Movies
The ‘Silent Night, Deadly Night’ Franchise, Ranked
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
Which means we need to bust out some relevant Christmas horror films to watch here. And it also means there will be many listicles that put Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 at the top of their rankings for Christmas horror films by default. But it got me thinking that maybe we need a bit more of a meditation on this series.
Have we really written them all off so quickly because one of them is the most meme-able? I like the first few films in the series as much as the next guy, but The Ricky Chapman Trilogy that kicks us off doesn’t go beyond the pale the way everything after does. 4 & 5 are Apocrypha to the Ricky Bible, but they introduce many weird, out-there concepts that make them enjoyable bad movies.
Ranking All the Silent Night, Deadly Night Movies
So today, I’ve taken the liberty of hitching up the man-eating reindeer to the sleigh to take a retrospective ride through the Silent Night, Deadly Night franchise and find out…well, you read the title, you can do the math. Starting with…
SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT
The one that started it all and got a bunch of people in hot water. It’s funny to think that outrage culture has pretty steadily assaulted our eyes and ears with the dumbest of controversies since time immemorial. Still, it’s even funnier knowing this movie contributed to that outrage. But beyond the controversy, this film is actually…kind of good?
It’s the best shot of all the movies, so big props to Scream Factory for remastering it and restoring it to its fullest. It’s only a little meanspirited, which is good since it doesn’t get too heavy for its absurd concept. On top of that, the kills in the movie are exceptionally creative (antler impalings, Christmas light hangings, and sled decapitations, oh my!). My only problem is that Billy Chapman is no Ricky, he’s more serious and isn’t as much of a goofball.
I would say this ranked high up when I first started my rewatch but may go closer to the bottom of the list. Not for any technical fault of its own—just because it gets much funnier from here in…
SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT, PART 2
Do I even have to say the line to know it’s the first thing that went through your head as you read the title? GARBAGE DAY!
Let anybody who told you Art the Clown is the best slasher villain to use a gun see this and watch them change their tune. Watching this is only enriched by not having seen the first movie, which makes it one of those sequels that is better than the first in the worst way possible. If you were unfortunate enough to watch both the first and second films in one sitting, like myself, you’d know that roughly half of the movie is flashbacks to Billy’s rampage. But that doesn’t stop it from being entertaining as all hell.
Ricky Chapman is an all-time great slasher villain and delivers some kills almost as good as the original. Eric Freeman may just be the best-worst actor of all time, which makes this movie one of the best-worst films of all time by proxy. Which makes the following film feel like a fall from grace, given its…
SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT 3: BETTER WATCH OUT!
A.K.A. “The one with Bill Moseley in it,” because that’s the most remarkable thing about it. He’s not even a killer Santa in this one, but I guess mixing the motifs of “killer with exposed brain pan” and “Santa Claus with murder tools” might muddy the aesthetic waters. The final entry for our boy Ricky is kind of a sad whimper to go out on because this movie’s pacing is painfully slow.
It squanders a very fun concept (psychic girl is hunted by an evil Santa Claus she keeps having visions of) in favor of watching a lobotomized Ricky taking a road trip to his murder victim and killing people off-camera on the way. Worse, it squanders Bill Moseley, who doesn’t get to act outside of lumbering with a slack jaw. It’s the cinematic equivalent of dragging your sled up the hill again: tedious, no momentum, and no fun as you wait for the next weird ass thrill ride in the franchise.
SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT 4: THE INITIATION
And the next weird ass thrill ride in the franchise is here! Why should this even qualify when it looks and feels like Springtime in Los Angeles, and people had just forgotten to take down their Christmas decorations for months? Well, three reasons:
- Spontaneous combustions caused by witches.
- Monstrously massive bugs everywhere, designed by Screaming Mad George.
- Clint Howard as the resident crazy homeless guy who walks in and out of the movie.
While Ricky may be gone and its status as a Christmas movie is dubious, it’s a trip of a film with one particularly hellish sequence involving a lot of slime-covered giant insects. Some complain about its ham-fisted thematic notes of gender inequality, sex, and exploitation…but are you actually going into Silent Night, Deadly Night 4 expecting strong themes? Just enjoy this one for what it is, which is a lot of classic ick-inducing Brian Yuzna filmmaking. If you liked the weird, psychosexual nightmare that was Society, you’ll like this.
SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT 5: THE TOYMAKER
I was going to do another A.K.A. joke here, but I realized that the twist of this movie is so weird that it outclasses even The Initiation and needs to be seen to be believed. Rewatching this, I had forgotten exactly what the deal was with our mystery killer in the film and was mouth agape when the movie jogged my memory.
The Toymaker gives some very gruesome deaths and puts the Yuletide feeling of the film at center stage with a plot about murderous toys (not Demonic Toys, we swear, please don’t sue us Charles Band!). In fact, I would argue that since the effects in this movie and the violent kills don’t feel like a rehash of Society, it’s actually a major improvement on what 4 had going on. While four is slower-paced as it tells a (somewhat) more tempered story, five is aware of how goofy the plot is, with faster and funnier editing and some truly hilariously bad performances.
SILENT NIGHT (2012)
The final entry in the series is as plain jane of a slasher as they come but does manage to get the holiday aesthetics down pat, so even though it isn’t as wacky as the others, I’m including it in the ranking.
This film isn’t the one that reinvents the wheel or brings any fire to mankind (outside of the literal flamethrower murders depicted in it), but it is a very solid slasher. It has a cast of fun character actors, particularly Donal Logue and Malcolm McDowell, with our lead Jaime King as a no-nonsense detective hunting down our slasher. I just wish it was as madcap and off the walls as some of its predecessors were.
FINAL RANKINGS
Which is the best, which is the worst, and are there any good films in this series?
I would argue that all of them (except for 3) are great horror flicks in their own rights, since not a single one of them (except for 3) is boring (3 is getting the worst spot, sorry if I’m being redundant, but it sucks).
If I had to choose a best one, it would probably be our 5th spot on the list as The Toymaker is a diamond in the horror rough that, while lacking the bad acting of Part 2, has a genuinely insane script and all the best special effects of the series. So, from best to worst:
- Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker
- Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2
- Silent Night, Deadly Night
- Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation
- Silent Night (2012)
- Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out!
When you’ve got those cookies baking in the oven, the house smelling of pine tree, and the lights twinkling, let this list from nice to naughty help you make the right decisions on which campy horror movies to watch this holiday season.
From all of us here at Horror Press, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year everyone!
The Clue 4K Blu-ray SteelBook is dropping on October 21st to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the movie I love. So, I took this as a sign to write a love letter to the film that is a huge part of why I am the way I am. I am also here to do what I do best and state the obvious. Clue is the only film based on a board game that is worth watching. Before some of you fight me, the Jumanji game was released after the book and the movie. More importantly, while it holds a special place in my heart and I miss Robin Williams more than I can ever say, I have loved Clue almost as long as I have been alive. I am clearly biased, but I also think it had a bigger impact on many of us. Here is my story, though.
Too Cool For School
This comedic murder mystery, written and directed by Jonathan Lynn, had no business being as great as it is. It is based on my favorite board game, Clue (originally Cluedo), created by Anthony E. Pratt. The film was also produced by the legendary Debra Hill (John Carpenter’s co-conspirator on Halloween, The Fog, and other bangers). As a small child, I didn’t know these names. I just knew there was a movie that made me happy no matter how many times I rewatched it.
As a ’90s kid, there was nothing better than finishing Saturday morning cartoons and catching Clue on TV. Those countless rewatches are probably why I know the value of a great ensemble, have had a lifelong crush on Tim Curry, and have an undying loyalty to the rest of the cast. The movie is probably also to blame for why I am such a theatrical little bitch, but I digress.
A mansion full of hot and funny people obviously had a pull for most of us. While we might have been too young to fully understand what was going on, we knew this was cinema. The all-star cast was a comedic dream team. Eileen Brennan, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Martin Mull, Lesley Ann Warren, and Curry are the ensemble to beat. Their line readings, chemistry, and energy stood out to me as a youth. I spent countless years doing theatre, trying to find this feeling in the wings of random stages. I judged (too harshly) countless plays I was in the audience for that never gave me the same high. Clue is lightning in a bottle. It might be in the DNA of some of our favorite things, but it will never be duplicated.
Clue Changed Me
Clue is the reason I thought I wanted to be an actor for a couple of years as a kid. I literally wanted to be as funny as any of these ladies, and I wanted to live in a world this zany and cool. As a kid who was noting how few times women got to do cool stuff in the movies, I was all about it. I wanted to be Mrs. White, Miss Scarlett, and Mrs. Peacock. I even wanted to be Mrs. Ho, Yvette, and The Singing Telegram Girl because this script understands everyone should get a moment, so there are no small parts. This movie is probably one of the least traumatic reasons I have the uncontrollable urge to make people laugh. I no longer want to be an actor, but I do love being a character.
By the time all of the bodies have piled up, and the movie knows it needs to wrap it up, I feel like I am in it. No matter how many times I rewatch it, or that I know I am on the other side of a screen decades after it was released, I feel like I ran a marathon with these loveable and lethal characters. I also always want more time with the Clue crew because few things in life are as delightful as this film. I used to collect versions of the board game, and lucked into getting my hands on a copy of Clue: VCR Mystery Game by Parker Brothers in a thrift store when I was a kid. While I loved all of those things, nothing beat the cinematic experience that is this nearly perfect film that still lives rent-free in my heart.
Cinematic Magic All Around
I can hear composer John Morris’ music just thinking about certain scenes, and it makes me smile. My excitement (and shoulder work) as Mr. Body (Curry) explains his theories is embarrassing. However, this song is a banger. I listen to the score quite often because I’m a nerd and still want to live in this world as much as possible. I even shimmy to the credits as if it’s my first time watching the movie or hearing “Shake, Rattle and Roll” by Bill Haley & His Comets. Clue taught me to watch the credits for the maximum experience long before Marvel bribed the rest of you to do that.
This dinner party gone deadly wrong is fun, fascinating, and frenzied. I had the privilege of finally seeing Clue on the big screen a couple of years ago. Both my friend and I were left in awe of how one of our shared favorite films still holds up. It was the first time either of us had seen it in a theater and we were speechless. I almost cried as this all too familiar story unfolded in front of me. I like a lot of movies, but I only love a few. However, this one is part of my DNA at this point and I remain obsessed. I cannot help but see traces of it in some of my short plays. It’s what I think of first when I attempt to write a comedy, and it is the reason I know even murder can be funny.
Rewatch Clue Tonight
Clue will turn 40 this December, and the new steelbook will be released in a couple of weeks. However, this movie, which has been around longer than I have been alive, deserves so much more. I doubt I’m the only kid it turned into an aspiring cinephile. I cannot be the only genre nerd who owes it a huge debt of gratitude for making me a better film kid. More importantly, this funny, lovable, and hot cast showed us that some group projects can succeed. For all of these reasons, and probably hundreds more, I hope you make time for a rewatch this year. Your inner moppet deserves it for surviving this 2025. It’s also nice to know that something we loved as children still slaps in an age where most of our favorite movies are spoiling like the veggies in our fridges.
When you hear the phrase “Corey Haim horror movie,” your mind, it’s safe to assume, jumps to The Lost Boys. That’s only natural. Hell, that’s probably the title that comes to mind when you hear the phrase “Corey Haim movie” in general. Unless you’re a die-hard fan of License to Drive, that is. There are a lot of completely valid reasons for the love that The Lost Boys receives. It’s a great movie. Certainly one of the best vampire movies of the 1980s. But Corey Haim was also in one of the best werewolf movies of the 1980s. That would be the 1985 Stephen King adaptation Silver Bullet, which deserves to have the same level of voracious fandom.
Why Silver Bullet Deserves More Love Than The Lost Boys
I can guess why Silver Bullet hasn’t had the same impact as The Lost Boys. Corey Haim wasn’t as big of a star in 1985. Silver Bullet director Dan Attias went on to a long television career, while Schumacher went on to direct Batman movies. Any 1980s werewolf movie has to exist in the shadow of the masterpiece, An American Werewolf in London. Silver Bullet doesn’t have Kiefer Sutherland psychosexually manipulating Jason Patric. I get it. But Silver Bullet’s stats are lagging.
The Lost Boys is Corey Haim’s #1 most popular movie and his #1 highest-rated on Letterboxd. Silver Bullet is #4 and #12. The Lost Boys is his #1 movie on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer and #2 on the Popcornmeter. Silver Bullet is #5 and #9. Silver Bullet is Corey Haim’s fifth highest-rated movie on IMDb and The Lost Boys is – you guessed it – #1. Silver Bullet also lagged behind at the box office, earning $12.4 million compared to The Lost Boys’ $32.5 million.
October 2025 marks the 40th anniversary of the release of Silver Bullet. It’s high time to raise the profile of this damn movie, even if I have to build the winch myself.
Silver Bullet is a Blast and a Half
Silver Bullet, which was written by Stephen King, adapting his own novella Cycle of the Werewolf, is a doozy. It’s set in a small town that is being besieged by regular werewolf attacks, and nobody can identify the culprit. But never fear, an absolute weirdo is in town!
That would be Gary Busey as Uncle Red, a deeply unsettling fireball of charisma. His nephew is Marty (Corey Haim), who has paraplegia. Naturally, Red builds him a tricked-out motorcycle wheelchair that he can go rocketing through town in. Gary Busey is something of a punchline these days. But let’s never forget that the man became famous in the first place because he was a goddamn movie star. He makes nonstop strange choices that are electromagnetically compelling. Corey Haim was perhaps the only 1980s child actor who could hold his own against that cinematic force of nature. Thankfully, he was cast, and the characters’ relationship is as rich as it is strange. That’s the sweet spot for any King adaptation.
A Stellar Cast of 1980s Character Actors
That dynamic alone could have been enough to sustain a movie. However, Silver Bullet has also assembled a murderer’s row of 1980s character actors around Busey and Haim. This includes Lawrence Tierney, Terry O’Quinn, and perhaps never better Everett McGill. Not to mention the fact that the story is randomly narrated by Broadway legend Tovah Feldshuh.
Thanks to the talented cast, the movie survives the fact that it features a somewhat goofy-looking werewolf. They bring a sense of grit and reality to their small-town characters. What results is an explosion of intensity that plays startlingly well against the uncut 1980s goofiness of its genre elements. This movie’s confident enough to contain both a thrillingly tense covered bridge setpiece and a werewolf swiping off somebody’s head. And if that’s not the vibe you desperately want from an ‘80s shocker, I don’t know what to tell you.
Silver Bullet Lacks Some of The Lost Boys’ More Obvious Flaws
I am certainly not trying to use this article to cast The Lost Boys into the muck. I think both movies can stand together on the Mount Rushmore of Corey Haim’s career. Nevertheless, it is true that Silver Bullet lacks the two biggest flaws of The Lost Boys. It’s got its own flaws, sure, but none quite so glaring as Lost Boys hugely losing steam in Act 3. Once the identity of the werewolf has become known in Silver Bullet, the story actually gets even more tense. That’s because the danger still stems from children being at the mercy of adults, rather than the werewolf mystery itself.
The Lost Boys is also somewhat scattershot, juggling too many characters, storylines, and tones simultaneously. While Silver Bullet does have a deep bench of characters, its storytelling is much more focused. It’s primarily centered on the relationship between a young boy and his family, and how it’s complicated by werewolf attacks. Standard stuff!
Silver Bullet Deserves a Spot Next to The Lost Boys
Look, here’s the bottom line. The Lost Boys is a fun, great movie. Silver Bullet is a fun, great movie. This town (Hollywood) is definitely big enough for the two of them. That’s all I’m saying. It’s simply unfair that Silver Bullet has taken up B-tier status behind The Lost Boys. Watchers has more than enough B-movie energy to take up that slot all by itself, thank you very much.
PS: I look forward to Horror Press hosting somebody’s impassioned defense of Watchers, but it ain’t gonna be mine.
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