Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025)
Santa’s gonna slay.
Silent Night, Deadly Night is the kind of reboot you brace yourself for — and then quietly enjoy more than expected. As the second remake of the infamous 1984 Christmas slasher (following the limp 2012 version, titled simply Silent Night), this new take arrives with very little goodwill … and manages to earn some of it back through confidence, tonal clarity, and an unexpectedly warm sense of festive chaos. It’s a holiday-soaked bloodbath that knows exactly what kind of movie it wants to be — and commits to it with a wicked grin. It’s not revelatory, but it is far more entertaining than anticipated. Louder, sillier, warmer, messier — and, crucially, fun.
Written and directed by Mike P. Nelson — who previously helmed the 2021 Wrong Turn reboot and directed a segment of the anthology V/H/S/85 (2023) — Silent Night, Deadly Night follows Billy Chapman (Rohan Campbell), a deeply traumatized man whose life has been shaped by a violent childhood encounter involving a man dressed as Santa Claus — a direct, unsettling echo of the original film’s core trauma. As Christmas approaches in a small American town, Billy becomes increasingly disturbed by the cruelty, hypocrisy, and moral rot he observes around him, filtering it all through a rigid, warped sense of right and wrong, reinforced by an Advent-style countdown he methodically marks as the holiday draws closer.
The story unfolds over the days leading up to Christmas as Billy embeds himself within the community, forms tentative human connections, and is gradually pulled toward violence that feels less random than ritualistic. Donning the Santa suit, he begins acting as a self-appointed judge, targeting those he believes embody the worst of humanity. Without giving away spoilers, the film doesn’t treat Billy as a one-note slasher villain. Instead, he’s framed as a deeply damaged anti-hero, with his violence driven by trauma, obsession, and a warped moral code rather than random bloodlust. The familiar premise is reshaped into a darker, more satirical take on Christmas horror, and the film’s blunt, dramatic ending brings Billy’s journey to a decisive head — while very openly setting the stage for what could come next.
Rohan Campbell anchors the film as Billy, delivering a performance that balances vulnerability, menace, and unsettling sincerity. Just as important is Ruby Modine as Pamela ‘Pam’ Sims, who emerges as a genuinely three-dimensional co-lead rather than a disposable slasher archetype. Offbeat, empathetic, and quietly strange in her own way, Pam feels like a true kindred spirit to Billy — someone who understands him rather than attempts to fix him. Their connection gives the film an emotional throughline that most slashers never bother to attempt.
Beyond the central performances, Mark Acheson plays Charlie, the janitor whose actions set key events in motion and who, in this version, carries the unsettling ‘Shotgun Santa’ presence onscreen. David Lawrence Brown appears as Mr. Sims, Pam’s father and the owner of the Christmas shop where Billy finds work, adding tension and small-town texture to the story. Then there’s Sharon Bajer who portrays Delphine Anderson, one of the town’s eccentric residents, giving another distinctive, playful note to the ensemble. Together, they round out the cast with colorful, often heightened turns that lean into the film’s stylistic swings without tipping it into outright parody.
Tonally, the movie walks a strange but surprisingly effective line. There’s a genuine Hallmark-channel warmth baked into the narrative — seasonal sincerity, small-town familiarity, earnest conversations about family and belonging — constantly undercut by bursts of gleeful, unapologetic violence. Rather than clashing, the contrast becomes the film’s defining charm. It feels like a cosy Christmas movie that just happens to get messy.
The kills are where the film truly flexes. They’re zany, deliberately staged, and treated as vivid set pieces with their own identity rather than disposable slasher filler. Nelson and his team clearly understand that modern slashers live or die on creativity, and the film leans confidently into dark humor and genre playfulness to keep the momentum sharp. One sequence in particular — set during a secret neo-Nazi Christmas party — stands out as the film’s high point. It’s outrageous, cathartic, and unapologetically brutal, balancing pitch-black humor with crowd-pleasing satisfaction. It’s the moment where the film’s moral stance, tonal confidence, and sense of fun fully lock into place.
Aesthetically, the film leans hard into stylized Christmas horror with a clear nod to ’70s and ’80s slashers. Snow-dusted streets, warm holiday lighting, and cozy interiors create an almost greeting-card-ready backdrop that’s repeatedly punctured by bursts of violence and dark humor. One of the film’s smartest visual flourishes comes in the form of playful kill title cards, which introduce each major death like twisted festive vignettes — a throwback to the era when slashers treated kills as set pieces rather than afterthoughts. The approach gives the film a cheeky, self-aware rhythm, part countdown and part punchline, helping each kill feel like an event rather than background carnage. It’s a small stylistic touch, but one that reinforces the film’s tone beautifully, balancing old-school slasher energy with modern sensibilities.
By the time the credits roll, Silent Night, Deadly Night ’25 has done something quietly unexpected: it’s made itself easy to recommend. It won’t convert skeptics or redefine Christmas horror, but it’s stronger than the 2012 remake, bolder than many modern horror revivals, and confident enough to tease a future without demanding one. It’s not the star on top of the tree — but it’s far from a holiday write-off, delivering a solid slice of seasonal carnage that proves this franchise still has some life left in its stocking.
3 / 5 – Good
Reviewed by Stu Cachia (S-Littner)
Silent Night, Deadly Night is released through Studio Canal Australia
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