SILENT NIGHT, BLOODY NIGHT: THE HOMECOMING (2013)

SILENT NIGHT, BLOODY NIGHT: THE HOMECOMING (2013)
Directed by James Plumb

After Wilfred Butler dies in a fire in 1987, his mansion, Butler House, is left to his sole living heir, grandson Jeffrey. 25 years on, Jeffrey arrives on the scene to claim the property but refuses to follow the strict instructions in his grandfather’s will to leave the house as it stands. He decides instead to sell the building for £250,000 in cash and requires payment in 24 hours, on Christmas Day. Unbeknownst to Jeffrey, the seemingly abandoned house contains its own dark secrets, in particular an axe-wielding maniac who doesn’t take kindly to intruders…

SILENT NIGHT, BLOODY NIGHT: THE HOMECOMING is an unofficial remake of the 1972 film Silent Night, Bloody Night by Welsh director, James Plumb. I’ve never seen the original slasher film, so I’m unable to comment on the comparisons between the two. However, it’s clear that Plumb has a taste for putting a spin on classics, what with his other spin on a classic, Night of the Living Dead: Resurrection.

The scene is set straight from the beginning, with an eerie shot of Wilfred Butler on fire, falling from the upper floor window, whilst a creepy masked stranger sits at the piano playing a rendition of Silent Night. We learn how Butler House was once converted into a mental institute by Wilfred Butler himself, and with scenes showing a violent escape, 25 years later, from a mental hospital, we begin to wonder if the two are linked.

The fact that the story is set at Christmas, a time when families come together to celebrate whilst the climate turns harsh outside, makes the movie that little bit more frightening. As the days count down, the viewer is on tenterhooks, wondering what evil awaits. Not that we need to wait long, mind you, as the masked maniac that has set up home inside Butler House is keen to slice, strangle and hack anyone who decides to enter the abandoned home.

The acting is adequate, and even though a few parts struggle to convince at times, as a whole, the cast throw their all at making SILENT NIGHT, BLOODY NIGHT: THE HOMECOMING an enjoyable slasher movie. Philip Harvey, as Wilfred Butler, makes a great antagonist – a questionable man both in life and in death, with a voice that commands to be listened to. Mel Stevens stars as the optimistic young journalist and mayor’s daughter, Diane Adams, who decides to help Jeffrey Butler (Alan Humphreys) discover his past, after a life of being brought up in foster care.

Slasher fans can rejoice as SILENT NIGHT, BLOODY NIGHT: THE HOMECOMING gives us plenty of the red stuff to chew on, in some particularly inventive and classic ways, one of which is very much the definition of Christmas killer (Xmas lights, anyone?). You can forget about the ifs, it’s more of a case of when the maniac will strike and how, which makes for a good ol’ fashioned slasher.

The film is shot in a traditional way, but some flavour is added with interesting scene transitions. The punk version of Silent Night, as well as the classic piano rendition, only adds to the disturbing story which unravels.

SILENT NIGHT, BLOODY NIGHT: THE HOMECOMING is an entertaining British twist on a classic style horror with enough of its own charm to exist as its own idea. The DVD from 101 Films also includes a full length commentary from producer Andrew Jones and director James Plumb.

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