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Silent Night, Deadly Night

Play trailer Poster for Silent Night, Deadly Night R 1984 1h 19m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
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55% Tomatometer 31 Reviews 40% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
An orphan raised by nuns (Lilyan Chauvin, Gilmer McCormick) grows up to be a killer toy-store Santa Claus.
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Silent Night, Deadly Night

Critics Reviews

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Matthew Rozsa Salon.com 10/31/2021
3.5/4
Buried beneath the blood-soaked Santa suit, "Silent Night, Deadly Night" has something a lot of slasher films lack - a unique identity, and thus cult film status. Go to Full Review
Anton Bitel Little White Lies 11/09/2020
if his eventual explosion delivers all the by-numbers cat & mouse and multitool culling that is expected of thesubgenre, it is his personal psychodrama which keeps us engaged with what is as much a human tragedy as a succession of sensational thrills Go to Full Review
Richard Corliss TIME Magazine 11/29/2018
We're not knocking the transformation of a hallowed holiday figure into a homicidal maniac...it's the pleasure Billy and the movie take in leering at, then dicing up young women that lands Charles E. Sellier Jr.'s sicko Santa on our worst list. Go to Full Review
Chance Solem-Pfeifer Willamette Week 4d
It really is the movie’s fearlessly exploitive emotional and physical violence that cements its all-time placement in the Evil Santa canon. Go to Full Review
Bryce Hanson Horror Movie Talk Aug 6
9/10
Silent Night, Deadly Night is the best version of this movie that I can imagine. The script is way tighter than it needs to be in terms of setting up and executing the major moving pieces of the plot. Go to Full Review
Preston Barta Denton Record-Chronicle Jan 23
The film is infamous for its blend of holiday cheer and brutal violence, exploring themes of trauma, abuse, and the darkness that can lie beneath festive surfaces, all while maintaining a sense of humor and not taking itself too seriously. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Alan P 2d I see why this has cult status. It's very '80s and not at all bad for that. The story is different in that we follow the killer through his childhood and then into his night of killing. In terms of backstory, the writer clearly tried to create a reason for his psychotic break (but hey, it's an 80's slasher, don't expect too much) - I very much enjoyed it as a throwback movie. Pretty tame compared to today's standards and things like the Terrifier. See more Ian H 3d Surprisingly graphic, Cormanesque schlock. Enjoyable if dated See more Rick B Dec 14 Slasher movie with a story. Loved it. At first I thought it was slash and kill but as the story unfolded there were glimpses of something going on...it was an entertaining movie. See more thiago s @Thiagostone Dec 10 Filme mais ou menos para fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são mais ou menos para fraco, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom, o cara se ferra desde de criança e ele morre, mas o papai Noel que matou seus pais, e a madre superiora não morreram vai se fude. See more Amor A @Cinemalover_09 Dec 9 O filme força em coisas que não precisavam como a violência extrema, até mesmo pros padrões de filmes slashers da época. O roteiro é raso e somente no início parece que vai ser algo interessante. Porém quando termina o primeiro ato vira somente um show de mortes. Mas também tem coisas boas como a trilha sonora que mistura elementos de natal com suspense. A ambientação é muito boa e remete muito bem ao natal. É um filme bom? Não completamente mas vale assistir. See more DanTheMan 2 Dec 9 Nothing relieves the pressure of a heavy Christmas dinner like an axe to the chest. See more Read all reviews
Silent Night, Deadly Night

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Movie Info

Synopsis An orphan raised by nuns (Lilyan Chauvin, Gilmer McCormick) grows up to be a killer toy-store Santa Claus.
Director
Charles E. Sellier Jr.
Producer
Ira Barmak
Screenwriter
Paul Caimi, Michael Hickey
Distributor
TriStar Pictures, Paragon Video, Live Video, USA Films
Production Co
TriStar Pictures
Rating
R
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 9, 1984, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 30, 2016
Runtime
1h 19m
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