Silent Night, Deadly Night [Film Review]

Silent Night, Deadly Night 
‍Released: December 11, 2025

Director: Mike P. Nelson
‍Starring: Rohan Campbell, Ruby Modine, David Tomlinson, Mark Acheson

Silent Night, Deadly Night received an inevitable remake. I believe we all knew that fateful garbage day would come, and that day is upon us. I entered the cinema with heightened apprehension and a pre-emptive resignation of this remake ever being good. Call me a pessimist all you like, but tell me that we haven't been burnt time and time again by remakes. Go on, I'll wait.

For those who have seen the 1984 classic directed by Charles E. Sellier Jr., you already have an idea of what the story centres around. There are clear differences which make the story unfold in a unique way, while not deviating too far from the original plot. Mike P. Nelson's 2025 remake adds a symbiotic splash of Venom into the mix, with Billy hearing a voice inside his head. Akin to Tom Hardy in the aforementioned film. I didn't know how this would pan out, but I genuinely admired how it assisted in fleshing out the story. And yes, we get the line. You know the one. 

It could've been worse. We almost got a remake from Joe Begos, whose pitch revolved around a robotic Santa gone haywire, but rejected for deviating too far from the original source material. Love a good near miss. Instead, stylistically, viewers are subjected to a film with the schlocky grittiness of exploitation films of the 1970s, by way of Tarantino-esque chapter cards and sound bites. The score was instrumental (heh) in building the film into a fully realised tale. Blitz//Berlin, best known for scoring the films of Steven Kostanski like Psycho Goreman, Frankie Freako, and Deathstalker, handled the composition duties and it worked a treat. 

The acting far exceeded my expectations. Prior to Silent Night, Deadly Night, I had only seen Rohan Campbell in Halloween Ends. Which I didn't like... at all. But anything negative I may have previously said regarding Campbell's acting skills, I take back. I'm eating my words at this point. Colour me impressed. Being the offspring of an icon must be difficult. Being labelled with the nepotism tag would totally suck. However, Ruby Modine is no Nepo Baby. Shake the very thought out of your head. Modine has chops. The contrast between Campbell's and Modine's characters is much needed to allow for the on-screen synchronicity that grows as the story progresses.

As with every film, everyone will have their opinions. Purist fans of the original are likely going to have a distaste for Nelson's remake. Those who can look past the differences are going to have a good time with this film. I had a blast. I never thought I'd say that about Mike P. Nelson's work. Not after Sweet Revenge, the Friday the 13th short film for Angry Orchard cider. I had to scrub that short film off me. Go see Silent Night, Deadly Night and have yourself a good time, dashing through the snow while Santa slays. 

Rating: 4/5

Review by Mike @ Beyond Horror @beyondhorror