Whilst Christmas is a time of celebration and family for many, it can also be a truly horrific experience. Especially if you’ve been naughty. In the West we’re brought up with the legend of a benevolent Santa Claus, but that’s not how the smiling bearded figure started out. Indeed, he was initially used as a device to make children behave themselves. With that in mind, Charles E. Sellier Jr.’s Silent Night, Deadly Night puts the axe back in Xmas.
As young children, Billy and his younger brother Ricky witness the murder of their parents by a man dressed as Santa. They’re placed in an orphanage run by a disciplinarian Mother Superior (Lilyan Chauvin) where the elder struggles to deal with his trauma. In Silent Night, Deadly Night we follow the now eighteen-year-old Billy (Robert Brian Wilson) who is working in the stockroom of a toy store. Things are looking up until we get to Christmas and he snaps. In Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 we accompany an adult Ricky (Eric Freeman), who is being held in a mental hospital after being sentenced to life for a spree of murders. He recounts his story and what triggered this violence.
Although Silent Night, Deadly Night can be accused of being a little on the nasty side, there’s no doubting that watching Billy punish bad people is bloody good fun. However, this is probably not one for all those good boys and girls out there. Lee Harry’s sequel, which re-uses forty minutes of footage from the original, tries something different but essentially is a less-successful. It tries to rail against the meanness of its predecessor but is only partly successful; creating a strange tone. However, if you’re after a seasonal slasher, you could do a lot worse than check this set out. It certainly doesn’t take itself seriously!
Special features:
- Limited edition booklet, includes Santa’s Watching, Santa’s Creeping by Sarah Appleton and ‘Silent Night, Festive Fright’ An interview with Morgan Ames
- Rigid slipcase featuring newly commissioned artwork by Keith Robinson
Disc one
- Theatrical Version: 4K scan of the original camera negative
- R-Rated Theatrical Trailer & VHS Trailer
- TV Spots
- Radio Spot
Disc two
- Extended Unrated Version: 4K scan of the original camera negative with standard definition inserts
- Slay Bells Ring: The Story of Silent Night, Deadly Night – Featuring interviews with writer Michael Hickey, co-executive producers Scott J. Schneid and Dennis Whitehead, editor/second unit director Michael Spence, composer Perry Botkin and actor Robert Brian Wilson
- Oh Deer! – An interview with Linnea Quigley
- Christmas in July – Silent Night, Deadly Night Locations – Then and Now
- Audio commentary with actor Robert Brian Wilson and co-executive producer Scott J. Schneid
- Audio commentary with Michael Hickey, Perry Botkin, Scott J. Schneid and Michael Spence Audio interview with director Charles E. Sellier, Jr. from Deadpit Radio (Extended Version)
- Santa’s Stocking of Outrage
- Poster and Still Gallery
Disc three
- 2K Scan of an archival theatrical print
- Audio commentary with director Lee Harry, and actors Eric Freeman and James Newman
- Slay Bells Ring Again: The Story of Silent Night, Deadly Night 2 – Featuring interviews with co-writer/director Lee Harry, Actors Eric Freeman, James Newman, Elizabeth Kaitan, Darrel Guilbeau and Kenny McCabe, and makeup effects artist Christopher Biggs
- Garbage Days Are Here Again A Look at the Film s Locations
- Ricky Today – A short film featuring a 2018 interview with Ricky Caldwell
- I Don’t Sleep – An extended interview with makeup effects artist Christopher Biggs
- Audio commentary by co-writer/director Lee Harry, co-writer Joseph H. Earle, and actor James Newman
- Theatrical Trailer
Silent Night, Deadly Night 1 & 2 is released on Blu-ray by 101 Films on 9 November.
