film issues and drama. Once he removes the curtain on his true motivations, everything that disappears, and all kinds of mystery or tension just becomes to kill.
And, with this a horror film, it should be good. But Silent night, deadly night Never really attach us with his violence or his blood. That’s right. Billy sneaks, kills someone and returns to his day. A scene stands out as you actively root Billy against a particular set of characters, but for the most part, the killed are a bit fast, easy and frankly boring.
Which, unfortunately, becomes the tone of the whole film. The film lights up while Billy kills, tries to hide it in Pamela, then slowly it changes. He relies on the idea that seeing a person killing people like Santa Claus with an ax is sufficient, especially if there is a very loose story with a hint of motivation of character. But this is not the case. He becomes stingy very quickly, especially since Campbell plays exactly each facet of his character. Modine brings life and sympathy to Pamela, which is welcome, but she rarely has a lot to do. Things become a little more interesting at the end when a great mystery is wrapped, but at that time, it is difficult to forgive everything before.
I have never seen the original Silent night, deadly night (I know, I know), so it is impossible for me to compare both. What I can do is say that this remake had some good ideas, one or two decent scenes, but was far too familiar and monotonous to impress. If anything, it made me want to finally look at the original, just to see how far from the center, it had to be so disappointing.
Silent night, deadly night Had his world premiere at the Fantastic Fest 2025. He arrived in theaters on December 12.
Do you want more iO9 news? Find out when you expect the latest Marvel outings, Star Wars and Star Trek, what is the next step for the DC universe on cinema and television, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
https://gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2025/09/silent-night-deadly-night-review-1200×675.jpg