Ask horror fans what their favorite Christmas-themed horror flick is and they'll maybe tell you Gremlins or Black Christmas, but they'll definitely mention Silent Night, Deadly Night. The first film is a classic that shocked audiences with its audacity when it was first released in 1984. A killer Santa? Who would besmirch the name of out most beloved holiday icon that way? Oh the pearls that were clutched.
These days we get horror flicks like A Serbian Film and The Human Centipede, so it leaves us to wonder what on Earth will be shocking in the future. That said, the SN,DN franchise did not spawn anything of note after its killer debut. Just more tame, run of the mill slasher fare that made the '80s a blur of axe murders.
Until we came to Part 5, where everything becomes amazing again! First off, it stars Mickey Rooney as the new murderous Santa Claus. That would be breathtakingly wrong even just on its own, but considering that Rooney actually wrote a letter of protest against the first film it makes it just perfect. Either the lure of Christmas horror money was too great for Rooney, or Part 5 is so wonderful it made him forget his original objections.
These five scenes prove it's the latter.
This is Derek... he's the closest thing we have to a hero in the film. Note that expression on his face, because approximately ten percent of the movie is spent looking at that expression. What causes such an odd combination of disgust, confusion, and excitement? Mostly watching his parents have sex... and other people have sex. Basically Derek's entire 6-year-old motivation in life is to get up in the middle of the night and do the Creep at the foot of someone's bed.
Right before they die. Speaking of which...
Evil toy deaths are a seriously underrated method in horror movies. It's Child's Play and Charles Band films and that's pretty much it. Given that the battle scene in Toys is one of my favorite moments in movies ever, I like to pretend that this inventive murder by rubber snake and Army Men was the logical result of teaching playthings the joy of killing.
Oh, and watching a creepy, unattached plastic arm fondle someone's breast without anyone being aware that that's what going on will never not be funny.
Never.
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