“Silent Night, Deadly Night” follows Billy, who dons a red suit and embarks on a blood-soaked massacre every Christmas as justice for the murder of his parents. This is the second reimagining of the controversial 1984 film of the same name.

For what it is, “Silent Night, Deadly Night” is… fun. You can turn your brain off, sit back and relax. And watch Santa slay some people while you’re at it.

A Supernatural Shift that Changes Everything

This remake takes some bold swings.

Shifting the story in a supernatural direction, “Silent Night, Deadly Night” goes in the direction of “Venom” and “Dexter.” With a voice guiding the way, Billy becomes a multilayered character who is actually intriguing.

While this approach sometimes becomes derivative, it also gives the film an edge. Instead of being full-blown slasher, there’s an interesting psychological angle to the madness.

“Silent Night, Deadly Night” largely works because of the cast. Rohan Campbell (Billy) is the star of the show – and for good reason. He brings a somewhat shy, modest energy that balances against his split personality. This approach gives the character a personable aspect despite what he is doing.

Mark Acheson provides solid voice acting as well. It’s simple, straightforward and… surprisingly works.

Ruby Modine (Pam) bounces off Campbell to near perfection. Despite aspects of their relationship feeling rushed, she is able to bring just as much wild to the screen as he is.

Surprising Lore and Store

While it’s oftentimes cheesy, “Silent Night, Deadly Night” makes genuine attempts at lore. Spreading it throughout the 95-minute runtime, the movie adds bits and pieces of new information to Billy’s backstory. Even though it’s a story we’ve seen before, the film manages to sneak in a few surprises.

On a technical level, the film also succeeds.

Right from the start, cinematographer Nick Junkersfeld creates a stunning landscape. Whether it’s the glimmering light of Christmas trees or blood-soaked walls, “Silent Night, Deadly Night” is beautiful. The sound design also adds to the immersiveness, mixing jolly jingles with intense switch-ups.

Director Mike P. Nelson crafts a tale that ups the ante on the original while also paying homage. It’s also inherently different – for better or worse.

Messy But Spirited Holiday Slasher

By making Billy an antihero, “Silent Night, Deadly Night” loses some of its edge. It’s not scary… at all. Instead, it goes in a self-aware, comedic route. This works in the movie’s favor at times. At others, not so much.

While the carnage candy is plentiful, it’s also messy – literally. Constantly cutting away from the gore, many of the film’s slasher moments are far too chopped up to enjoy. With a plethora of cutaways and cop-outs, the kills will likely leave much to be desired for genre fanatics.

“Silent Night, Deadly Night” also suffers from trying to do too much. With many side quests and plot points, it sometimes gets lost in its own thoughts. This causes the pacing to suffer, with long stretches void of what the audience came to see.

There’s plenty of Christmas cheer for slasher fans in “Silent Night, Deadly Night.” This is both cheesy and gory – taking many creative decisions to make it stand out. It’s not going to be your favorite holiday horror movie, but it gets the job done.

Rating: 3 out of 5