Silent Night, Deadly Night came out in 1984 to a wave of angry protests. Parents and conservatives from all over were appalled and angry that the movie even existed.
However, what is Silent Night, Deadly Night trying to really say? Is it simply an example of exploitation supplanted onto the holiday season? Or were there other meanings that were being dug up from this movie's narrative? While the film is an exciting slasher movie--and I highly enjoyed the the entire movie (my favorite scene was the sledding kill)--I personally found some deeper themes that concern how the concept of religion interacts not only with the holiday season but also with a child's psyche.
Billy and his parents leave the asylum but stop when they see a man dressed as Santa in the road. They pull over to the side only to be attacked by the man. He kills the father and almost rapes the mother before killing her too. All this happens while Billy hides in the bushes and watches.
Billy is sent to an orphanage run by nuns where he is constantly punished for being bad. The mother superior sees his trauma as a problem that simply needs to be broken. She tells Billy that he is bad and naughty and that punishment is good.
Years later Billy is grown up and gets a job at a toy store. Everything seems okay until the store owner asks him to dress as Santa for the children. This brings back all the trauma and Billy snaps. He believes he is Santa and starts killing everyone who is naughty or sinful.
Possibly the most interesting faucet that takes places in Billy psyche is the influence of religion on his mind. Billy has experience great trauma as a child. Religion and Christianity, in theory, are supposed to help him work through and overcome this trauma. However, as we see so often in modern christian culture, religion instead acts as a form of guilt and shaming. It ends up hindering far more than helping. Religion so often emphasis punishment and shame over charity and hope.
Despite the anger and protests around Silent Night, Deadly Night, the movie speaks truths about religion and the holiday season. Sometimes the greatest evil is spawned from the greatest good. The two elements go hand in hand. Christmas is a time of joy, hope, and giving. However, these themes so frequently emphasize the greed, lust, and harshness of the world around us. This is exactly why Christmas horror films--especially Silent Night, Deadly Night, are so important. Billy, just like any good tragic figure, shows the audience the potential dark side in every human--in every seemingly happy situation.
The horror genre is important to our culture, cinema, and literature because it emphasizes the potential darkness in life. It points out the flaws in humanity. Ultimately, it helps us face our fear and face ourselves.
Summing it Up
Deaths: 12
Language: 4
Gore Factor: 3
Sex Factor: 4
Scare Factor: 3
Fun Factor: 4
Overall Rating: 5