The Christmas carnage on display in Terrifier 3 will continue next year thanks to Brad Miska and Brandon Hill from Cineverse, who are overseeing the newly announced reimagining of one of the most infamous holiday horror films in history: Silent Night, Deadly Night. Released in 1984 by TriStar Pictures, the horror flick featured Robert Brian Wilson in the role of Billy, a young adult who – when just a child – witnessed the murder of his parents by a man dressed as Santa Claus. He’s placed in an orphanage, taught that punishment is good, and grows up to become the very thing that traumatized him. The ’80s were great, weren’t they?
Per Deadline, the reboot of Silent Night, Deadly Night is being written and directed by Mike P. Nelson (Wrong Turn, V/H/S/85), with original producers Scott Schneid and Dennis Whitehead also along for the ride. Miska and Hill will supervise things on Cineverse’s end, who are distributing the movie following the success of Damien Leone’s recent installment in his Terrifier series, which brought in more than $72 million at the box office to become the highest-grossing unrated film in history. In a statement released by Hill, he says that the success of Terrifier 3 proves that there’s a market for more indie horror films like Silent Night, Deadly Night, which he calls himself a “huge fan” of.
“I have always been a huge fan of
Silent Night, Deadly Night
and can’t wait to bring Mike’s vision to fellow fans of iconic slashers. As we have seen this year, there continues to be incredible demand for independent horror films with bite, and we believe this can deliver strong audiences from theatrical to home entertainment and streaming.”
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Nelson echoed those thoughts in a statement of his own, in which he recalled seeing the poster for Silent Night, Deadly Night when he was only five years old. It clearly left a lasting impact on the director (as did the movie itself), and for him to get the chance to recreate it all these years later is something he said is a great “honor.”
“The opportunity to work with producers involved with the original
Silent Night, Deadly Night
and to partner with the
Terrifier 3
team is an honor. I’ll never forget walking into the video store at the mini mall when I was 5 and seeing that poster for the original film. I was in awe and started imagining what horrifying things would happen. To be a part of the film’s legacy many years later is insane! I’m looking forward to getting production underway, and unleashing my new take on this compelling story. Billy is back!”
Silent Night, Deadly Night Only Lasted Two Weeks In Theaters Thanks to Protests
Despite there being a number of Christmas-themed horror films before it, Silent Night, Deadly Night was heavily targeted by protesters upon its release, thanks in part to the marketing campaign by TriStar, which featured TV commercials and posters of a killer Santa that drew the ire of parents across the nation. They complained that the commercials caused their kids to tremble in fear at the sight of jolly old Saint Nick, who had always been a beacon of goodwill and cheer up until that point. TriStar pulled its advertisements six days after release, and the entire movie from theaters shortly thereafter, but not before it managed to out-gross another legendary horror film: A Nightmare on Elm Street.
In its opening weekend, Silent Night, Deadly Night managed to take in $1.4 million, while Wes Craven’s classic was only able to register $1.2 million, though it should be noted that A Nightmare on Elm Street was only shown in 165 theaters compared to the 398 of Charles E. Sellier, Jr.’s movie. Still, that’s quite an accomplishment when you consider how the two films have been regarded over the years, with Craven’s obviously becoming a part of pop culture thanks to Robert England’s performance as Freddy Krueger.
Still, Silent Night, Deadly Night has become a classic in its own right, spawning four sequels and a 2013 remake. With the same team behind Terrifier now involved in the latest reboot, we can’t wait to see everyone’s reaction next year when it hits theaters, which will undoubtedly cause some people to scream, “Won’t someone think of the children?!”
- Release Date
- November 9, 1984
- Director
- Charles E. Sellier Jr.
- Cast
- Lilyan Chauvin , Gilmer McCormick , Toni Nero , Robert Brian Wilson