SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT PART 2, the 1987 sequel to the psycho Santa slasher SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT is a card-carrying cult classic. Although about half of the film is merely recut footage from the original film, the rest of the flick is pure campy gold, including the instant classic "garbage day" scene, which became a popular YouTube meme in the mid-2000's. This is all thanks to the balls-to-the-wall performance by Eric Freeman as Ricky Caldwell, the younger brother of Billy, the killer from the original film.
Freeman's mysterious aura doesn't stop at being at the helm of this strange as hell film (which includes a death by umbrella). For years, he hid from the public eye, leading to an increasingly popular Facebook group known as Finding Freeman dedicated to locating his whereabouts. It wasn't until very recently that he came out of the shadows and acknowledged the film's cult popularity.
In fact, he's gone even further than that. He's written a script to a sequel. In an announcement video, during which – in that enigmatic Freeman style – he disguises himself as a man named "Damon Michaels" who has had a chance to "look over the script," he outlines the details for the film, which would be titled SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT: RICKY UNHINGED.
Freeman is currently shopping the script around Hollywood, and according to the Finding Freeman member Scott Pearlman, who is currently filming a documentary about Freeman and who has read the script:
Eric put a lot of care into it creating a very logical and satisfying way for Ricky to return and evolve. It’s not a slasher film per se which may turn hardcore fans off but it truly respects the character and takes him in a different direction while paying homage to what came before. If I had to describe it its like a blend of North By North West and the Fugitive fused with Death Wish and set in the Silent Night, Deadly Night universe. It’s also hyper violent, which is a must have of course.
Watching this story unfold is utterly fascinating and strange, much like the experience of watching SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT PART 2 for the very first time. Basically, anything to do with Eric Freeman is fraught with a mystifying otherworldly feeling that you're dealing with somebody who is slightly to the left of reality, which is frankly perfect for the horror genre.
According to a glimpse of the script's first page from "Damon's" video:
This story was written as a natural progression of the character Ricky Caldwell from 1987’s Silent Night, Deadly Night 2. That movie came to a climax with a bloody carnage-laden rampage and the death of Mother Superior and Ricky Caldwell being shot. Twenty five years have elapsed and Caldwell is a patient at Waverly Psychiatric Hospital. He is seemingly normal, but things quickly go awry when a body is found in Caldwell’s room. This script can be a sequel to SNDN 2 or as a standalone movie with no tie-in whatsoever. Obviously, there is a monetary advantage of having a huge built-in fan base from the cult hit movie.”
Obviously, SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT: RICKY UNHINGED is not currently in production, but I have every finger crossed that some daredevil producer picks it up, because this film might just be the cult movie to end all cult movies. Check out Damon's exquisitely bizarre announcement below, as well as the infamous "Garbage Day" clip!