Sunday, December 24, 2017

Holiday Trash: Silent Night, Deadly Night- Part 2

Review Day!  This is Silent Night, Deadly Night: Part 2, the Film that inspired a Meme.  Show of hands for people who have seen more than just the Gif.  Yeah, not too many of you.  

Back in 1984, a Film 'shook the Nation' by being about a guy killing teenagers...but dressed as Santa.  After a Trailer was released, protests began.  Why?  They didn't want kids to think that Santa was a killer.  I already did the Film where *the real* Saint Nick was a murderous Pirate, so I'll hold in my outrage.  A couple years later, someone wanted to *re-sell* the Film to people.  The idea: have Ricky (the Brother of the killer) be interviewed about what happened.  Somewhere along the line, they just kept shooting new footage with Eric Freeman and an actual Film was born.  

The result is barely even a new Film- shocking.  The Acting is terrible, the Production is sometimes laughable and the whole thing is just ridiculous.  Let's watch, shall we?
Ricky here is the younger Brother of Billy.  His brother went crazy after numerous traumas and killed people about 10 years earlier.

Eric Freeman here is playing 'Ricky.'  He's an amusingly-terrible Actor, not aided by the Script.
The 'Film' takes up over 39 minutes just with Ricky talking to some guy in a Facility and recapping the first Film.  Yes, even the parts he was a baby in AND the parts that he wasn't there for.

Before you say the 'Billy told him,' just remember that some of these parts happen in the gap between the pair last meet and when Billy shows up for like a minute before dying (seen below).  He didn't recap shit!
Now that the Film is half-over, we see how young Ricky is scared of Nuns (sure) and then we see 15-year old Ricky kill a guy who tried to rape his girlfriend.  He doesn't kill her too, so he's better than Billy in one regard.

This Actor, by the way, is in like 100 Animes doing Voice-Acting.  Good for you.
On top of the random killings by Billy, Ricky gets in on the act.  This one is for you, Mythbusters.
Now an Adult, Ricky gets a girlfriend and goes to a see a Film with her.  It...is about a killer Santa.

Three things:
1) That is so META that it hurts.
2) Why is there a Film about this 10 years after Billy's small-time killing spree?
3) This is just footage from the first Film!  It's also in a WORSE Aspect Ratio than the same Footage from earlier in this Film!
With less than 20 minutes left, Ricky snaps and goes on his infamous killing spree.  Head shocking and choking galore!
While the 'Garbage Day' bit is hilarious, I almost find this one to be funnier.  Random Cop shows up and holds his gun right in front of Ricky.  It ends...poorly.
After killing folks and being locked up for...um...some amount of time, Ricky escapes to kill the Nun.  We have 10 minutes left, so get in that costume!
He somehow tracks the Nun down (who now has facial scarring for some reason) and kills her...only to be shot by the Police like Billy.  Joy.  The End.
Ugh.  To be fair, this Film is funny as hell.  Mind you, it is NOT a Comedy.  It is just so juvenile and inept at doing the basics of what you'd expect from a Slasher that it makes you laugh.  Eric Freeman was clearly not given a good Script or direction (keep making mean faces- perfect!).  All of the Acting is pretty over-the-top, but never quite in the 'in on the joke' sort of way.  Obviously, half of the Film is a complete waste.  I have to ask one thing too- why is the Footage used as a fake Film Within A Film in a worse Aspect Ratio?  It is the same Film that they used seamlessly earlier in the Film!  It is also worth examining the amusing timeline of this.  First- the Intro is now clearly in 1977.  Second- the bulk of this Film now takes place in 1994.  Does it look like it?  It is kind of like how that last Universal Mummy Film from the Golden Age has to take place in 1995, mere years before the actual Reboot happened!  The Film is just chock full of questions.  
Why cast a different Actor for 15 year old Ricky if he's only 18 as Freeman?  
Why are there 5 people playing the guy (Baby Ricky, Original Young Ricky, New Young Ricky, 15 year old Ricky and Freeman's Ricky) in one Film?  
How does he escape the facility?  
How does he know where the Nun lives?  
How does he cut her head off with an axe and then reset it so cleanly (since severed heads don't bleed) that she appears to be alive?  

The guy made a quite literally-seamless cut across her neck!  The whole thing is just pure '80s trash...and I kind of love it.  It doesn't work as a serious Film, but it is the most amusing of the Series for me so far.  Yes, even funnier than 6th Ricky (aka Choptop) stalking a blind Psychic on Christmas.  I'm laughing...even if the Director isn't in his Cameo.
Next time, we skip past the Holidays with one last bit of Andy Sidaris.  Will the streak be broken?  Stay tuned...

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