Remaking classic ‘80s schlock is about as clichéd as one can get these days—it happens so often that it’s hard to bat an eye at them anymore. There’s the good (MY BLOODY VALENTINE), the bad (BLACK CHRISTMAS), and… well, the real f*ckin’ ugly (A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET), and everything in between. I used to be enraged at every remake announcement, as if each one was a personal attack on my childhood or my love for the genre. But now, after been jaded for so many years with such outrage, I’m pretty f*cking numb to the idea, and every once in awhile, a project comes along that sounds f*cking awesome—and SILENT NIGHT is one of them!
SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT is one harsh, brutal, nasty, fun, and overall entertaining slasher flick that also doubles as one of the better Christmas-themed horror flicks out there. I love me some SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT! But that’s not to say that it’s not a flawed film—it’s flawed seven ways to Sunday, which also adds to the fun of the whole thing. So the idea of a remake of the flick which has a deranged killer dressed up as Santa Claus knocking off people left and right has me… stoked! We need more Christmas horror flicks, and what better way than to modernize such an awesomely ingenious idea (a killer Santa? You can’t make this shite up! Or can you…?).
But it’s not just the idea that’s shaping up to be awesome, it’s the film itself. For starters, it’s not Platinum Dunes at the wheel. Always a plus when PD aren’t involved! Then there’s the cast so far. Malcolm MacDowell is on board, who showed us he can rock the genre with his presence in Rob Zombie’s HALLOWEEN movies. Throw him in some horror and I’m there! Then there’s the main lead… Jaime King… what hotter and more talented actress can the horror genre call her own than King? She starred in the before mentioned MY BLOODY VALENTINE, she rocked her small role in SIN CITY, and her performance in MOTHER’S DAY was gangbusters! One could say she’s the good luck charm when it comes to quality remakes, and with MBV and MOTHER’S DAY under her belt, I’d say that’s a mighty fine assessment.
The supporting cast are all friends of the genre as well: Donal Logue (Shark Night 3D), Jamie Kennedy (Scream), Brendan Fehr (Final Destination), Lisa Marie (Sleepy Hollow), and Ellen Wong (Scott Pilgrim vs the World) are just who’ve been announced thus far, and I’m sure more are coming down the pipe. Anchor Bay Entertainment is all set to distribute (again, always a plus to have them involved), leaving the only real wild card to the whole thing with the director: Steven C. Miller. Miller? Who the f*cking is Miller? Exactly. Who the f*ck is Miller? He hasn’t done anything mainstream, he has a few small indie flicks under his belt, but no more than student films. While I’m hesitant on this guy due to his lacking track record, I’m also stoked cause maybe this Miller chap is the next big thing—and all big things have to start somewhere, right? Right??? Right.
Maybe it’s the booze talkin’, but SILENT NIGHT is shaping up to be all kinds of awesome. Besides the epic concept and the fact that it’s gearing up for a Holiday 2012 release, it rocks a bodacious cast with McDowell and King as the leads, and the potential to blow the classically entertaining SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT original out of the water is there. The ducks are all aligned for this to be a winner, I just hope they can pull off another LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT and not another FRIDAY THE 13TH. Plus… we need more than BLACK CHRISTMAS in our annual selection of classic holiday horror films! My only qualm: why drop the DEADLY NIGHT? It’s not too late to slap it back in the title, yo!