Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT (Secret Screening #1) [Fantastic Fest 2025 - Austin, Texas]
The essence of secret screenings at Fantastic Fest is about anticipation against what actually might be showing. Secret Screening #1 this year turned out to be a remake of "Silent Night, Deadly Night" from director Michael P. Nelson. While it is more of a low budget approach per se, it does retain a certain baroque charm inherent from the original with its own spin. Rohan Campbell, known from "The Hardy Boys", plays Billy, a young man who no carries a curse that must be maintained during the advent calendar. What makes it progressive without turning into a film that cannot be maintained is the character of Charlie who lives in Billy's brain (but feels like Tom Hardy's Venom in a certain way). But where those films (in terms of Venom) went all over the place, this film is actually extremely economical and effective in its own way. Certain characters you are only given a glimpse of. This reviewer thought he saw Richard Brake and Tim Curry as certain characters which would have made a lot of sense but according to the credits was not to be. The film was shot in Winnepeg also which is also where Bob Odenkirk has shot a lot of his recent films like "Normal" and "Nobody". Campbell plays the earnestness of Billy with a kind of Scott Pilgrim reticence until the Santa suit goes on. Every kill is meant to have a reason.
The most fun one simply because of its carnage (though it is a bit silly) is a Christmas party for an interesting group of people. The irony is that you don't bring an axe to a gun fight. Ruby Modine plays his love interest Pamela who has a bit of a dark edge herself but it gives what is a serial killer film a little bit of lightness as it were so it is not depressing, grating or even bathed in anti-hero bias. Mark Acheson, known for his voice work, inhabits the voice of Charlie giving him a sense of righteousness in an otherwise dark focus of a would-be demon. Of course the Christmas setting is the overwhelming structure of this film which is set to be released at Christmas this year. It is a run romp but with low key actors that might serve its purpose for the better. The humor is just in-cheek enough to land and the situations with enough cheese to make the darker gorier elements work. It progresses in certain ways as one would expect but that is not a bad thing. Like "Happy Death Day" which Modine also starred in but with a lower concept, "Silent Night, Deadly Night" is what it wants to be while being fun to understand that the audience is there for a brief ride both for fun and a bit of thrill. B
By Tim Wassberg
