Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) Discussion

Over the past month I have decided to rewatch some of my favorite Christmas horror/slasher films such as Black Christmas (1974), Christmas Evil (1980), of course Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) and it’s sequel Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 (1987). For my post this month I decided to focus on the controversy surrounding Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) upon its initial theatrical release in 1984, which helped shape the film’s legacy as a horror cult classic. I also plan on discussing what the film means to me and why I like it so much. The theatrical poster for Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) read “You’ve made it through Halloween, now try and survive Christmas,” which is funny because John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978) and the slasher boom that followed is what helped concept’s and film’s such as this to be made. While a movie about a masked killer on Halloween didn’t spark too much negative outrage, a movie about a killer dressed as Santa Claus on Christmas infuriated and upset moviegoing families of the mid 1980’s. This is most likely because Christmas is seen as a more religious holiday whereas Halloween is seen more as a fun holiday in the United States. The outrage this film caused is funny considering it was not the first film to feature a killer dressed as Santa Claus on Christmas as Christmas Evil (1980) did it first. Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) was only in theaters for seven days before being pulled as many parents were complaining about the poster, which portrayed a Santa killer with an axe, because it frightened their children. Despite the film’s relatively shortened theatrical release, it still managed to perform well at the box office and drag in a lot of ticket sales. While I was researching information about the film, I learned that the film was in theaters at the same time as A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) and even managed to outperform that film on it’s opening weekend. This is incredible and interesting to think about when you consider how big of a franchise A Nightmare On Elm Street became. If anything, it seems the parents complaining about Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) at the time actually helped the film’s high box office and video sales as we horror fans are drawn to controversy like flies to a corpse. The parent’s complaining was not the sole element of the controversy surrounding this film, however, as popular film critics like Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel negative reviews further helped the film’s legacy whether they intended to or not.

When Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert reviewed the film on their show, they sensationalized the controversy surrounding the film and even tried to publicly shame the film’s director, writer, and producer. Gene Siskel even went as far as saying the profits the film made were “blood money.” By reviewing the film in such a dramatic way, it likely attracted people to the film more to see what the fuss was about. If critics at the time were truly trying to get people to stay away from the film, they probably would have been more successful had they just stayed quiet in regards to the film. Due to the fact this film was surrounded by controversy since the beginning, Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) would go on to become a beloved holiday cult classic to many horror and slasher fans. If anything, I view the controversy as a part of enjoying what made the movie what it is. Horror and slasher film’s from the 1980’s that have controversies and parents complaining attached to them provide a special forbidden feeling when watching those types of films. You almost get the sense that you are not supposed to be watching what you are watching and this is reinforced by the sleazy and morbidly dark tone’s present in slasher films like Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984). I can imagine younger people in the 80’s getting their hands on a VHS copy of this movie somehow and having to hide it from their parents. This film, and even the poster, just has that kind of vibe to it. Speaking of VHS, that is where Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) would wind up making most of its money and is also when it became a holiday slasher fan favorite for many horror fans. It is also interesting to note that all of the sequel’s to this film were straight to video and did not receive theatrical releases. When it comes to watching and researching film’s like Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984), reading about the controversies and societal impacts keeps things interesting and helps contribute to the film’s legacy. Had the film not caused any public outrage, it may have very well faded off into obscurity.

So far I have discussed at great length how the critics and parents protesting the film positively contributed to its legacy rather than harming it. Now I would like to shift the discussion towards my feelings on the film and what it means to me. Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) is the story of a young boy, Billy Chapman, who was terrorized and traumatized in 1971 by an escaped convict dressed as Santa Claus who murdered his father, sexually assaulted and murdered his mother right before his poor very eyes. Coincidentally, earlier that evening, when visiting Billy’s mentally ill grandfather, his grandpa terrified Billy telling him “Santa Claus only brings present’s to them that’s been good all year, all the other ones, all the naughty ones he punishes.” Billy and his younger brother Ricky, who winds up being the killer in Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 (1987), are sent to live in an orphanage after the tragic murder of their parent’s. Billy is sadistically abused by Mother Superior until he reaches the age of 18 in 1984. Billy winds up getting a job at the toy store where everything goes alright until he is asked to dress as Santa Claus for kids at the toy store. At an after hours work party on that fateful Christmas Eve in 1984, Billy would wind up killing two of his co-workers after witnessing one sexually assaulting the other which triggers his post traumatic stress. He then goes on a Christmas Eve killing spree “determined to punish the naughty ones.” Why this film and Billy’s story has meaning to me is because of how ahead of its time some of the themes were. Mental illness and post traumatic stress were frowned upon topics at this point in time in the United States, but were central themes to this film ands its meaning. The film is about a boy who goes through trauma, which is not handled properly and results in his trauma negatively manifesting inside him to the point he becomes what he has always feared most, his own feared twisted perception of Santa Claus. Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) begins with a child being traumatized and ends with a room full of children being traumatized in a chain reaction of trauma. Trauma is a central element at the root of what makes the horror genre what it is and sometimes, like in Billy’s case, people’s trauma are associated with holiday’s like Christmas as it can be a stressful time for many different reasons for some folks and families. Trauma during the holidays is another part of what makes Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) such a meaningful watch during the Christmas season. Sometimes it is comforting to know you could be a lot worse off during the holiday’s like the case with Billy and his victims, those he killed and those he traumatized. In conclusion, Billy’s story teaches us how trauma can be deadly and pass onto others if not dealt with correctly.