Silent Night, Deadly Night

Directed by Mike P. Nelson, Silent Night, Deadly Night follows Rohan Campbell’s Billy Chapman as he embarks on a Christmas-related killing spree in the aftermath of his parents’ murder (at the hands of a man dressed as Santa Claus). Filmmaker Nelson, armed with his own screenplay, delivers a mostly underwhelming endeavor that fares especially poorly within its low-rent and hopelessly uninvolving first half, as the picture, which suffers from as lackluster and unappealing a visual sensibility as one can easily recall, has been saddled with a repetitive midsection that’s rarely, if ever, as compelling as Nelson has intended – with the impact of certain seemingly foolproof scenarios (eg Billy’s bloody encounter with a barnful of Nazis) dulled by shaky camerawork and frustratingly dim lighting. It’s clear, then, that Silent Night, Deadly Night benefits from a comparatively enthralling third act that veers off in decidedly unexpected directions (and satisfactorily explains the relentless narration from Billy’s inner voice), which, though not quite enough to compensate for the ineffectiveness of that opening hour, ultimately does confirm the movie’s place as an erratic piece of work that falls right in line with its equally hit-and-miss 1984 predecessor.

** out of ****