Christmas and horror have always gone hand in hand despite being polar opposites of one another. There’s just something about the cheery holiday season that’s always been ripe for genre filmmakers to explore in their own dark and twisted way. Last year the big crossover hit was Terrifier 3, and this year Cineverse is at it again by delivering fans their sinister reimagining of the controversial 1984 cult classic horror film, Silent Night, Deadly Night.
Directed by Mike P. Nelson, the first trailer for Silent Night, Deadly Night has just been released (seen below), which showcases all the Christmas carnage that’s to come when the film hits theaters on December 12. Fans of the original will note a few homages to the classic horror movie, which came out 41 years ago and spent little time in cinemas thanks to a number of protests. The controversy only helped bolster the movie’s box office take, however, as even though it was only out for a week, it made $2.5 million against a budget of $750,000 before Tri-Star Pictures shelved it.
Starring Rohan Campbell (Halloween Ends) as Billy Chapman, this new incarnation of Silent Night, Deadly Night also features Ruby Modine, Mark Acheson, David Lawrence Brown, and David Tomlinson. The plot sticks pretty close to the original, with a few surprises thrown in for modern audiences:
“After witnessing his parents’ brutal murder on Christmas Eve, Billy transforms into a Killer Santa, delivering a yearly spree of calculated, chilling violence. This year, his blood-soaked mission collides with love, as a young woman challenges him to confront his darkness.”
‘Silent Night, Deadly Night’ Is Already Getting Rave Reviews
Though it doesn’t come out until December, early screenings of Silent Night, Deadly Night have yielded a slew of positive reviews thus far. It currently has a phenomenal 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is pretty amazing for a Christmas horror remake. Mary Beth McAndrews from Dread Central called it a “Hallmark Christmas movie drenched in blood,” while Chris Tilly from Dexerto wrote that it “takes the franchise in a wildly inventive new direction.” Critic Cody Leach added:
“This re-imagining of the infamous Santa slasher is what a remake should be: a clever twist on the original story while preserving the spirit of the original. Rohan Campbell and Ruby Modine are great together, and the laughs are as big as the bodycount.”
All of that spells good news for fans who may be hesitant to check out yet another reimagining of the cult classic following the 2012 film directed by Steven C. Miller. This time around, it appears as if Cineverse and company have done right by Charles E. Sellier Jr., who directed the original four decades ago.
You can look for this new version of Silent Night, Deadly Night to hit theaters on December 12, 2025, but in the meantime, if you want to relive all the fun and gore of the 1984 cult hit, it’s currently available to stream for free on Pluto TV.
- Release Date
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December 12, 2025
- Director
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Mike P. Nelson
- Writers
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Mike P. Nelson, Michael Hickey, Paul Caimi
- Producers
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Dennis Whitehead, Scott J. Schneid, Jamie R. Thompson
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Rohan Campbell
Billy Chapman
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David Tomlinson
Max Benedict
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