Let's be honest, movie studios have released sequels and remakes almost since the advent of theaters. And while such films are basically cash grabs, aimed at driving audience interest in a movie with a key character or familiar story line, it's not always a bad thing. Remakes can take a character in a new direction and become classics, like The Thing and The Fly. Or you could get a film like 1988's The Blob, a fun update that's a perfect popcorn movie.
Of course, a third category exists, the remakes that leave you wondering why did anyone bother with it. And that's how I felt about 2012's Silent Night. I'm not saying the filmmakers didn't love the original. In fact, the homages to it, and other horror films, are plentiful and show their love of the genre. But the film doesn't do anything other than tell a similar story with more gore, bigger kills, and little else.
The film takes place in the town of Cryer, Wisconsin, as the town prepares for the annual Parade of Santas. A man is preparing his Santa suit, with a beard glued to a plastic mask, while a woman chained to a bed is pleading for her life. This opening is creepy, and had me expect a film more like Maniac than a standard slasher. But that tone is neutered when our killer heads to the basement, where her adulterous lover is tied to a chair, adorned with Christmas lights and a makeshift electric chair cap, and the film abandons the sleazy feel for over-the-top kills.
The film cuts to Deputy Aubrey Bradimore (Jaime King, My Bloody Valentine 3D, Sin City) being called into work by Sheriff Cooper (Malcolm McDowell, you know his work), as another officer hasn't shown up for his shift (wonder what could have happened to him?). Soon, Bradimore finds herself trying to find the killer Santa during the town's annual Santa Claus parade. Which means the script gives us a few red herrings as the killer continues his spree.
And, as expected, mayhem ensues.
It's obvious director Steven C. Miller and screenwriter Jayson Rothwell know and love the horror genre, as well as the original Silent Night, Deadly Night. And while it's nice to have the filmmakers involved in a remake respect the original, and the genre in general, I feel their sense of excitement in making the movie hampered their ability to create a good movie.
We have Santa with an axe. What more do we need?
Let's start with the homages, which are plentiful and become detrimental to the film. Beware, we're getting into SPOILER TERRITORY now, so skip the next six paragraphs if you want to avoid them.
It's not that the homages to the first two films in the series are bad. Of course, someone will get impaled on a hanging rack of antlers (though given the set up, I was hoping it went in a different direction), nor was the dropping of "re-imagined" dialog ("What is this, garbage day?") an issue. I didn't even mind the script turning "Naughty" to "Not Nice." But in trying to fit all the classic moments from the series, as well as other films, it's easy to feel those moments were shoe-horn those moments into the script. And without making it a part of the story, the film feels like it's just lurching from one homage to the next.
This is NOT what I meant when I said I wanted to hang around the house on Christmas!
The best example of an out-of-place homage is when Dennis (Erik J. Berg) is talking to his catatonic grandfather in a nursing home. No surprise, as Dennis takes a large wad of cash from his grandfather's wallet (more on that later), the old man awakens and warns Dennis that, should he see Santa tonight, he should run. It's a classic moment, but in the original, it made sense. It was part of the story, it had a reason for being in the film. But here, it's just wedged into the film because it's an iconic moment in the original, with no thought given on how to make the moment fit into the script.
Even worse is when the script begins adding in bits from other films. For example, we have thw pervy Reverend Madeley (Curtis Moore) hitting on Bradimore as she comes to the church to help dealing with the loss of her husband. In both Moore's performance and the dialog, it's obvious the filmmakers are paying tribute to David Hale's performance in Re-Animator. It's jarring, out of place and, sorry to say, Moore doesn't pull it off. The wood chipper scene might have you thinking of Fargo, but having the kill take place in broad daylight next to a motel neuters the effect and, honestly, isn't needed. And the film's ending will make you wonder why the filmmakers decided it was a good idea to copy one of the greatest slasher films ever made, as again, it makes no sense to the story on the screen.
Hey, a wood chipper scene helped the Coens win an Oscar. What do we have to lose?
Scenes paying tribute to the original are fine, as are moments copied from other movies the filmmakers love. It happens all the time, but I just wished the script had done a better job of fitting them into the story.
But a bigger weakness is the script gives no indication how the killer knows his victims are naughty (sorry, not nice). Sure, we know the reverend is stealing from the collection plate, we know just how bratty the teenage girl is to her mother, and we know a soft-core porn shoot is taking place in a trashy motel. But in those moments, the camera isn't acting as the killer's point-of-view, and it all takes place when no one is around. The script offers any explanation how the killer is aware of the town's dirty little secrets, he just shows up at the right place at the right time to take people out.
You can bet your ass, I'll know if you've been bad or good!
The scene with Dennis and his grandfather is another example of this problem. Sure, the theft is used to justify what happens to him, but his grandfather has been catatonic for a while, so having a wallet full of cash on his dresser makes no damn sense. It's not like grandpa is heading out later that evening. And no one sees Dennis commit the theft, so the killer shouldn't be targeting him.
But not knowing who should be on the not nice list doesn't matter, as by the middle of the film, the killer starts taking out innocent people. One could argue that Mayor Revie deserves his fate, as he broke a promise to his youngest daughter. But I think killing him because he hasn't stopped smoking is a bit of an overkill. And the police office receptionist seems guilty of little more than reading trashy magazines and spreading gossip. True, slashers tend to over-react when it comes to their victim's sins, but their actions always follow a pattern. In the original, Billy had a pattern, created by his traumatic childhood. His victims were drinking, having sex, being bullies, which would mean they need to be punished, as he was taught in the orphanage. The remake has a few moments that echo back to that element. But as the bodies pile up, this new killer Santa's victims stop being "not nice" and more innocent than the earlier victims.
END OF SPOILER ALERT.
That said, the acting is solid for a low budget film. McDowell is good at the gruff sheriff, and is King, though the script does let her character down a bit at times. The kills are as gory as an R-rating will allow, and honestly, you know you want to see Santa with a flamethrower. When the script isn't pausing for an homage scene, the story moves at a good clip and is pretty interesting. And the identity of the killer is presented in a interesting way, better than many slasher films.
It's nice that Silent Night wasn't made by people simply looking to cash in on a popular title. If you watch the special feature on the DVD, you can see the glee emanating from the filmmakers during the shoot. But the results are lackluster. Better holiday horror films, new and old are out there, and while this film isn't a lump of coal, it's not the cool gift you were hoping for under the Christmas tree.
Instead of giving you a lump of coal for being bad, this Santa will turn you into one!
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