Review: Silent Night, Deadly Night — A Sharp, Stylish Reimagining

Billy Chapman returns in a fierce new reimagining of the holiday slasher classic.

REVIEW: Silent Night, Deadly Night (2024) — The Slasher Spirit Returns

Christmas keeps horror alive. Every December, the genre dusts off its blood-stained Santa suits and drops another tale of yuletide terror — but every once in a while, someone swings for tradition instead of parody. With Silent Night, Deadly Night, director Mike P. Nelson teams up with Bloody Disgusting and Cineverse for a reimagining that actually respects the 1984 classic rather than discarding it. And the result? Surprisingly sharp, surprisingly stylish, and surprisingly true to what made the original infamous.

The key to Silent Night, Deadly Night’s longevity has always been Billy Chapman — a kid traumatized by the worst Christmas encounter imaginable, growing into a Santa-suited avenger targeting the “naughty” with a fury that shaped early slasher culture. In this new version, Rohan Campbell takes on the mantle of Billy, and Nelson adds a new device to the mythology: a Venom-style inner voice named Charlie (voiced by Mark Acheson). It shouldn’t work. It should feel gimmicky. But the writing and performances balance it out, blending madness, humor, and a surprising emotional rhythm.

Ruby Modine is the film’s not-so-secret weapon. As Pamela Sims, she injects a chaotic, fully alive energy into every scene she’s in — the kind of performance that elevates the entire movie. Between her chemistry with Campbell and the throwback nods Nelson embeds throughout, this remake keeps the heart of the 1984 version intact without being a hollow recreation. It’s playful, self-aware, and charmingly mean when it needs to be.

What’s most refreshing is that Nelson doesn’t turn this into a Terrifier-style gore assault. Despite being backed by the same team that’s helped build the Terrifier empire, the film chooses tone and character over pure shock value. The kills land. The humor lands. The aesthetic lands even harder — the movie often looks like it was actually pulled out of a lost 1987 distribution cycle.

Those who caught the secret screening at Fantastic Fest last year came out buzzing, and now we understand why. Silent Night, Deadly Night isn’t trying to reinvent your holiday nightmares. It just wants to remind you why this franchise mattered in the first place — and why Billy Chapman still stands as one of the great seasonal slashers.

A smart, entertaining revival that earns its place under the tree.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Silent Night, Deadly Night is in theaters right now. Go see it with a crowd — this one plays best when the whole audience reacts together.