Silent Night, Deadly Night isn’t a horror film I’ve ever completely loved but considering there aren’t many great Christmas horror films out there and with some cheesy moments, it’s still a fun little 1980s flick.
Silent Night, Deadly Night
— Collector’s Edition —
(1984)
Genre(s): Horror
Shout Factor | R / Unrated – 79 min. / 85 min. – $34.93 | December 5, 2017
Date Published: 11/29/2017 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE — 3.5/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: Billy Chapman (ROBERT BRIAN WILSON), who was traumatized by his parents’ Christmas Eve murder, and then brutalized by a sadistic orphanage nun named Mother Superior (LILYAN CHAUVIN). But when grown-up Billy is to dress as jolly St. Nick, he goes on a yuletide rampage to “punish the naughty”. Santa Claus is coming to town… and this time he’s got an axe! Quick Hit Review: Ever since I originally watched Silent Night, Deadly Night a few years back, I haven’t been the biggest fan of this Christmas-oriented horror flick, never really finding it all that scary. However, taken on the cheesy level, it is incredibly fun from Lilyan Chauvin’s performance as the over-the-top and cruel nun to Robert Brian Wilson’s hysterical performance as a killer Santa Claus. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.25/5 |
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This release comes with a matted slip cover and the inner cover is reversible revealing the film’s original poster artwork. Disc One – Theatrical Version:
Disc Two – Unrated Version: Audio Commentary
Both tracks aren’t bad, though the second, and older one, is a bit better due to the number of participants and their roles, but the former, new to this release, provides some anecdotal stories on the origins of the project to Wilson’s experience filming. Slay Bells Ring: The Story of Silent Night, Deadly Night (45:51; HD) – These are new interviews with Writer Michael Hickey, Co-Executive Producers Scott Schneid and Dennis Whitehead, Editor/Second Unit Director Michael Spence, Composer Perry Botkin and Actors Robert Brian Wilson and Linnea Quigley. This is an expansive featurette providing backgrounds on how the movie came together all the way through production. Oh Deer! (21:51; HD) is a new interview with Actress Linnea Quigley. Christmas in July: Silent Night, Deadly Night Locations Then and Now (10:00; HD) is footage taken earlier this year and comparing it to back when the film was made. Unfortunately there is no host and this is the kind of film that could’ve used the “On Horror’s Hallowed Grounds” treatment… Audio Interview with Director Charles E. Sellier, Jr. (58:11; HD) – In this audio interview, conducted over the phone, Sellier answers a variety of questions. Not sure when this was recorded but it’s relatively insightful. Santa’s Stocking of Outrage (4:31; HD) is a compilation of quotes, both parental and critics, surrounding the controversy around the film’s release including one from Mickey Rooney. Poster & Still Gallery (0:58; HD) |
VIDEO – 4.0/5 |
| Silent Night, Deadly Night comes to Blu-ray through Shout Factory’s Scream line, both films presented in their original 1.85 widescreen aspect ratios and given new 1080p high-definition transfers from the original camera negative; should be noted the “Unrated Version”, since the film elements for the extra scenes were unavailable, so those inserts are in standard definition. As such, there were noticeable softness in those shots, but otherwise this does look pretty good with sharp detail and incredible and bright colors. On the downside, there were definitely plenty of dust marks, specs and scratches so it’s not entirely a clean transfer, still a more than solid upgrade over the 2010 Anchor Bay Blu-ray release. |
AUDIO – 3.75/5 |
| The disc includes a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track as well as the Shout Factory 2.0 option as well. I can’t be sure, but since it wasn’t said on the back cover, I assume this is the same or nearly the same track from the aforementioned Anchor Bay release. For what it is, the audio on this sounds fine showcasing clear dialogue levels and some modest depth when it came to ambient noises or the score. Nothing predominantly amazing or will test your surround system, but certainly acceptable. |
OVERALL – 3.0/5 |
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Overall, Silent Night, Deadly Night isn’t a horror film I’ve ever completely loved but considering there aren’t many great Christmas horror films out there and with some cheesy moments, it’s still a fun little 1980s flick. This “Collector’s Edition” release offers up some nice selection of bonus features as well as good, if not flawed, video and audio transfers. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.