Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025) returns as a revitalised ’80s classic reimagined for a modern audience. It puts a fresh take on the central character while staying true to the franchise’s violent legacy. Billy Campbell emerges as the anti-hero we didn’t know we needed, and Rohan Campbell (Halloween Ends) delivers a genuinely strong performance in the title role, with supporting performances from Ruby Modine (Happy Death Day 2), who gives her own unhinged performance as Pamela and Mark Acheson (Elf) as the voice of Charlie.
The film adopts a vibe reminiscent of Upgrade/ Venom, featuring a character with a split-body, dual-personality dynamic that works surprisingly well. Stylistically, it’s a full-on love letter to Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. The abrupt cuts to red right before each kill give the movie a gritty, grindhouse aesthetic, and the low-budget horror vibe is a real selling point and something I personally enjoyed a lot.
Something the film also tries to do is play with your expectations around the victims. At first, you’re left questioning why Billy targets certain people; on the surface, they seem relatively normal, even nice. However, as the film delves deeper into their lives and personalities, you begin to see their true natures. Some of them are genuinely awful individuals, with one character even being revealed as a Nazi—something that’s definitely not apparent at first glance. It’s a clever twist, because the film could easily have been sold as “Billy is the slasher, Billy is the monster,” when in reality the real monsters are the ones hiding in plain sight.
There are still some writing issues. A few scenes, especially those dealing with backstory and motivations, would have landed better if they appeared earlier. Instead, we’re thrown into the story immediately with a pretty shocking and disgusting opening. Fans of the Terrifier films will feel right at home, as this comes from the same production company, and that influence is felt all the way through.
Overall, I had a great time with this film. There are some unexpected laughs, not in a bad way, but in an “oddly satisfying” way—particularly when watching Billy take out certain characters. One major standout is the purposeful nature of the kills; this isn’t a traditional random body-count slasher. Every kill has a motive, reinforcing the anti-hero angle.
I especially liked the inner monologues from Charlie and his conversations with Billy, as well as Billy’s relationship with Pam, which is both engaging and surprisingly grounded. Billy is portrayed as a reluctant, down-on-his-luck guy, and the film smartly ties this back to his childhood, weaving it throughout the narrative. If you are a fan of 80s practical horror death, you will get a massive kick from this, as there is some truly disgusting imagery portrayed on the screen. There is a particular scene with a head being smashed in and a nose that even I had to question how they were able to achieve this with practical effects.
In the end, Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025) is a bloody, fun sleigh ride. If you’re looking for a Christmas slasher to counter all the overly cheerful Hallmark-style holiday releases, this is a brutal, entertaining alternative, and one I’d definitely recommend.
★★★
In U.K. Cinemas on December 12th / Rohan Campbell, Ruby Modine, Mark Acheson/ Dir. Mike P. Nelson/ Studiocanal UK/ 18
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