'Tis the season, where Christmas lights go up and horror fans the world over yell "GARBAGE DAY!!!!!!!" to unsuspecting civilians. The SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT series has certainly had its weird run of sequels - which one is the worst?
i love this series i watch the first film every x-mas eve but for me part 3 has to be the worst everytime i watch it i just want the damn thing to end
none! not sure how this series slipped by me. i certainly enjoy the first one. maybe it's just cause i've heard nothing buy crap about the sequels? but that didn't keep me from watching several of the children of the corn and the howling sequels. maybe i should track some of these down. at the very least, i owe it to myself to see the second one. part II's are often some of the most interesting sequels, if not always the best.
Technically Part 2, but the badness is hilarious. Voted for Part 3 because the badness in that one isn't very funny. I still enjoy them all for what they are, and I'll be watching all soon
I enjoy all the sequels (especially Part 2) but I voted for Part 4 because despite it's bizarre nature it wasn't Christmas enough.
I love them all. Part 2 makes Part 1 unnecessary as it repeats the good bits; Part 3 has Bill Moseley with an exposed brain; Part 4 has Reggie from Phantasm, Clint Howard, and Screaming Mad george rubber weirdness; and Part 5 has Mickey Rooney and killer toys.
Definitely Initiation: Silent Night, Deadly Night 4. That one is just terrible...not to mention having virtually nothing to do with the series.
I would vote for the first movie if I could. One of the most overrated slashers out there. Though I do enjoy the "Warm Side Of The Door" montage.
They're all pretty terrible, but part 3 is so dull it's the only one I can't seem to watch in a single sitting.
Have to go with the 2nd one. About 1/2 of it was like a flashback to the first one, but I do have all 5 movies on DVD, and I haven't seen the Parts 3-5 in some time. I will be watching them this weekend.
Christmas Evil used the same idea 4 years earlier, and did it 100 times better. The whole SN,DN franchise is pretty bad, I like the idea but the execution is weak. If I had to pick, Initiation and The Toy Maker are my favorites. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't watch them every December.
I haven't seen 3, 4 or 5 yet althought I bought the set some time ago. I could almost punch myself in the face for selling-off my 1 & 2 set years ago as I love them both and really hoped to see them again before finishing out the series. I mean, "bad" is a relative term and while the 1st two could definitely be lumped into that catagory by most people, they are quite charming and bring me great joy.
Setting the merits of each film aside, I'd argue that both are quite different other than having a killer Santa. One is more of an introspective drama along the lines of Taxi Driver (Christmas Evil), while the other is more firmly a slasher film. Christmas Evil follows an aged loner in the midst of a mid-life crisis. Silent Night, Deadly Night is rooted more in that slasher staple of Catholic guilt and punishment, taking itself much less seriously and focusing more on the mayhem. The arc of either film is completely different, since one Santa is an older man looking back on life while the other is a young man still traumatized by his childhood. Calling both films the same is like calling Friday the 13th and Summer Camp Nightmare the same movie because they both take place at camp.
Both movies are about men who had witnessed a traumatizing event involving Santa Claus when they were children, then growing up and being pushed to their snapping point. The premise is pretty much the same. I found Christmas Evil to be self-aware, with the right balance of dark humor and psychological drama. In my opinion, it is Silent Night, Deadly Night that takes itself too seriously. It seemed they were attempting the character study approach as well, following the boy to adulthood. Only it is so poorly scripted, it fails and bogs down the entire movie. Aside from the opening attack, the mayhem in Silent Night, Deadly Night doesn't kick in until after the halfway mark. The movie revolves around Billy, not his victims. I'd say both movies use the same idea, despite the differences in tone. I think the comparison between the two is valid. Had I mentioned something like To All A Good Night (which is your typical Prom Night / Friday The 13th style slasher flick), there would be no room for comparison.
Why so many votes for SNDN 2? It's quite possibly the greatest shitty movie ever made, and unbelievably entertaining. Initiation is the worst sequel by far, the whole movie is a giant WTF?
