Silent Night, Deadly Night: Director and Star on Reviving a Festive Slasher

Few festive horrors have left as lasting a mark as the 1984 cult classic Silent Night, Deadly Night. Notorious for its graphic use of Christmas imagery, the original film sparked controversy and cemented its place in the genre. Now, Cineverse—known for Terrifier 3—has brought the story back to life with a fresh, blood-soaked remake that made its debut at Fantastic Fest to a rather enthusiastic crowd.

We caught up with director Mike P. Nelson and lead actress Ruby Modine to discuss their approach to reimagining this infamous tale, the unexpected emotional core at its heart, and the creation of a standout action sequence that’s already generating buzz.

Injecting Warmth into a Chilling Classic

Asked about the tonal shift from the original’s bleakness, Nelson explained his vision:

I wanted to make a fun, cosy, warm Christmas film. I’ve always wanted to make a Christmas film. I’ve always wanted to make a Christmas horror film. This was the perfect opportunity. When Brad Miska came to me and was like, “Do you have a take for this?” I was like, “Give me a beat, let me think of something.”

He continued,

I make horror films. I make thrillers. I make these things that are scary and at times can be dark and crazy, but at the core, there’s gotta be heart. There’s got to be this warmth in there, because that’s what I like.

Rather than focusing on trauma and its consequences, Nelson opted for a more fantastical direction, even weaving in a love story.

The first film had that weird tone, right? It was a very strange film tonally. I wanted to do something similar with tone, but not the same way that film did. So for this one, it was more leaning into the fun tropes of Christmas films and that kind of stuff. But then you cut to a scene and there’s an old man getting an axe in his head and you’re like, “Oh, okay, that’s what we’re watching. Oh, somebody’s just gotten their head blown up with a shotgun! For the love of God!” So it was always jumping between those two things and having that two-sidedness that kept crossing over each other.

Romance, Chemistry, and Legendary Effects

The romantic thread, Nelson believes, is what grounds the story:

To me, that’s what anchors the whole thing. It’s how we fall in love with both Pam and Billy. It’s how we learn about them as people. It’s two people dealing with demons.

Modine, meanwhile, couldn’t resist sharing a behind-the-scenes moment:

I just want to backtrack to one thing, because the head that he was describing that cracked open. He was sat in a chair in hair and make-up one day, and I’ve never screamed louder in my life. And I’ll never forget, the head of wardrobe was like, “You’re on a horror film set, Ruby, get it together.” I just want to make a shout-out because the effects on this film were legendary.

On the importance of romance, she added,

But in regard to the romance, I think it’s because love conquers all, right? We all want a feel-good film. Like Mike was saying, we all want blood and a little love. It’s a good balance. It’s like Halloween and Christmas.

Modine also spoke about her on-screen partnership with Rohan Campbell:

Well, Rohan is an incredible human being to begin with, an incredible artist. He’s very committed. But if we weren’t on set working with Mike, we were together working on the dialogue. We were creating secrets between each other. We were challenging each other, creating backstories. So, the chemistry that people are talking about is because it was coming from a genuine place of fun. And how lucky are we that number one, we get to do what we love, but number two, you’re working with people that are so happy to be there and excited to be doing what you’re doing? So yeah, that chemistry came from endless amounts of laughter.

Memorable Moments and a New Legacy

One particularly wild scene has already become a talking point among early viewers. Nelson revealed,

Honestly, from the start of the idea, it was one of the key moments in the story. I knew kind of at the midpoint that I wanted to do something that was completely off the rails. I was like, “If I’m gonna do a Silent Night, Deadly Night film, there’s got to be this moment where shit gets nuts.”

He elaborated on the importance of such moments:

The thing is, there’s putting a scene in a film in which crazy stuff happens, and okay, great, it’s a crazy scene, and then we move on. Then there’s putting a crazy scene in a film that actually gives us perspective on who our character is — who our lead is. In this case, with Billy, it really makes you understand his predicament that he’s in a little bit more, but also that he’s got a strange moral principle to him. I think it’s at that turning point, where you’re like, “I’m Team Billy. I get it. I want to see him out to the end. I hope he wins.”

As for the film’s place in the so-called “Santa horror” tradition, Nelson hopes it will become a seasonal staple:

I hope that it’s a film that Christmas film lovers can put on during the holidays and be like, “Yep, this is one of them.” And not even just horror film people. I’m a huge genre fan. I love horror films, and I’m always gonna watch my Christmas horror films, but I also sit down and I watch my Christmas films during this time of year. And I wanted to make one that blended it together and could be both and just be that fun romp — not to be cheesy, but that kind of brings joy.