Silent Night (2012)

Silent Night: Directed by Steven C. Miller. With Malcolm McDowell, Jaime King, Donal Logue, Rick Skene. The police force of a remote Midwestern town search for a killer Santa Claus who is picking off citizens on Christmas Eve.

“A pretty straightforward remake of the sicko seasonal 1984 classic u0026quot;Silent Night, Deadly Nightu0026quot;, this is all just insane enough, mean-spirited enough, and sadistic enough, to tickle genre fans looking for a no-fooling-around good time. Filmed in my own home province of Manitoba, in Canada, itu0026#39;s actually set in Wisconsin, as a demented moralizer dressed in Santa Claus garb is hellbent on punishing the naughty – insufferable brats, pornographers, slutty teens, everyone is fair game. A young police deputy (the lovely Jaime King) whou0026#39;s not sure sheu0026#39;s cut out to be an officer of the law is among those following the mutilated corpses that Psycho Santa is leaving in his wake. Die hard horror fans will relish the high body count and the plethora of practical gore; digital bloodshed is kept to a minimum. Theyu0026#39;ll also be happy with the amount of female skin on display; Courtney-Jane White, playing Tiffany, is a real looker, but itu0026#39;s Cortney Palm as porno actress Maria who delivers a pleasing dose of extended gratuitous nudity. Palm also figures in what has to be the highlight of the piece. I wonu0026#39;t say too much, but letu0026#39;s just say itu0026#39;s similar to something that happens in the Coen brothersu0026#39; u0026quot;Fargou0026quot;. Commendably, none of this is ever played TOO seriously, and fans of the original u0026quot;Silent Night, Deadly Nightu0026quot; parts 1 and 2 will love the nods to memorable sequences and lines from those two films. This makes for good no-brainer entertainment, and itu0026#39;s done with a reasonable amount of slickness; note the lighting and the atmospheric quality of the final showdown with Aubrey and the killer. Itu0026#39;s also worth a mention how the filmmakers are willing to slaughter the younger members of the cast. Director Steven C. Miller keeps the action flowing, and the cast gives this a great effort. King, whou0026#39;d pulled remake duty in u0026quot;My Bloody Valentine 3-Du0026quot; as well, is winning in the lead, and veteran Malcolm McDowell is a total hoot as her macho, posturing sheriff. Donal Logue as cynical Santa performer Jim, Ellen Wong as dispatcher Brenda, Lisa Marie as Mrs. Morwood, and Brendan Fehr as ill-fated deputy Jordan round out a good group of actors. The only real complaint on this viewersu0026#39; part is that thereu0026#39;s no wintertime feel to any of this. Would it have killed the filmmakers to at least have SOME snow on the ground? Overall, though, not bad. Seven out of 10.”