🔪Retro Christmas Slasher Reviews By Yours Truly🎄

[PurgatoryGirl]

Like I said in another thread, I am posting Christmas Slasher Reviews with summaries for each movie. This probably would've been posted much sooner, but I have mostly been busy offline.

Over the last 5 years, I have watched several of the original Christmas Slashers, that date all the way back to 1972. That was a decade or so before most of us were even born!

While posting these reviews as I go in this thread, keep in mind that some of my thoughts about each are biased. You are bound to agree or disagree, if you have already watched these Retro Christmas Slashers. However, if you have not already watched either of them, I still encourage you to watch these Slashers for yourself.

Anyway, let's cut to the chase.

1) Silent Night, Bloody Night (1972)

 

Theodore Gershuny's Silent Night, Bloody Night was originally released as Night Of The Dark Full Moon and is also known as Death House.

Silent Night, Bloody Night was created in 1972, but was shelved for 2 years. It wasn't until 1974, that the Slasher was released in the movie theaters.

The Slasher is set during Christmas Eve 1950. Wilfred Butler returns to his mansion only to learn, that it was turned into a mental institution for the criminally insane.

On that same day, he is shown running outside his mansion, while on fire and collapses to his supposed death in the snow. The towns people believe, that Wilfred's death was accidental and his mansion is shut down.

Nearly 22 years later, John Carter (lawyer) and Ingrid (his assistant) arrive in a small Massachusetts town. He meets with the town's nobles, Mayor Adams, Sheriff Bill Mason, Tess Howard, and Charlie Towman.

Spoiler

John is revealed to be Jeffrey Butler's lawyer. Jeffrey is Wilfred Butler's grandson. Jeffrey Butler tries selling the Butler Mansion for $50,000 by noon the next day.

After John Carter calls his wife, it has been revealed, that he's cheating on her with Ingrid!

Spoiler

The 2 stay the night at the Butler Mansion for dinner and sex. During sex, someone slaughters them in bed! Oh no! The horror!

The movie's trailer, night setting, the voyeurism, music, phone calls, and Wilfred Butler's low, muffled voice were creepy. Otherwise, Silent Night, Bloody Night was very slow and boring. If memory serves me right, I started dosing off at my keyboard just watching it December 2013.

Edited December 24, 2018 by PurgatoryGirl

[NaBarney]

The Krampus was ok

[PurgatoryGirl]

2) Black Christmas Trailer (1974)

I must commend the late Bob Clark's versatility as a filmmaker.

Bob Clark's best known for creating Porky's and A Christmas Story. Most people don't know, that he created Black Christmas 9 years before A Christmas Story. This Slasher was originally titled Silent Night, Evil Night.

Black Christmas is revered as 1 of the original Christmas Slashers. Not only is Black Christmas considered to be an original Slasher, but it also contributed to the launch of the Slasher Horror Sub-genre.

John Carpenter was inspired by Black Christmas. That's why Halloween exists. Remember that.

Silent Night, Evil Night (Black Christmas) begins with sorority girls preparing for Christmas Break. While they are having their Christmas Party, they start getting strange and obscene phone calls. They automatically assume it's a prank caller.

All the while, Barb (played by the late Margot Kidder) taunts their sorority sister, Clare for being a virgin. Clare becomes annoyed with Barb's insults and goes to pack her clothes in her room. Suddenly, their housemother's cat randomly appears meowing.

Spoiler

Clare starts hearing strange noises, is smothered to death from behind with a clothing bag, and is carried to the attic. Her corpse is later propped in the attic's rocking chair in front of the window.

No one knows what happened to Clare. Her sorority assumes, that she is missing.

BTW: When you watch this Christmas Slasher, keep in mind that Bob Clark filmed it during the time of Roe Vs. Wade in 1973. 

Spoiler

Jess' boyfriend, Peter doesn't want her to abort their baby and ends up being the red herring.

After the harassing phone calls, tapping the phone wires, and the investigation, nobody catches the serial killer.

BTW: Bob Clark and actor, Nick Mancuso both took turns playing the role of Billy.

Black Christmas barely frightened me. More than anything, the characters annoyed me especially Jess. The characters appeared as stupid and obnoxious.

Jess screaming in the house to warn everyone, after the cops just told her dumb ass on the phone, that the killer was in the house had me yelling, "YOU STUPID BITCH! WHAT THE HELL'S WRONG WITH YOUR ASS!"

The movie trailer, phone calls, music score, the red herring character, Billy's Doberman colored eyes peeping through the door, his hidden physical appearance, and the camera angles, pans, and zooms were creepy.

Otherwise, Black Christmas didn't frighten me.

I was highly disappointed because the trailer still frightens me more than the actual movie. Maybe my skin was and still "is on too tight."

Edited December 18, 2018 by PurgatoryGirl

[PurgatoryGirl]

Well, it appears that someone FINALLY posted the original trailer for Christmas Evil. Every time I looked for a trailer, it never existed until now.

3) Christmas Evil (1980)

Watching Christmas Evil was a joke! The YouTube vlogger, Dr. Wolfula does a better job at reviewing this movie than I could ever do without laughing hysterically behind my keyboard.

Harry spent 33 years of his life being traumatized over his father role playing as Santa Claus and supposedly witnessed some tongue action under his mother's nightgown.

Was Daddy the so-called "Clit Commander" dressed as Santa on Christmas Eve? Regardless, Harry's Santaphobia was and still is hilarious years later.

Had the filmmaker been more clever at possibly showing Harry accidentally walking in on his mother moaning from mind shattering orgasms, during sex with his father

OR if he witnessed his mother being beaten and/raped, his Santaphobia would've been more convincing and realistic.

NONE of this was shown at least in Christmas Evil. If any of this could've been shown to us viewers without the child actor being on the set for the scene 38 years ago, Harry's trauma would've been more understandable.

Spoiler

Harry became a deranged, mass murderer because Daddy was caressing Mommy's thigh under her nightgown, while being a CUNNING LINGUIST in a Santa costume!

OH NO! I saw Daddy dressed as Santa Claus, while doing weird things under Mommy's nightgown by the Christmas Tree! So traumatizing! Now, I have SANTAPHOBIA! ROTFL!

Harry's bizarre behavior, his Santa memorabilia, the music score, and the movie's trailer were the only creepy parts about Christmas Evil. Overall, I simply cannot take Christmas Evil seriously.

Spoiler

Watching Harry murder 3 church parishioning bullies in front of everyone on the stair steps made me laugh so hard, that I cried tears.

That's besides him smothering and slitting his co-workers' throats with a knife, as well as flying into the moonlight like a scene out of E.T. with his SANTAMOBILE. LMFAO!

 Damn it. Now, I've got the hiccups.

[PurgatoryGirl]

Now, THIS was and still is THE ONLY Christmas Slasher that was highly demonized.

Never mind the fact, that there were 3 other Christmas Slashers that existed YEARS before Silent Night, Deadly Night, the movie and its filmmaker were highly persecuted in 1984.

4) Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)

Militant, Stay-At-Home Mommies and Christian zealots literally protested on the streets and called Tri-Star Films just to have Silent Night, Deadly Night banned NATIONWIDE. Siskel & Ebert contributed to the film being banned after Week 1.

BTW: 1984 was a very controversial year. It was the year Tipper Gore was so triggered by her daughter listening to Prince's "Darling Nikki," that she had censorship become a law.

That's why "Parental Advisory" labels (which she nicknamed "Tipper Stickers") on album covers exist today. That same year, the MPAA launched the PG-13 rating mostly because of Gremlins and Indiana Jones.

Here's something I found really interesting. November 9, 1984 both A Nightmare On Elm Street and Silent Night, Deadly Night released on the exact same day in movie theaters.

Silent Night, Deadly Night outperformed A Nightmare On Elm Street; It supposedly blew A Nightmare On Elm Street out the water.

Years ago, my family claimed that parents in our hometown took their children to see Silent Night, Deadly Night in the movie theaters like a bunch of dumb asses. I was only a toddler when the Slasher released and my mother had enough common sense to change the channel, so that I wouldn't be scared by the commercial.

Meanwhile, other sources claimed the trailer was advertised, during times when children were watching TV. Even though it has been 4 years, since I last watched the original Silent Night, Deadly Night, the 1984 trailer still gives me goosebumps.

Then again, advertisers for Horror movies during the 1970's-90's actually knew how to evoke fear in their billboard and TV ads. They also composed frightening music scores and casted narrators with frightening-sounding voices for Horror trailers. None of this exists for 21st Century Horror. Anyway, I digress.

Silent Night, Deadly Night is set on Christmas Eve 1971. The 7-year-old Billy Chapman and his family go to visit his institutionalized grandfather. Billy's grandfather is supposedly "catatonic."

The doctor escorts Billy's parents to review his grandfather's records. Suddenly, Billy's grandfather traumatizes him about Christmas and Santa Claus.

He starts telling Billy, that Santa punishes naughty boys and girls. With his "catatonic" grandfather's disturbing behavior and grisly secret, Billy's Santaphobia is born.

Yes, Santaphobia really does exist. It's also a major contributor to Silent Night, Deadly Night's plot.

After Billy is traumatized by his grandfather, he is subjected to more trauma. Down the road, a robber dressed as Santa Claus robbed a liquor store, while shooting the clerk dead. That same robber kills Billy's father, shortly after.

The robber proceeds to rape Billy's mother and slits her throat with a knife. Once Billy witnesses this traumatic incident, he is placed in an orphanage where he is subjected to more trauma and physical abuse by Mother Superior.

Spoiler

Every time Billy witnesses people having sex, he automatically views it as rape. Also, turning 18 and witnessing his co-worker being raped by another co-worker triggers Billy's killing spree.

Overall, this Christmas Slasher barely scared me. As controversial as Silent Night, Deadly Night's advertising was in 1984. I didn't jump out my skin watching it.

I kept bracing myself for a scare, but the scares failed to deliver for me. Maybe I have become somewhat desensitized to Horror.

Although, Gremlins still scares me and it was a PG movie, which was later rebranded as PG-13.

I spent more time sympathizing and empathizing with Billy Chapman than any character. Silent Night, Deadly Night's music score, highly misleading trailer, Billy's grandfather, the toy soldiers, and Santa Claus decorations brought the horror for me and still do years later.

Edited December 18, 2018 by PurgatoryGirl

[PurgatoryGirl]

Even though it has been 2 days, since I last posted this thread, I tried to give you enough information about these retro films to "wet your whistle," so to say.

You may think I explained too much about each Christmas Slasher, but I intentionally left out certain pieces to each, in case you still are interested in watching them.

Like I already said, after watching all 4, I can't help feeling biased. However, you shouldn't necessarily allow my biased opinion to discourage you from watching all 4.

If you're hesitant about paying to watch these Christmas Slashers, you can always YouTube them for free. Their free uploads still exist besides the uploads that charge you to watch.

If you watch these movies for free, you won't feel angry about wasting your money to watch them.