Silent Night, Deadly Night, one of many slasher films that were prominent throughout the 1980s, might never have achieved widespread notoriety and recognition had it not been for the outrage from protesters who heavily objected to Santa Claus, a beloved holiday figure, being tied to such a violent film. Theaters were picketed by outraged parents and even Gene Siskel remarked that the filmmakers were profiting from “blood money.” As was the case with the PMRC hearings held the same decade regarding the lyrical themes of many musical artists, the controversy only piqued public curiosity. Thanks to the advent of home video, Silent Night, Deadly Night was soon viewed by anyone who had a penchant for horror films and access to a VCR.
As is the case with any film that gains notoriety, be it from the box office, acclaim among fans, or, in the case of Silent Night, Deadly Night, controversy, a sequel was warranted, in fact, more than one. Silent Night, Deadly Night 2, now a cult favorite due to the overacting and ham-fisted performance of Eric Freeman, was followed by a third installment, Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out. Poorly received by many critics and currently possessing a dismal 11% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, this third installment has never received the recognition and praise it deserves for its tone, ambition, and ability to maintain continuity with the entries that preceded it.
A New Setting, New Characters, and a Cult Director at the Helm
Silent Night, Deadly Night 3, directed by Monte Hellman, who had previously worked on Two-Lane Blacktop and The Shooting, breaks from many of the standard slasher tropes that had been more or less overutilized in an oversaturated marketplace by 1989. Hellman emphasizes tone and slow burn instead of the underlying puritanical trademarks of frolicking teens partaking in drugs and pre-marital sex meeting punishment.
The weight of the plot focuses on Laura (Samantha Scully), a blind woman with ESP who shares a psychic link with Ricky Caldwell (Bill Mosely), who now lies in a coma following the events of the previous film. The psychic link allows Hellman to integrate stock footage from the first film to establish continuity with the series and a dream sequence that’s eerily reminiscent of Dario Argento’s Phenomena. Abandoning the killer Santa motif of the earlier films and focusing on the development of the protagonist can be seen in one of two ways. Detractors of the film are quick to point out that integrating footage from the previous entries is a lazy way to preserve continuity and that introducing a blind character with ESP is too far a stretch.
When one reexamines the original Silent Night, Deadly Night, a considerable length of time was devoted to the character development of Billy Chapman, exploring his backstory and his difficulty in adjusting to life in an orphanage after his parents were murdered and his eventual decent into madness-fueled killing. Hellman also devotes considerable time to the first act, developing Laura as a strong-willed and independent character. Like Billy Chapman, she’s adjusting to life as an orphan and has an existence that’s hindered by trauma, which takes the form of the various psychic visions she experiences.
The “final girl” trope, a hallmark of multiple slasher entries, is something instantly recognizable to audiences. Laura is much more than that. As someone who’s blind but refuses to think of herself as handicapped and empathetic due to her PTSD, she’s presented in a much stronger light than the one-dimensional final girl we often see. In a throwaway line of dialogue that often gets ridiculed, Laura’s therapist refers to her fierce independence and unwillingness to accept help from most strangers because of her disability as not having to be the “champion blind orphan.” Despite the aforementioned line being somewhat ham-fisted, it furthers the aspect of Laura’s inner strengths and perseverance.
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Integrating a Fairy Tale Into the Slasher Formula
An observation regarding Silent Night, Deadly Night 3 is its relatively low kill count, something fans of the genre expect and sometimes want at excessive levels. Hellman focuses more on the aftermath than the killings themselves, something that was prominent in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. The real horror is what one doesn’t see, and the visceral scenes of the victims, after Caldwell visits them once he wakes from his coma, force the audience to rely on their imagination to connect the dots as to what might have happened.
The primary motive for Caldwell’s killings is being triggered by the color red and by the sight of Santa Claus, both of which were established in the previous two films. The integration of the color red is more than fitting, as Silent Night, Deadly Night 3 uses elements from the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood in its narrative. Laura, her brother (Eric Da Re), and his girlfriend (Laura Herring) are off to visit their grandmothers for Christmas, in a red car no less, further extending the color red trigger that brings about Caldwell’s rage. Before their arrival, Caldwell, who has assumed the mantle of the big bad wolf of the fairy tale, arrives before them and dispatches the grandmother off-camera, once again leaving the audience to draw their own conclusions.
The collective grouping of grandmother’s house, the big bad wolf, and Laura being Little Red Riding Hood, is joined by the huntsmen, as it were, in the form of pursuing detective Lieutenant Connely (Robert Culp). More than just being an allegory for the huntsman in this fairy tale-slasher hybrid, Culp’s performance is somewhat akin to the film’s comic relief, supplying wit and banter while in pursuit of Caldwell before he strikes again.
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Over the River and Through The Woods…
When it came to making a new installment in a franchise that was known for its controversy and sensational death scenes, any entry could have just given the audience more of the same without attempting to break new ground and explore new ideas. New characters and a plot that takes time to develop the central protagonist, not to mention tone and the integration of a famous children’s story, deserve far more praise and admiration for defying expectations and possessing a notable level of ambition.
One might point out inconsistencies with Laura’s blindness and performances that are not of the highest caliber. Despite this, Hellman’s attention to tone and atmosphere is what bolsters the slow-burn plot and makes for a viewing that doesn’t need to be over the top like so many other slasher entries. If anything, Monte Hellman proves that one can certainly do a lot more with less.
Silent Night, Deadly Night 3, while not a perfect film, is proof that you can use an established intellectual property and take it in a bold new direction while maintaining continuity with the entries that came before it. Considering the other prominent slasher franchises from the time period, which churned out an excessive number of sequels that were either carbon copies of their predecessors that catered to audience expectations or possessed a considerable amount of diminished quality, Monte Hellman’s effort is worth a second viewing and perhaps a new evaluation.
Silent Night, Deadly Night 3 is an ambitious undertaking, an overlooked entry in a genre of films not particularly recognized for their ability to be unique and stand out from several others. Stream free on Tubi or The Roku Channel.
- Release Date
- November 9, 1984
- Director
- Charles E. Sellier Jr.
- Cast
- Lilyan Chauvin , Gilmer McCormick , Toni Nero , Robert Brian Wilson
- Runtime
- 82 min
- Writers
- Paul Caimi , Michael Hickey
