In what’s sure to be polarizing news for people who fondly remember the 1984 Christmas-themed slasher film, Silent Night, Deadly Night, Variety is reporting that Anchor Bay has picked up the North American distribution rights to a remake of the film, which is set to begin shooting next month. If all goes according to plan, that means it should be hitting U.S. theaters this year, just in time for the holiday season.
For those who may not remember, Silent Night, Deadly Night told the story of Billy, a young boy who was traumatized by the sight of watching his parents get killed by a guy in a Santa suit, so he grows up to be a murderous, psychopathic mall Santa himself. It’s basically like a reverse Batman, but with a charming Christmas theme and buckets full of gore.
This remake is set to star Malcolm McDowell, of all people, who plays Sheriff Cooper, a small town policeman looking to find some real action. Over the course of the film he predictably gets it, as his sleepy burg is suddenly plagued with a rash of killings perpetrated by a man dressed as Santa Claus. The film is set to be directed by Stephen C. Miller (The Aggression Scale), and is coming from a script by Jayson Rothwell (The Order of the Seven).
So now we need to ask the same question we ask every time there’s a new remake: what’s the general consensus on this plan? Is Silent Night, Deadly Night a beat up old treasure that might look good on the mantle after a little polish and restoration, or is this going to be another tired remake that we’ll all be trying to regift come New Year’s?