In today’s endless parade of remakes, reboots, sequels etc one franchise I don’t think anyone saw making a comeback was Silent Night, Deadly Night. For most people this series will be recognizable from that silly video where a man tries to take out the bins only for some guy to shout “garbage day” and shoot him point blank – and then laugh in a way that doesn’t sound like laughter as much as a man reciting the words “Ha-Ha-Ha”.

Beyond that delightful meme, the original Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) was an extremely controversial slasher movie. One that on opening weekend actually out-grossed A Nightmare On Elm Street, before being banned from theaters. It spawned four sequels, and like many 80’s horrors, was given a terrible 2000’s remake, as was the style at the time.

Given the forecast of a cash-grab, rehash of a cheap exploitation horror that was already remade and bombed, my hopes weren’t exactly high. But behold a Christmas miracle, it’s actually quite good.

Silent Night, Deadly Night is written and directed by Mike P.Nelson (Wrong Turn (2012), V/H/S/85) and follows the same basic premise of the original. Billy Chapman (played by Rohan Campbell of Halloween Ends) is haunted by memories of his parents’ murder by a man in a Santa suit. As Christmas approaches, he has a little too much egg nog, dons a Santa suit, and goes on a killing spree himself, guided by a helpful voice inside his head named Charlie. However, when he meets the lovely, and a little crazy, Pamela (Ruby Modine – Happy Death Day) Billy wonders if he should cull his killing ways.

This might sound like a horrible mix, combining gory exploitation horror with a Hallmark Christmas movie, but it’s genuinely a lot of fun, and not just for hardened horror fans. I don’t want to spoil the twist, but it elevates the film from schlock horror into a much better and more audience friendly outing than the original. Yes, it’s still a horror movie about a deranged Santa brutally killing people, but one with enough story, heart and intrigue that you wouldn’t slab it with a tag of “so bad it’s good” or “guilty pleasure”.

Only time will tell whether it becomes a Christmas staple, but it does deserve note as a remake that’s better than the original, and a great example that you can also remake and improve upon bad movies rather than butchering great ones. And, after all, isn’t that what Christmas is all about?

Score: 3.5/5

  • Directed by: Mike P. Nelson
  • Written by: Mike P. Nelson, Michael Hickey, and Paul Caimi
  • Starring: Rohan Campbell and Ruby Modine
  • Runtime: 1hr 36min
  • Released:  December 12, 2025

Review by Ross McCarthy, Dublin based screenwriter and stand-up comedian.

Silent Night Deadly Night Trailer