Let's get things started by diving in precisely where the film picks up: an unknown assailant is preparing himself for the day -- shaving, getting dressed, putting on a slightly modified Santa Claus costume...you know, the usual. And then we immediately get into the nitty gritty with an over-the-top opening kill that really serves no purpose nor sets any kind of tone that the film would follow.
Our main protagonist is Deputy Bradimore, played by the beautiful Jaime King, accompanied by yet another hero/asshole character by Malcolm McDowell. On a side note: though Malcolm's character description is very similar to that of his Loomis character in Rob Zombie's Halloween and Halloween II, the two roles are actually quite different and I rather enjoyed McDowell in Silent Night.
We never really get to know any other character in the film enough to actually care if they live or die, but it's whatever, I suppose. In my oh-so-expert opinion, the appearance of the killer Santa more than makes up for the lack of character development. Just sick (see pic below).
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| Silent Night (2012) |
Silent Night is brutal...very brutal.
The pacing of the film is a bit off but it doesn't really distract you from the movie. There are a few red herrings thrown in here and there, especially an entertaining performance from Donal Logue (TV's Grounded for Life). But at the end of the day, I didn't care who the killer was. This movie never felt like it was a mystery who-dun-it, but yet it desperately tried to be. And that's really the only flaw or nitpick I have with Silent Night. I would've rather not discovered the identity of the killer, leaving the door open for a, yes, mystery filled sequel (sue me).
My final thoughts: I definitely recommend this movie to those who are either genre fanatics or enjoy holiday themed slashers. It would also make a good Wintery night popcorn flick. If anything, see it for the look of the killer -- yes, I like it THAT much...I think I found next year's Halloween costume.