Director: James Plumb
Cast: Melanie Stevens, Alan Humphreys, Philip Harvey
Production Company: North Bank Entertainment and Mad Science Films
Runtime: 79 minutes
I loved reading stories about alternate realities when I was a kid, so it should come as no surprise that I don’t have a problem with remakes. For me, they often feel like a glimpse into a new, though familiar world. Silent Night, Bloody Night: The Homecoming (2013) is one of those worlds…
In the movie, Wilfred Butler accidentally sets himself on fire, bringing his life to a horrible end. Butler House is inherited by his grandson, who is instructed not to change it in any way. Soon, a maniac with an axe takes refuge in the house, killing anyone who dares to enter.
The cast includes Lee Bane from Werewolves of the Third Reich (2017) and Sabrina Dickens from Night of the Living Dead: Resurrection (2011). Adrienne King from Friday the 13th (1980) also supplies the voice of the mysterious stranger.
This film is a faithful remake of Silent Night, Bloody Night (1972), which is also known as Night of the Dark Full Moon. It follows the original fairly closely, but there certainly are a few differences here and there. It’s not a shot-for-shot remake like Psycho (1998).
Some of the new characters in the movie were given names in tribute to people from the original film, including Doctor Gershuny, Patterson and Woronov. It was also interesting to see a brief moment from Night of the Living Dead (1968) near the start of the film.
The movie has a couple of moments that reminded me of other holiday thrillers. A man is suffocated with a plastic bag in a scene that was very much like one from Black Christmas (1974). Butler’s fiery fall brought to mind a scene from Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: The Initiation (1990).
Director James Plumb uses a lot of split screen effects and wipe transitions to move the action along. I found it comparable to Brian DePalma’s use of those same techniques in Carrie (1976) and Phantom of the Paradise (1974).
The end credits include the promise of a sequel entitled Silent Night, Bloody Night: Season’s Greetings, but that never happened. However, this film was followed by Silent Night, Bloody Night 2: Revival (2015). Makes me wonder where this new world will take us…
– John Migliore
For more information on the film, check out the links below…
Silent Night, Bloody Night: TheHomecoming on Vimeo
Indie Horror Online 