Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025) 4K UHD Review
2025’s “Silent Night, Deadly Night” is a passable slasher remake.
In this remake/reboot/reimagining/whatever you want to call it of 1984’s “Silent Night, Deadly Night,” the story puts a twist on the central premise. As a young boy, Billy sees his parents murdered by a man dressed as Santa Claus, forever traumatizing him. This time around there’s a supernatural element going on in which Billy hears the voice of someone in his head (no spoilers as to whom that is) that alerts him to kill bad people. An advent calendar also plays into these killings. Billy, who spends his time drifting from town to town, winds up in the small town of Hackett where he takes on a job at a Christmas tree shop. He meets fellow employee Pam there whom he quickly develops a relationship with. Throughout all of this, Billy continues to murder bad locals all while another murderer and abductor known as The Snatcher is on the loose in town. Can Billy catch The Snatcher? What exactly are Billy’s powers and how did he get them? Is there more to Billy’s past? All is revealed in the end.
Written and directed by Mike P. Nelson, “Silent Night, Deadly Night” is a new attempt at a franchise resurrection. Instead of going the same route as the deranged original 80’s Christmas slasher classic, this one opts for a rather strange supernatural angle which turns Billy into a sort of anti-hero killer going after criminals (think Dexter). While it’s certainly admirable to see Nelson make the movie his own as it were, it definitely veers away from what the franchise originally was. Moreover, the bizarre supernatural angle is an odd and distracting choice. Sure, it opens up other storytelling avenues (as the ending suggests), but it all feels a bit muddled especially when the answers as to what is going on come later in the picture. It feels too half baked and serves as a convenient tool to ratchet up the body count.
Given that this is a slasher, you’re probably wondering about the death scenes. Although the creative team could have done more and perhaps been a bit edgier, there’s a number of memorable moments here. The Neo-Nazi party slaughter is arguably the big highlight here.
Cast wise, Rohan Campbell (best known for the atrocious “Halloween Ends”) fares MUCH better here in the lead as Billy. Not only does he do a credible job with the dramatic character elements, but he shines in the slashing department as well. Ruby Modine (Pam) steals the show here. It will be very interesting to see where her character goes if a sequel comes to fruition.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 2.39:1 2160p. How does it look? From the Christmas decorations to the blood, this is a crisp and colorful 4K transfer.
Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? The 5.1 track hits all the right notes.
Extras (On The Blu-ray):
* Blu-ray copy
* Screambox 30 day free trial code
* Trailer
* “Silent Night, Deadly Night: Unwrapping A New Legacy”- An 11 minute featurette with film clips, cast and crew interviews, set footage and discussions about this new version.
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