Last year I watched a bunch of Christmas horror movies (read about it here and here). I didn't watch nearly as many this year, but I thought I'd concentrate on the continuation of the Silent Night, Deadly Night series, which does continue... for better or for worse. You better watch out.
Why Christmas horror? I don't hate Christmas. Really, I don't. But it's all ... a bit much, at least here in the US. Too much pressure to have perfect holiday experiences. Too much time with too many people, all the more horrific because of the pandemic these days. Too much food. Too much gaudy decorations. Too much nonsensical traditions. Too much... just too much. And don't get me started on those Hallmark Christmas movies... yikes.
Okay, maybe I'm a quasi-Scrooge. I admit it's a bit of a relief when it's all over. But at least there's one good thing about not going anywhere these days due to the pandemic: I don't have to hear the same Christmas music in public on repeat for weeks on end.
So Christmas horror to me is a way to make sense of the horrors lurking underneath the jolly exterior of this holiday season. And if you think about it, that's what horror does best, because human existence has its share of horrors even (especially?) during the season of peace on Earth and goodwill toward men.
Silent Night, Deadly Night 1 and 2 (recap)
A recap from last year...
I couldn’t remember if I had seen the first one. Luckily the extensive use of stock footage from the first movie meant that it didn’t matter much if I remembered the first one (seriously, almost half the movie is footage from part one). Ricky’s parents were killed by a wandering criminal dressed as Santa, which seriously messed up him and his brother. His brother was the focus of part one, but this time it’s Ricky’s time to shine as he’s interviewed in a psychiatric hospital. The structure of the plot with all the flashbacks is surprisingly complex, and I suppose there’s something about childhood trauma. But most of all I was pleased that this one delivers the 80’s silliness I was missing from the other 80’s entries on this list, including some memorable one-liners (“Oh, it’s garbage day!”). Unfortunately you also get 80’s movies’ attitudes about sexual assault and homophobia.
Silent Night, Deadly Night 3 (1989)
The murderer from the previous film is in a psychiatric institution and has some sort of weird transparent helmet so you can see his brain with a bunch of fluid sloshing around. Weird. And he has some sort of psychic connection with a woman named Laura. Even weirder, but why not? And some other stuff happens, I guess, but it's all really an excuse for a slasher movie where the killer wears a Santa suit. The last scene is delightfully cheesy, but honestly this is probably my least favorite of the bunch even though it is the most connected to the earlier films.
Silent Night, Deadly Night 4 (1990)
The fourth installment in the series is a direct follow up to... just kidding. This one basically has nothing to do with the previous films, although I think there was a brief shot of Part 1 or 2 on a TV screen (thus continuing the tradition of using stock footage).
That said, this was probably my favorite of the bunch. Our protagonist is a reporter in Los Angeles who faces discrimination from her boorish male colleagues. She investigates a strange suicide, and gets involved in... some sort of bizarre coven of women who own a used bookstore and have delightful picnics in the park. And Clint Howard shows up in a weird role even for him. There's a reason this movie was titled Bugs in the UK, but the less I say about that, the better.
A detailed feminist reading of this movie would be fascinating, although the coven ends up being weirdly evil instead of empowering (or maybe not? I'm not sure.) Anyway, when you find out what the coven is doing and how they do it, it's problematically bonkers as cults in horror movies tend to be. Is this a good movie? Maybe not. But it's at least interesting.
Silent Night, Deadly Night 5 (1991)
The fifth movie is perhaps most notable in that it stars... Mickey Rooney? You know, the biggest box office draw of 1939-1941?
Rooney plays a toy store owner down on his luck and with the sort of tragicomic alcoholism often portrayed in films. This one is also related to Part 4, and it includes small roles from a few of the same actors like Neith Hunter and Clint Howard. And a delightful little toy called Larry the Larvae that's sure to be on every kid's Christmas list.
Anyway, wouldn't you know it? The toys are killing people! And fun holiday horror kills ensue. There's some other stuff, of course, but it's all worth it for Mickey Rooney on a homicidal rampage in a Santa suit.
And there you have it! I also rewatched the original 1974 Black Christmas, and I may watch a few more Christmas horror movies. Wish this quasi-Scrooge luck.
Merry Malevolent Christmas, and Happy Horrific Holidays!
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