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A boy witnesses the murder of his parents on Christmas Eve at the hands of a man in a Santa Suit.  The boy, Billy, is put in an orphanage run by nuns and is given an incredibly strict sense of right and wrong.  Billy grows up and shortly after he turns eighteen Sister Margaret gets him a job at the local toy store.  Everything is good except some of the people are not very "good".  When Billy is forced into the role of Santa Claus for the holiday season he snaps and goes on a spree of murder and mayhem.  The naughty must be punished and there is no grey, only black and white.

This simple straightforward plotted movie is like the Carrie of slasher films.  Everybody has a pretty strong idea of what is going to happen but it is still an excellent ride full of thrills, chills, and a strong sense of the evilly demented.  The acting is excellent, the dialog strong, and the pacing perfect.  A little of the tension and wonder is lost because so many similar stories have come since, but only a little.  Silent Night, Deadly Night is one of those movies that convey a real feeling of dread.  Even though it can be easy to tell what is going to happen enough of it is mixed up and turned around to stave off boredom.

The special effects in this film are plain and simple but in such a manner that they are stunning.  They are used to good effect and exceptionally well done.  The musical score is much the same and is there strongly enough and in the right way whenever it is needed.  The lyrical soundtrack is spectacular with Christmas songs written specifically for this film.  The main song is very cool and works as both a holiday song and something to chill the audience's hearts.  The locations and sets are quite nice and perfect for the rest of the film.  Silent Night, Deadly Night is an excellent slasher, and a great horror movie.

DVD NOTES: This DVD (the only one available at this point) pairs Silent Night, Deadly Night with its sequel SN,DL Part 2.  For the first film the features include Chapter Selection, a Commentary Track, stills and other pictures, articles about the controversy surrounding the film, and a telephone interview with director Charles E. Sellier, Jr.  There is also an 8-page collector's booklet.  The film is available in an uncut format, the longest version available.  The video quality varies from scene to scene with most of the extended scenes being slightly dark and either grainy or showing faint lines.  The use of this different footage is questionable in some scenes where a short cut of the dark footage might have been better.  Still overall its pretty good for a film of its age that so many people wanted banned or nothing to do with.  The audio on this disc is typical for a film of its age but it doesn't have any faults and is consistent throughout.  Overall despite the video this is an excellent DVD for such an old and great horror classic.

( Thank you for reading my review.
Bob Male)

All ideas, opinions, and information are from the reviewer and are not representative of any company or group involved with the creators and/or staff of the materials being reviewed.