Underrated Gem: Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025)

A remake that's certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes!

I don't mind horror remakes. I don't. Remakes aren't made for US, my generation. They're made for a younger generation who won't watch the originals because they're "old." Remakes often bring modern sensibilities, tech, and pacing to tried and true properties. Plus, from a studio standpoint, there's the monetary value of a brand name.

All that said, I really dug the latest horror remake of an 80's classic slasher, Silent Night, Deadly Night. While the new film follows the overall story of the original: a horrific event involving a killer in a Santa suit sends a traumatized Billy into a killing frenzy.

However, spoilers below, there are some nice twists.

The killer Santa possesses the victim and guides him to his kills and keeps him from detection. In some ways, Billy is an unwilling killer, generating some sympathy for the slasher, but it also makes him more interesting. He's not sent into a killing spree by what happened to him, but what happened to him, the trauma, is personified and is inside of him.

There are some nice touches, nice killers, and a satisfying conclusion that teases more. This movie gets it right: keeps the flavor and promise of the premise of the original, while giving us something new.

I hope the movie finds a wider audience on streaming, and maybe someday we'll get a sequel, although based on the premise, I can't see it much more than a retread — much like the original sequel.

If you didn't catch it in the theater, check it out at home. It's worth a look!

#80shorror #horror #horrormovie #slasher #horrorremake