This Santa Claus Horror Movie Was Hugely Controversial
There are more holiday horror movies out there than you might think. Despite the religious connotations of the holiday, few Christmas horror movies have stirred up much controversy — but a Santa Claus horror movie proved there are exceptions to every rule. Here’s a look at a little slasher movie that started a moral panic because of its Yuletide trappings.
A Santa Claus horror movie was part of the wave of movies inspired by ‘Halloween’
After John Carpenter’s Halloween became a smash, several other filmmakers sought to cash in on it by making holiday slasher films. Christmas is the most lucrative holiday on the American calendar, so it’s no surprise that the 1980s saw a crop of Yuletide horrors. Some of those films include Christmas Evil, Don’t Open till Christmas, To All a Goodnight, and The Dorm That Dripped Blood.
One of the most brutal was Silent Night, Deadly Night. It centers on a young boy whose parents are killed by a man in a Santa Claus suit. As he grows up, he unwinds and becomes the very man who destroyed his childhood. The film’s exploration of sexual violence and religious abuse is surprisingly nuanced for an exploitation film.
However, some families were not having it. The fact that the movie depicted a killer dressed as Santa Claus was too far. During a 2013 interview with The Duquesne Duke, writer Michael Hickey discussed the controversy surrounding Silent Night, Deadly Night.
“It all happened at once, on the day that it opened, I guess,” he said. “I read about it [in] the newspaper, and we started calling each other to talk about it. We started to notice that it was getting a level of coverage that was completely out of proportion.”
The writer of the iconic Santa Claus horror movie said the controversy was ‘hilarious’
Hickey said one of the most prominent news personalities of the time spotlighted Silent Night, Deadly Night. “Dan Rather did a story about it on the CBS Evening News, People Magazine did a story on it … Entertainment Tonight interviewed me onscreen, and we all did radio interviews,” he recalled. “It snowballed: it became a thing of the moment; there must have been nothing happening with the news. It took over to a degree that I find astonishing and hilarious.”
Hickey noted that Santa Claus has a godlike power, as he judges children’s souls. “That’s why the concept is so workable: and why people get it immediately,” he said. “They’re being threatened with the Santa Claus myth: he knows if you have been bad or good, so be good for goodness’ sake. It sort of begs the question of, ‘For what?’ Our movie set out to answer that question.”
The legacy of ‘Silent Night, Deadly Night’
While other slasher movies like Psycho, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Child’s Play have become iconic, Silent Night, Deadly Night is famous only to dedicated horror fans. That’s a real shame. If you have a taste for the macabre, penetrating character studies, or offbeat Christmas entertainment, Silent Night, Deadly Night is worth a watch. It’s provocative — but it’s not edgy for edge’s sake. The film is a lot more artistic than most exploitation pictures.
Controversy made Silent Night, Deadly Night notable — but its quality has helped it last for decades.
