Silent Night Deadly Night ’25 Review: Holiday Carnage That Sleighs—Until It Doesn’t

Another red-suit bloodbath is here. Yes, the Silent Night, Deadly Night series is back again, and somehow this one actually works more often than it doesn’t. If you’ve followed this franchise from 'Garbage Day' to the killer toymaker to that random witch-cult detour, you know chaos is the brand. We already got a remake 13 years ago, so I wasn’t exactly begging for another. But director Mike P. Nelson’s take surprised me: messy, fun, and very ready to deck the halls with bodies.

The setup, rewrapped

Baseline: a kid sees his parents murdered by a guy in a Santa suit. Years later, he throws on the red coat himself and goes hunting for revenge. This version sticks with Billy as our lead, but tweaks the knobs. The uglier stuff from the original — including the assault of Billy’s mother — is gone, and the heavy psychological angle is lighter. In its place: faster-moving holiday carnage and a more modern sensibility. If you’re chasing deep thematic bites, this isn’t that meal. If you want a killer Santa doing killer Santa things, have a seat.

Cast that clicks (mostly)

Rohan Campbell steps into the Billy Chapman role — and he’s a smart fit. This Billy isn’t instantly coded as the antagonist, even while the body count climbs, which makes him more watchable than the classic tormented take. Ruby Modine, who I’ve liked since Happy Death Day, gets more to play than the marketing might suggest. She adds some real emotional texture and smooths out a few clunky lines, and the movie leans into a love story between her character and Billy. You can feel the filmmakers nudging us to care, and it mostly works.

Twists, title cards, and choices that will divide

There are a couple of twists here that made me grin and a couple that are so clunky they loop back around into 'fine, I’m entertained.' The big swing at the end is absolutely going to split people. And then there’s the stylistic tic I wish would vanish from movies in general: on-screen title cards that explain the thing we’re about to see anyway. This one slaps labels on nearly every kill — literally giving you a 'Kill So and So' announcement — and it wears thin fast.

'Kill So and So'

Unless you’re adding info the visuals don’t cover, it just feels like hand-holding.

Direction that keeps the sleigh moving

I’ll be honest: I was nervous after Nelson’s Jason Voorhees short 'Sweet Revenge' earlier this year, which did not work for me. Different story here. He gets the tone right — slightly disturbing but always entertaining — and while I wish a few kills hit harder, the momentum never really dips. If the budget pinched in spots, it isn’t glaring.

The franchise baggage (and why this one still lands)

Silent Night, Deadly Night is a famously unruly family tree. We’ve got the memeable 'Garbage Day' sequel, a fifth entry about a homicidal toymaker, and a fourth with a witch-cult tangent that may as well be a different franchise. Add in that earlier remake from 2012, and the smart move here was keeping it simple: sharpen the revenge-slasher core, trim the gnarlier elements, and let the red suit do the heavy lifting. It isn’t as psychologically gnarly or as upsetting as the original, but it earns the brand name by going all-in on holiday mayhem.

• Works: Rohan Campbell’s more approachable Billy; Ruby Modine grounding the drama; brisk momentum; a couple of ridiculous-but-fun twists; seasonal vibe for days.
• Doesn’t: The 'label every kill' title cards; some eye-roll exposition; a finale choice that will irritate a chunk of viewers; violence that occasionally pulls its punches.

Bottom line

Is this a traditionally 'good' movie? Not really. It’s melodramatic, over the top, and a little silly. Is it a blast? Yeah. I had fun, start to finish, and I’m absolutely tossing it into the annual holiday rotation. Call it a Good 7 out of 10 in terms of pure Christmas-slasher satisfaction. And if a few angry parents decide to protest? Honestly, that might only help. Free marketing is free marketing.

Silent Night, Deadly Night hits theaters December 11, 2025.