Silent Night Deadly Night – Special Edition DVD Review

Posted by Horror Grinder on December 12, 2007

In 1984, Silent Night Deadly Night was released to a firestorm of controversy causing it to be yanked from movie screens. Twenty-three years and 4 sequels later, Anchor Bay (or now Starz) delivers the classic horror film on DVD. I, for one, do not practice any rituals or follow any traditions besides getting drunk a lot and when the holidays do creep up I am normally the last to know. However, I did try to make it a tradition to watch this film every Christmas for a while along with other great holiday themed films such as Christmas Evil, Black Christmas and the Santa Claus segment from the original Tales From the Crypt movie. So I am glad to finally have it on DVD since I never got around to picking up the original Anchor Bay Double Feature DVD release.

I am also very grateful for all the great DVD releases Anchor Bay has given us in the past, but their SNDN is nothing to write home about this Christmas. The company we grew accustomed to releasing great horror films on DVD, chock full of special features really went bare bones on this one. Die-hard fans will enjoy the audio interview (but come on, only audio?) with director Charles Sellier Jr., but besides the theatrical trailer and the reused angry mob letters that appeared on the previous DVD release, there is not much reason to buy this edition if you already own a copy. I can also let the completists and all aspergers know that there is an original cover sleeve inside, in case you want to change the new over the top cover art they chose to go with.

As for Silent Night Deadly Night the movie, I cannot believe I have anything to say about it that has not already been said before. I am a fan of the film and I could not imagine any modern horror collection without it. It is a slasher classic that is sometimes forgotten because of its holiday theme. Actually now that I think about it, it actually has most of the post-Friday the 13th “slasher clichés” we have all come to love: Traumatizing childhood event involving rape, traumatizing childhood involving an abusive adult, sex related event that triggers the killings years later, and of course teen sex…let me pause here to point out that the teen sex involves Linnea Quigley, but a post breast implant Quigley! Sorry pedophiles fans- she looks 16 or 17 in this, not 12.

The movie features enough great kills, laughable characters, and situations to tickle the truest slasher fan silly. It is also the definitive Christmas horror movie. Black Christmas may be one of the greatest, if not best slasher films, but Silent Night Deadly Night is to it as Friday the 13th is to Halloween- two great products from the true classics that started it all. This movie claimed the holiday/slasher subgenre in 1984 and I doubt it will ever be dethroned. It is about time someone started thinking about making another holiday themed horror film…Thanksgiving anyone?

Buy Silent Night, Deadly Night on DVD Here

Stabbed first by horroryearbook.com