History Film / SilentNightDeadlyNight

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Billy goes to extremes to to punish the naughty, but leaves those alone who have been good.

* AttemptedRape: The robber Santa attempts rape Mrs. Chapman before killing her. Andy's rape attempt on Pamela later is the final straw that sends Billy over the edge.

On the way home from visiting his institutionalized grandfather (who warns him that Santa punishes naughty children severely) little Billy Chapman witnesses his father being shot to death by a drunken criminal dressed as Santa, who kills Mrs. Chapman by slitting her throat after trying to rape her moments later. Placed in an abusive orphanage with his younger brother Billy has puritanical morals drilled into him by the tyrannical mother superior. Growing up Billy eventually gets a job at a toy store but, when the Christmas season comes roaring in, he ultimately snaps and believing himself to be jolly old Saint Nick goes around murdering people he deems naughty (essentially everyone).

After being in DevelopmentHell for years, a remake (simply called ''Film/SilentNight'') was completed in 2012, it stars MalcolmMcDowell, Jaime King, Donal Logue and Ellen Wong.

Despite there being several Christmas-themed horror films released before, ''Silent Night, Deadly Night'' was the one that caused the MoralGuardians to froth at the mouth in rage over the film [[BerserkButton depicting Santa Claus as a villain.]] The film was pulled from theatres quickly, but found a cult following on home video and was followed by four sequels: ''Film/SilentNightDeadlyNightPart2'' in 1987, ''Film/SilentNightDeadlyNightIIIBetterWatchOut'' in 1989, ''Film/InitiationSilentNightDeadlyNight4'' in 1990 and ''Film/SilentNightDeadlyNight5TheToymaker'' in 1991.

* KarmaHoudini: The guy who killed the store clerk and the Chapman parents, plus Mother Superior. [[OffWithHisHead At least until the sequel.]]

* ThatManIsDead: A variation: After being mortally wounded, Billy tries to comfort the children around him the only way he knows how - by reassuring them that [[BadSanta Santa Claus]] isn't going to haunt anyone anymore. Given Billy's [[FreudianExcuse "upbringing"]] with Mother Superior's KnightTemplar brand of morality, this comes out also as [[GodIsDead an other kind of epithet]].

* VillainProtagonist: Billy.

!!This film has the examples of:

* BadSanta: The robber Santa.

* InfantImmortality: The Santa criminal goes looking for Billy after killing the Chapman parents but he doesn't bother with baby Ricky, whose crying in the car.

* ThatManIsDead: A variation: After being mortally wounded, Billy tries to comfort the children around him the only way he knows how - by reassuring them that [[BadSanta Santa Claus]] isn't going to haunt anyone anymore. Given Billy's [[FreudianExcuse "upbringing"]] with Mother Superior's KnightTemplar brand of morality, this comes out also as [[GodIsDead an other kind of epithat]].

* WellIntentionedExtremist: Both Billy and Mother Superior. Despite their rather... ''extreme'' methods, they both seem to genuinely believe that they're doing the right thing.

* VillainProtagonist: Billy.

* DeathBySex: Denise and Tommy in the first film, Jerri and possibly Chris in ''Better Watch Out!'', plus Meredith and Buck in ''The Toy Maker'' (though the former survives the toy attack).
** Averted by [[spoiler:Kim]] in the fourth film; the very first time we see her she's having sex with her boyfriend, but they both survive the film.

After being in DevelopmentHell for years, a remake (simply called ''Silent Night'') was completed in 2012, it stars MalcolmMcDowell, Jaime King, Donal Logue and Ellen Wong.

Despite there being several Christmas-themed horror films released before, ''Silent Night, Deadly Night'' was the one that caused the MoralGuardians to froth at the mouth in rage over the film [[BerserkButton depicting Santa Claus as a villain.]] The film was pulled from theatres quickly, but found a cult following on home video and was followed by four sequels: ''Film/SilentNightDeadlyNightPart2'' in 1987, ''Film/SilentNightDeadlyNightIIIBetterWatchOut'' in 1989, ''Film/InitiationSilentNightDeadlyNight4'' in 1990 and ''Film/SilentNightDeadlyNight5TheToyMaker'' in 1991.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: Both Billy and Mother Superior. Despite their rather... ''extreme'' methods, they both seem to genuinely believe that they're doing the right thing. Less so in Ricky's case -- initially he seems to be pursuing a form of vigilante justice, but by the time of "Garbage Day" it's clear that he's just killing people for the hell of it.

[[quoteright:350:[[{{Narm}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/GARBAGE-DAY.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[MemeticMutation GARBAGE DAY!]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7gIpuIVE3k&NR=1 After that, he pulls out a gun. We don't get it either.]]]]

->''"[[{{Earworm}} Santa's watching, Santa's waiting...]]"''

'''''Silent Night, Deadly Night''''' is a series of [[SlasherMovies slasher]] (and later outright horror) films. The series began in TheEighties during the slasher movie boom started by ''Film/{{Halloween 1978}}'' and ''[[Franchise/FridayThe13th Friday the 13th]]'' and, like those two series, centered around a holiday - in this case, Christmas. Despite there being several Christmas-themed horror films released before the original ''Silent Night, Deadly Night'' was the one that caused the MoralGuardians to froth at the mouth in rage over the film [[BerserkButton depicting Santa Claus as a villain.]] The film was pulled from theatres quickly, but found a cult following on home video and was followed by four sequels.

But let's face it, you're probably only here because of the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7gIpuIVE3k Garbage Day]] scene.
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A brief synopsis of all five films:

'''''Silent Night, Deadly Night''''' (1984)

''He knows when you've been naughty!''

'''''Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2''''' (1987)

''[[MemeticMutation Garbage day!]]''

Consisting of about fifty percent flashbacks to the original film the sequel follows Billy's brother Richard "Ricky"... Caldwell, who followed in his sibling's footsteps and grew up to be a psychotic murderer. After going on a rampage Ricky winds up in an institution, where he tells his story to a psychiatrist named Doctor Henry Bloom. {{Narm}} and HilarityEnsues.

'''''Silent Night, Deadly Night III: Better Watch Out!''''' (1989)

''When your nightmare ends, the real terror begins!''

Awakening from a coma due to forming a mental link with a blind [[PsychicPowers psychic]] girl Ricky (who has snazzy clear dome replacing the top of his head, [[BodyHorror exposing his brain and its fluids]]) becomes obsessed with the girl and stalks her as she heads to her grandmother's house for the holidays, killing everyone in his way. On Ricky's trail [[Franchise/{{Halloween}} are his slightly mad doctor and a high ranking law enforcement official]].

'''''Initiation: Silent Night, Deadly Night 4''''' (1990)

''And if I die before I wake, thank you.''

When the series essentially goes OffTheRails, with this installment being completely unrelated to the previous three while having almost nothing to do with Christmas. After a woman bursts into flames in the midst of jumping off a building wannabe investigative reporter Kim Levitt looks into what caused her death, encountering a StrawFeminist [[ReligionOfEvil cult]] and ''freaking huge insects'' during her search. Called '''''[[MeaningfulName Bugs]]''''' in some releases.

'''''Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker''''' (1991)

''He's home... but he's not alone.''

Loosely connected to the previous film this one gets more into the holiday spirit, featuring [[LivingToys toys that kill]]. After the mysterious death of her husband a woman, her son and her former lover begin investigating the toys produced by an enigmatic toymaker named [[IncrediblyLamePun Joe Petto and his son Pino]]. Mickey Rooney portrays Joe, despite being one of the most vocal haters of the original film; he probably [[RockBottom needed]] [[MoneyDearBoy the work]] and plays a mean, scary drunk surprisingly well.

After being in DevelopmentHell for years, a remake (simply called ''Silent Night'') is finally being made, it stars MalcolmMcDowell, Jaime King, Donal Logue and Ellen Wong.

----
!!This film series provides examples of the following tropes:

* AbusiveParents: The drunk Joe Petto's habit of smacking his son Pino around in ''The Toy Maker'' (occasionally killing him and rebuilding him later).
* AccidentalMurder: In the first film Officer Barnes shoots a man in a Santa suit he thought was Billy when the Santa fails to back off from the orphanage children when Barnes yells at him too. Turns out the Santa was Father O'Brien, who was deaf.
* AllJustADream: Used at least once by every film in the series, but ''Better Watch Out!'' seems particularly fond of this trope, giving us three dream sequences in the first fifteen minutes alone.
* AffablyEvil: Janice from ''Initiation''.
--> '''Janice:''' "You look wonderful! Welcome to the family! Now, you have to bring us the boy..."
* AscendedMeme: The "Garbage Day!" line has appeared on the covers of some of the DVD releases of ''Part 2''.
** It appears on the trailer too.
* AssholeVictim: Plenty of them in ''Part 2''.
** Hank's father in ''Initiation''.
* AttemptedRape: SO. MUCH.
* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: The ''gigantic'' cockroach from ''Initiation''.
* AnAxeToGrind: Billy's main weapon. Ricky also uses one to kill Mother Superior in ''Part 2''.
** Noah and Sarah use one to attack Pino in ''The Toy Maker''.
* BadSanta
* BarrierBustingBlow: Ricky punching through a door to grab Jerri in ''Better Watch Out!''.
* BerserkButton: The color red sets off Ricky's murderous urges in ''Better Watch Out!'' (and maybe ''Part 2'').
* BigCreepyCrawlies: The larvae and cockroaches in ''Initiation''.
* BigOlEyebrows: Ricky (and to a lesser extent Chip's) crazy, fluttery eyebrows from ''Part 2''.
* BlindSeer: Laura of ''Better Watch Out!''
* BloodlessCarnage: ''Better Watch Out!'' borders on this; most of the death occur offscreen, with only the aftermath being shown. The deaths that are directly shown are fairly tame.
* BodyHorror: In ''Better Watch Out!'', due to damage to his head, Ricky has a transparent dome which exposes his brain and its fluids in place of a skullcap.
** ''Initiation'' is full of this, featuring stuff like a larva crawling into Kim through the belly button and emerging from her mouth as a giant cockroach.
* BottomlessMagazines: Surprisingly enough, ''Part 2'' averts this - Ricky uses one bullet to kill the cop, one to kill a random bystander, one in the "Garbage Day" sequence, three to take out a car, then when he goes to commit suicide on being confronted by the cops, discovers that his revolver is out of ammo.
* CarFu
* CassandraTruth: In ''Initiation'', the cult covers its tracks ridiculously well and make Kim look crazy.

** Also used by Ricky a few times in ''Part 2'', though most of the time he says "naughty".
* CleanCut
* ContrivedCoincidence: In ''Initiation'', Kim's one female co-worker just happens to be in the same cult Kim is investigating.
* CreatorCameo: The director of ''Part 2'' plays one of Ricky's victims in the "Garbage Day" sequence, and the film's cinematographer later pops up as a charity collector who Ricky kills for his Santa outfit. Likewise, director Monte Hellman plays the poor fool that wakes up Ricky (and gets killed for his trouble) in ''Better Watch Out''.
* CuriosityKilledTheCast

* DemotedToExtra: Ricky by the end of the series.
* {{Determinator}}: Ricky gets shot several times at the end of ''Part 2''. And [[strike:survives]] ''doesn't even flinch'' until another officer tries shooting him with a shotgun, which finally knocks him down.
* DevelopingDoomedCharacters
* DolledUpInstallment: ''Initiation'' was originally written as a pseudo-sequel to ''Society'', according to various reports, but turned into the fourth ''Silent Night, Deadly Night'' film to secure funding.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: When Kim gets the bug juice dripped on her face in ''Initiation'' it pretty much looks like she's been facialized.
** Plus there's the mask Ricky wears during Kim's introductory ceremony. It's flesh colored and has a really, really long nose...
* DropTheHammer: Billy stabs Mr. Sims in the head with a claw hammer in ''Silent Night, Deadly Night''.
** Pino tries to kill Noah with one ''The Toy Maker''.
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler:Ricky at the end of ''Better Watch Out!'' - Laura holds out a sharpened stick, and Ricky trips over and fatally impales himself on it]].
* DullSurprise: Samantha Scully in ''Better Watch Out!'' Granted, she's playing a character whose blind, but still...
** In the same film there's a scene where Ricky punches through a door to attack Jerri. As his girlfriend is being throttled Chris says "Holy shit!" in a really, really subdued manner.
* ElectricBoogaloo
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Both Billy and Ricky are confronted with a young child in the middle of their respective rampages. Those children are the only people who get to live.
* EveryCarIsAPinto: Ricky causes a car to blow up in ''Part 2'' by shooting it in the grill.
** In ''The Toy Maker'' a car (that's not even going that fast) flips over and explodes spectacularly.
* EvilLaugh: Ricky during his shooting spree in ''Part 2''.
* EyeScream: In ''The Toy Maker'' a larva toy crawls into a guy's mouth and bursts out of his eye while he's driving.
** Chip's eyes (and sunglasses) explode while he's being electrocuted by Ricky in ''Part 2''.
* EyesOpen: In the ending of ''Part 2''.
* FinalGirl: Laura Anderson in ''Better Watch Out!''. Something of a subversion though she's seen drinking alcohol and is shown to have quite a bitchy personality, either of which is usually a death sentence in a slasher film.
* FanDisservice: All the female victims (apart from Mrs. Randall) die topless in the first film.
** Not to mention the babysitter in the first movie could seriously use a sandwich or a hundred.
* {{Fingore}}: Kim's fingers start curling up and fusing together a few times in ''Initiation''.

* ForTheEvulz: Presumably Grandpa Chapman's reason for traumatizing Billy. It got him on I-Mockery's "Favorite Christmas Movie Assholes" list.
* {{Gorn}}
* GoryDiscretionShot: Mr. Sims being stabbed in the head with a claw hammer in the first film, and the hospital receptionist getting knifed in ''Better Watch Out!''
* GrievousBottleyHarm: While drunk Joe smashes his son Pino with a bottle in ''The Toy Maker''.
* GroinAttack: Tommy manages to kick Billy in the crotch while they're fighting in the first film.
* GunTwirling: Done by Ricky after he shoots the guy taking out his trash in ''Part 2''.
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: Sarah cuts Pino in half with an axe in ''The Toy Maker''. Being a robot he still keeps coming.
* HardWorkMontage: Happens when Billy's working at the toy store in the first film.

* HeroicSacrifice: For no real reason cult servant Ricky tries to defend Kim near the end of ''Initiation''. He [[RedemptionEqualsDeath gets knifed and eaten by giant larvae]] for his efforts.
* HollywoodNuns
* HorrorDoesntSettleForSimpleTuesday
* IJustShotMarvinInTheFace: Right after Ricky kills Chip and Jennifer in ''Part 2'' an obviously rookie cop tries to arrest him, wielding his gun in a really impractical manner which winds up resulting in his death.
* InfantImmortality
** In ''Silent Night, Deadly Night'' while the Santa criminal goes looking for Billy after killing the Chapman parents he doesn't bother with baby Ricky, whose crying in the car. Billy at first looks like he's going to kill Cindy, but leaves her alone when she claims she was good all year.
** In ''Part 2'' during his shooting spree Ricky is bumped into by a little girl on a bike. He accepts her apology and moves on to kill more people.
** The cult tries to force Kim into killing Lonnie in ''Initiation''. While she does abduct him, she stops short of killing him at the last minute and saves him.
** ''The Toy Maker'' has Lonnie putting on a pair of rigged roller skates which rocket him full speed into a car. At first it looks like he died, but turns out he's just horribly mangled...
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice
** Denise being impaled on the antlers of a mounted deer head in ''Silent Night, Deadly Night''.
** Rocco getting impaled with an old umbrella (which pops open right before it rains) in ''Part 2''.
** Ricky getting a broken stick driven through his body at the end of ''Better Watch Out!''
** Tom falling onto a fireplace poker (which goes through his face and out the back of his head) while being choked by the Santa toy in ''The Toy Maker''.
* IncrediblyLamePun: In ''Initiation'' a guy watching a news report about a woman who burst into flames before falling off a building remarks "She was a hot one". And there's the whole Joe Petto and Pino thing from ''The Toy Maker''.
* InNameOnly: ''Initiation'' and ''The Toy Maker''.
* IronicNurseryTune: Various.
* {{Jerkass}}: Andy in ''Silent Night, Deadly Night''.
* JerkJock: Chip in ''Part 2''.
* JustAMachine: Joe Petto beat his creation Pino in ''The Toy Maker'', claiming he could never love him "like a real son". At the end of the movie the barely functioning Pino grabs Sarah's leg and she starts frantically stomping his head into bits and pieces of machinery. She's stopped by her son Derek, who says "Its just a toy, mommy."

* KnifeNut: Ricky in ''Better Watch Out!''.
* LargeHam: Ricky in ''Part 2''.
* LeaveTheCameraRunning: Early in ''Better Watch Out!'' there's a sequence where Laura spends the better part of ''three minutes'' sitting around in the hospital waiting room, doing absolutely nothing. [[spoiler:When she gets up though, she finds out that the receptionist has been hacked to death by Ricky]].
* LivingToys: Pino's creations from ''The Toy Maker''.
* LoudGulp: Ricky's girlfriend gives out one when he goes after her in ''Part 2''.
* MarketBasedTitle: The first two films were unable to get any real release outside of North America for various reasons, including foreign censorship standards and the controversy that the first film had caused. Hence, ''Better Watch Out!'' became ''Blind Terror'' for its international release, ''Initiation'' became ''Bugs'', and ''The Toy Maker'' had the "Silent Night, Deadly Night" part dropped from its name.
* MilkmanConspiracy: ''Initiation''.
* MindScrew: The whole plot of ''Initiation''.
* MoneyDearBoy: Come on, is there really any other reason why Mickey Rooney would have played the villain in ''The Toy Maker'' after leading protests against the original film?
** Also the reason why Monte Hellman agreed to direct ''Better Watch Out!'' -- he had suffered a serious illness after shooting his previous film, and needed some money to pay his medical bills.
* MyLittlePanzer: The superhero toy and remote control plane from ''The Toy Maker''.
* NamesTheSame: There are also two other Christmas-themed horror films called ''Silent Night, Bloody Night'' and ''Silent Night, Evil Night'' (latter being the alternative title for ''Film/BlackChristmas1974'').
** The Ricky of the first three films, and the one from ''Initiation'' and ''The Toy Maker''.
* NonchalantDodge: In ''Part 2'' to avoid an out of control car barreling down on him Ricky simply does a tiny little sidestep.
* TheNthDoctor: Mother Superior is played by a different actress in ''Part 2''. To hide this its mentioned she had a stroke, which horribly disfigured her face somehow.
* NumberOfTheBeast: Mother Superior's home address.
* OffWithHisHead
** Mac (who gets his head chopped off while sledding) in ''Silent Night, Deadly Night''.
** Mother Superior (who has her head put back on her body afterward) in ''Part 2''.
** Craig in ''Better Watch Out!''.
* TheOtherDarrin: Lieutenant Connelly from ''Better Watch Out!'' is apparently supposed to be the unnamed lieutenant who shot Ricky down at the end of ''Part 2'', despite looking and sounding nothing like the guy.
** Let's not forget Ricky himself - Eric Freeman was technically already another Darrin for the child actor that played him in the first film, and he in turn was replaced by Bill Moseley for the third film.
* TheOtherMarty: ''Part 2'' reshot some of the sequences that Ricky had appeared in during the first film, since the actor that originally played him was too old to reprise the part. Unfortunately they didn't do a very good job of it, with the result that the actor playing the young Ricky often changes ''in the middle of a scene''.
* OurZombiesAreDifferent: The Ricky of ''Better Watch Out!'' is close enough for this to apply.
* PetTheDog: The scene between Billy and Cindy in the first film. Sure, he gives her a bloody box cutter as a gift but the look on both their faces (beaming joy and utter befuddlement) is priceless.
* PoliceAreUseless: Captain Richards does take Billy down in the first film, though.
** Likewise, the cops shoot down Ricky at the end of ''Part 2'' before he can attack Sister Mary.
* PrimalScene: The beginning of ''The Toy Maker''.
* PropRecycling: Larry the Larvae from ''The Toy Maker'' seems to be one of the larvae props from ''Initiation'', with googly eyes stuck on it.
* PsychoLesbian: Fima from ''Initiation''.
* PsychicPowers: Laura Anderson from ''Better Watch Out!''
* RevolversAreJustBetter
* RoboticReveal: The end of ''The Toy Maker'' when Pino reveals he was created by Joe to replace his dead son.
* ScaryBlackMan: The orderly from the hospital in ''Part 2''. He doesn't really say much, but has a rather mean DeathGlare.
* SequelHook: End of the first film.
* SerialKiller: Billy and Ricky (though the latter quickly devolved).
* SeriesContinuityError: In the first film, a priest in a Santa suit is mistaken for the killer and is fatally shot after he failed to follow a cop's order to freeze. It turns out he was deaf. But in the sequel, it's said that the deaf man who was shot dead was the janitor at the orphanage. While the film-makers don't explicitly say why they made this change, they imply on the DVD commentary that they were uneasy about the thought of killing a priest. Killing a ''nun'' is apparently just fine and dandy, though.
* SpontaneousHumanCombustion: Featured twice in ''Initiation''.
* StayInTheKitchen: This is the attitude of Hank's father in ''Initiation''.
* StealthHiBye: Ricky in the theatre in ''Part 2''.
* StrawFeminist: The cult in ''Initiation'' is made up of these.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Sister Mary in ''Part 2'' is meant to fulfil the same role as Sister Margaret in the first film. Considering the film's rather... ''loose'' attitude towards casting, it seems unusual that they didn't just try to pass off the new actress as Sister Margaret.
* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: After somehow getting his axe stuck in a wheelchair seat in the climax of ''Part 2'', Ricky shouts "I'm REALLY mad now!" Arguably justified somewhat, since Ricky is such a nutcase that you can sorta imagine him saying something like that.

* TimeshiftedActor: Happens in a really odd way in ''Part 2'', as the actor playing the teenaged Ricky is actually several years ''older'' than Eric Freeman in real-life.
* TooDumbToLive: Many examples; this is a slasher series, after all. Perhaps the most blatant is Jennifer in ''Part 2'', after Ricky fries Chip with a car battery charger. Instead of running for help, she grabs hold of him, starts screaming that he's crazy, and repeatedly shouts "I hate you, Ricky!" Naturally, this doesn't end well.
* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: ''The Toymaker's'' trailer spoils the RoboticReveal.
* TrampledUnderfoot: Shown when Ricky closes in on Mother Superior's house in ''Part 2''.
* UnexplainedRecovery: Clint Howard's Ricky obviously dies in ''Initiation'', yet returns briefly as a mall Santa in ''The Toy Maker'' (though this could be another instance of NamesTheSame).
* [[UngratefulBastard Ungrateful Bitch]]: Billy saves Pamela from being brutally raped in the first film. She freaks out and calls him a crazy bastard before punching him in the face. Granted, Billy had gone perhaps a bit further in stopping the attempted rapist than Pamela really wanted him to, but still...
** Inverted in ''Part 2''. Ricky happens on a near-identical situation and flattens the attempted rapist with his own car, and this time the girl seems really pleased about Ricky's actions.
* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Ricky's brain dome in ''Better Watch Out!''
* VerbThis: Ricky's PreMortemOneLiner to Mother Superior when she tells him that he's being naughty is "Naughty THIS!"
* VillainProtagonist: Billy and Ricky.
* WatchItForTheMeme: Just guess.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Both Billy and Mother Superior. Despite their rather... ''extreme'' methods, they both seem to genuinely believe that they're doing the right thing. Less so in Ricky's case -- initially he seems to be pursuing a form of vigilante justice, but by the time of "Garbage Day" it's clear that he's just killing people for the hell of it.*
[[BerserkButton people were not happy about Santa being a killer]]. Despite the fact that there were a few horror themed christmas movies before this one.
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But let's face it, you're only here because of the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7gIpuIVE3k Garbage Day]] scene.

After being in DevelopmentHell for years, a remake (simply called ''Silent Night'') is finally being made.

* NamesTheSame: There are also two other Christmas-themed horror films called ''Silent Night, Bloody Night'' and ''Silent Night, Evil Night'' (latter being the alternative title for ''BlackChristmas'').

'''''Silent Night, Deadly Night''''' is a series of [[SlasherMovies slasher]] (and later outright horror) films. The series began in TheEighties during the slasher movie boom started by ''Film/{{Halloween}}'' and ''[[Franchise/FridayThe13th Friday the 13th]]'' and, like those two series, centered around a holiday - in this case, Christmas. Despite there being several Christmas-themed horror films released before the original ''Silent Night, Deadly Night'' was the one that caused the MoralGuardians to froth at the mouth in rage over the film [[BerserkButton depicting Santa Claus as a villain.]] The film was pulled from theatres quickly, but found a cult following on home video and was followed by four sequels.

Awakening from a coma due to forming a mental link with a blind [[PsychicPowers psychic]] girl Ricky (who has snazzy clear dome replacing the top of his head, [[BodyHorror exposing his brain and its fluids]]) becomes obsessed with the girl and stalks her as she heads to her grandmother's house for the holidays, killing everyone in his way. On Ricky's trail [[Film/{{Halloween}} are his slightly mad doctor and a high ranking law enforcement official]].

'''''Silent Night, Deadly Night''''' is a series of [[SlasherMovies slasher]] (and later outright horror) films. The series began in TheEighties during the slasher movie boom started by ''Film/{{Halloween}}'' and ''[[Film/FridayThe13th Friday the 13th]]'' and, like those two series, centered around a holiday - in this case, Christmas. Despite there being several Christmas-themed horror films released before the original ''Silent Night, Deadly Night'' was the one that caused the MoralGuardians to froth at the mouth in rage over the film [[BerserkButton depicting Santa Claus as a villain.]] The film was pulled from theatres quickly, but found a cult following on home video and was followed by four sequels.

* DevelopmentHell: TheRemake

* {{Padding}}: Half of ''Silent Night, Deadly Night II'' is the first film.

* IGotBetter: Clint Howard's Ricky obviously dies in ''Initiation'', yet returns briefly as a mall Santa in ''The Toy Maker'' (though this could be another instance of NamesTheSame).

When the series essentially goes OffTheRails, with this installment being completely unrelated to the previous three while having almost nothing to do with Christmas. After a woman bursts into flames in the midst of jumping off a building wannabe investigative reporter Kim Levitt looks into what caused her death, encountering a StrawFeminist [[ReligionOfEvil cult]] and ''[[KillItWithFire freaking huge insects]]'' during her search. Called '''''[[MeaningfulName Bugs]]''''' in some releases.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: And how. Just because its a film about Santa think its for kids? Heck no it isnt, and the people who saw this movie with their kids need some serious parenting. Around the time when the film came out [[BerserkButton people were not happy about Santa being a killer]]. Despite the fact that there were a few horror themed christmas movies before this one.

* TwentyMinutesWithJerks

'''''Silent Night, Deadly Night''''' is a series of [[SlasherMovies slasher]] (and later outright horror) films. The series began in TheEighties during the slasher movie boom started by ''Film/{{Halloween}}'' and ''[[Film/FridayThe13th Friday the 13th]]'' and, like those two series, centered around a holiday - in this case, Christmas. Despite there being several Christmas-themed horror films released before the original ''Silent Night, Deadly Night'' was the one that caused the MoralGuardians to froth at the mouth in rage over the film [[BerserkButton depicting Santa Claus as a villain.]] The film was pulled from theatres quickly, but found a cult following on home video and was followed by four sequels of [[YourMileageMayVary debatable quality.]]