With Christmas just around the corner, ’tis the season for another great holiday fright to get the blood pumping, and writer-director Mike P. Nelson is here to deliver just that with his reimagining of the classic horror thriller Silent Night, Deadly Night, in theatres this weekend.
While Nelson’s take on a Santa suit wearing serial killer offers up clever nods and homages to the controversial 1984 film that shocked audiences everywhere (and even a silly reference to its much memed sequel), and plenty of axe wielding gore, his version of Silent Night, Deadly Night proves to be a deeper, more unusually thoughtful exercise.
Rohan Campbell stars as Billy, a traumatized serial killer drifter who has found his way to the small town of Hackett five days before Christmas. Guided by the voice in his head (provided by legendary Canadian voice actor Mark Acheson), Billy follows a deadly advent calendar in the days leading up to Christmas, punishing and murdering one naughty evildoer every night until the big day (after which he can presumably rest for a bit, just like good ol’ Saint Nick). He looks normal, if a bit awkward, and settles into a job at a quaint little gift shop run by a kindly father/daughter duo. Billy develops a crush on the daughter, Pamela (Ruby Modine), who has secrets and rage issues of her own. As Christmas Eve grows closer, Billy realizes there’s a lot of darkness in this town, including creepy old men, child abductors, and even some Nazis. But as his attraction to Pamela grows, Billy thinks it might be time to put his axe down, which could lead to unforeseeable consequences for those close to him.
We talked with Nelson this week from his holiday decorated home to talk about how he deviates from the original Silent Night, Deadly Night, the feelings one gets from Christmas movies, and working in Canada where plenty of cast and crew members are familiar with yuletide cinema.
Silent Night, Deadly Night hits theatres everywhere on Friday, December 12, 2025.
