by Jeff Hayes 1984 brought along some great horror movies. Freddy Krueger’s first Nightmare came to life. Jason met one of his many demises in "Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter." And Santa Claus delivered "Silent Night, Deadly Night" to all the bad boys and girls who loved slasher movies. At the time of it’s theatrical release, "Silent Night, Deadly Night" found itself the target of much controversy. Angry protesters picketed outside various movie theaters to sway moviegoers away from seeing a movie where a man dressed in a Santa Claus suit kills people. Those who decided to look beyond the protest circus would indeed find themselves a holiday treat.

The story centers around a young boy, Billy, who witnesses a burglar disguised as a charity-collecting Santa Claus kill his parents on Christmas Eve while trying to steal the family car. Fortunately Billy was able to flee the scene but unfortunately this night would haunt him for the rest of his life. Billy winds up in an orphanage where he must live under the harsh rule of the extremely strict nun, Mother Superior. She teaches young Billy that "Punishment is necessary," another one of life’s hard lessons that he will never forget. Whenever he misbehaves, she subjects him to intense spankings with belts and even ties the poor little guy to his bed. Over the course of the next several years, Billy will learn that there is no escaping punishment for even the most trivial of "naughty" behaviors.

When Billy turns 18, the church hooks him up with a job at the local toy store as a stock boy. His strong work ethic impresses the boss and his friendly nature keeps the customers happy. Soon Christmas time arrives and the store’s usual Santa-impersonator accidentally breaks his ankle, leaving nobody to fill Santa‘s boots on Christmas Eve for all the kids at the toy store. Guess who the store manager asks to play Santa Claus?

Billy’s powerful traumatic flashbacks and years of intense punishment collide with the donning of the jolly red and white suit. It isn’t long before all hell breaks loose.

After dispatching of "naughty" co-workers at the store’s annual Christmas Eve party, Billy sets off on a journey to kill the woman who taught him all about punishment, Mother Superior. Of course, any other "naughty" people he comes across on his blood-fueled mission will also be punished along the way. What might sound like a cheesy exploitation film turns out to be a very well written and thought provoking slasher flick. Some nicely executed gore sequences amidst the holiday backdrop make this a slay ride to remember. A lot of credit must go to the writers for creating a story with quite a bit of psychological and dramatic substance amidst all the murderous mayhem.

This movie remains one of my all time favorite dramatic slasher flicks all these years later. The first sequel spends it’s first half rehashing the first flick in flashbacks and spends the second half continuing the story. If you enjoyed the original, it’s definitely worth a watch as it contains a lot of great moments but doesn’t take itself quite as seriously.

Click above to view a scene from Silent Night Deadly Night