When Silent Night, Deadly Night was originally released on November 9, 1984, it didn’t make its way to my neck of the woods. In anticipation of the film, I had to settle for trailers until it made its premiere. And, of course, I had to sit and watch while the film was reviled in the media.
Oh sure, I vividly remember the campaign railing against the film. It was nothing to turn on the television and see angry parents pissing and moaning about Silent Night, Deadly Night. Honestly, I thought the whole thing was amusing. The rally was against a killer Santa Claus. If you don’t want your children to watch the film, I have no problem with that. It’s not like it was rated PG. The only true complaint I had was that I feared the movie wouldn’t open in my rural area due to the complaints. In the end, I had nothing to worry about, but I still feared missing this film.
I can remember one night at my in-law's home. I was sitting at the kitchen table with my daughter, who was only 2 years old at the time, and noticing a trailer for Silent Night, Deadly Night come on the television. My wife and mother-in-law were standing against the kitchen counters and I couldn’t resist. I told my mother-in-law that I was going to take my daughter to see the film come hell or high water. Well, she threatened to cut my tongue out with a butter knife if I did something like that. And no, I don’t doubt that she wasn’t kidding. God rest her soul, but my mother-in-law and I never did get along. I should also add for those wondering that, no, I wouldn’t have taken my child to see the movie.
Eventually, Silent Night, Deadly Night did open at a local theater. It took a few weeks to rear its head, but finally the time had come for me to see it. The film premiered at the State Theater, which has since closed and been renovated and reopened to show classic films. I saw a lot of good movies at that theater and still haunt its premises whenever something that attracts me is showing.
But I digress...
The night the film opened, it was very cold outside. There had been a recent snowfall, and the roads were a bit icy. Nobody was interested in going to see the movie with me, so I went alone. There was no way I was going to miss this. I’d be a liar if I said that I wasn’t hoping for an angry mob to be gathered outside the State Theater. I really wanted to see these people close-up. And where in a better place than in a God-fearing small community like my own? I really had my hopes up.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t a crowd protesting the film. To be honest, there wasn’t anybody out on this cold night. I was very disappointed that there weren’t any protestors for me to laugh at, and extremely let down that I ended up being the only person in the theater for the film’s opening. I really wanted Silent Night, Deadly Night to succeed. Instead I ended up sitting in the auditorium by my lonesome on a cold November night. Usually, I’m excited to get a theater for myself, but not this time. I wasn’t sure if it was the weather keeping the protestors and movie-goers at home, or if there simply wasn’t enough interest for a Christmas-themed slasher film. Either way, the film came and went in a one week span. It was long-gone from the State Theater by the time Christmas rolled around.
I can remember leaving the auditorium and being met by one of the theater’s ushers. She was an older woman with dyed-blonde hair. For the life of me, I’ll never forget that head of hair. She was sitting on a stool that led back to the auditoriums and she looked at me and smiled, parting her thickly painted red lips to reveal twin rows of coffee and nicotine-stained teeth.
“Was it any good?” she asked.
I nodded and confirmed that it was. “If you like slasher films,” I replied, “you’ll like this one.”
For a moment, I stopped and held a small conversation with her. As we stood there, I can still remember hearing the wind howling outside the theater. Even though I was in this older woman’s company, for the first time that night I suddenly felt very alone. Instead of going home, I wanted to run back to the auditorium and watch the film a second time. Did I? No. But, the urge was very much there.
I didn’t see Silent Night, Deadly Night again until it reared its head on VHS. This time, the wife watched it with me, and yes, she liked it. And no, I still didn’t allow my daughter to watch it. She was safely tucked away in bed when we slipped it into the VCR.
In the years since that night in 1984, Silent Night, Deadly Night has become an institution for me. Unlike its awful sequels, I still watch the original film on every Christmas Eve. Now that we’re only a few weeks away from the holiday, I’m starting to feel that anxiousness rising to revisit Billy and Mother Superior. For some strange reason, if I don’t watch the film on December 24th, I feel “naughty.” And Lord knows I don’t want that to happen.
Written by Trever Palmer
Oh sure, I vividly remember the campaign railing against the film. It was nothing to turn on the television and see angry parents pissing and moaning about Silent Night, Deadly Night. Honestly, I thought the whole thing was amusing. The rally was against a killer Santa Claus. If you don’t want your children to watch the film, I have no problem with that. It’s not like it was rated PG. The only true complaint I had was that I feared the movie wouldn’t open in my rural area due to the complaints. In the end, I had nothing to worry about, but I still feared missing this film.
I can remember one night at my in-law's home. I was sitting at the kitchen table with my daughter, who was only 2 years old at the time, and noticing a trailer for Silent Night, Deadly Night come on the television. My wife and mother-in-law were standing against the kitchen counters and I couldn’t resist. I told my mother-in-law that I was going to take my daughter to see the film come hell or high water. Well, she threatened to cut my tongue out with a butter knife if I did something like that. And no, I don’t doubt that she wasn’t kidding. God rest her soul, but my mother-in-law and I never did get along. I should also add for those wondering that, no, I wouldn’t have taken my child to see the movie.
Eventually, Silent Night, Deadly Night did open at a local theater. It took a few weeks to rear its head, but finally the time had come for me to see it. The film premiered at the State Theater, which has since closed and been renovated and reopened to show classic films. I saw a lot of good movies at that theater and still haunt its premises whenever something that attracts me is showing. But I digress...
The night the film opened, it was very cold outside. There had been a recent snowfall, and the roads were a bit icy. Nobody was interested in going to see the movie with me, so I went alone. There was no way I was going to miss this. I’d be a liar if I said that I wasn’t hoping for an angry mob to be gathered outside the State Theater. I really wanted to see these people close-up. And where in a better place than in a God-fearing small community like my own? I really had my hopes up.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t a crowd protesting the film. To be honest, there wasn’t anybody out on this cold night. I was very disappointed that there weren’t any protestors for me to laugh at, and extremely let down that I ended up being the only person in the theater for the film’s opening. I really wanted Silent Night, Deadly Night to succeed. Instead I ended up sitting in the auditorium by my lonesome on a cold November night. Usually, I’m excited to get a theater for myself, but not this time. I wasn’t sure if it was the weather keeping the protestors and movie-goers at home, or if there simply wasn’t enough interest for a Christmas-themed slasher film. Either way, the film came and went in a one week span. It was long-gone from the State Theater by the time Christmas rolled around.
I can remember leaving the auditorium and being met by one of the theater’s ushers. She was an older woman with dyed-blonde hair. For the life of me, I’ll never forget that head of hair. She was sitting on a stool that led back to the auditoriums and she looked at me and smiled, parting her thickly painted red lips to reveal twin rows of coffee and nicotine-stained teeth.
“Was it any good?” she asked.
I nodded and confirmed that it was. “If you like slasher films,” I replied, “you’ll like this one.”
For a moment, I stopped and held a small conversation with her. As we stood there, I can still remember hearing the wind howling outside the theater. Even though I was in this older woman’s company, for the first time that night I suddenly felt very alone. Instead of going home, I wanted to run back to the auditorium and watch the film a second time. Did I? No. But, the urge was very much there.
I didn’t see Silent Night, Deadly Night again until it reared its head on VHS. This time, the wife watched it with me, and yes, she liked it. And no, I still didn’t allow my daughter to watch it. She was safely tucked away in bed when we slipped it into the VCR.
In the years since that night in 1984, Silent Night, Deadly Night has become an institution for me. Unlike its awful sequels, I still watch the original film on every Christmas Eve. Now that we’re only a few weeks away from the holiday, I’m starting to feel that anxiousness rising to revisit Billy and Mother Superior. For some strange reason, if I don’t watch the film on December 24th, I feel “naughty.” And Lord knows I don’t want that to happen.
Written by Trever Palmer
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