Punish! The ‘Silent Night, Deadly Night’ Films Ranked

To bring in the holidays, I sat through all five Silent Night Deadly Night films. Parts 3-5 were new to me and do not have a nostalgic lense helping them in any way. So what’s the verdict?

Let’s examine…

#5: Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out

I wouldn’t necessarily say that Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out is bad as much as it’s extremely average. They may have added a psychic connection element, but that aside it’s a by-the-numbers slasher movie with a scaled-down cast of characters. Bill Moseley’s portrayal of Ricky is far from his best work, and while the character design is decent, it doesn’t fit the continuity of what happened to Ricky in the previous film.

#4: Silent Night, Deadly Night 2

Silent Night, Deadly Night 2 almost found itself in 3rd place if it weren’t for the fact that it takes so long to get going. They spend way too much time recapping the first film while reusing scenes with narration from Ricky played over them. Once you get past that, it’s a fun movie with some solid humor sprinkled throughout and a few creative kills.

The final chase sequence is…unique to say the least. It’s not very often you have a wheelchair-bound nun trying to fight off a slasher and it’s surprisingly entertaining. That being said, the recap isn’t the only negative about the film as the acting is extremely up uneven, sometimes the worst in the franchise. It’s one of those movies that’s fun in you’re in the right mood for it, if you aren’t you’ll probably roll your eyes through it.

#3: Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker

Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker has a really interesting concept that I don’t feel is executed very well. A toy maker dressed as Santa Claus making killer toys and dropping them off at doorsteps sounds like a fun movie, but when it comes time for the toys to do the dirty work, it’s uneven, with the scales tipping toward bad more than good. It has a twist that I think most people see coming a mile away at the end at the end, at least partially so.

But, all isn’t negative with this entry or it wouldn’t be in the position it’s in. It’s a fun twist on the story of Pinocchio that takes some bizarre turns along the way. Though the actual attacks by the toys are sometimes laughable, the effects themselves are good, and the final showdown is my favorite in the franchise with a weird spike in acting quality that sent me from not caring about any of the characters to actually being a little moved by one of them.

#2: Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation

Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation is by far the most bizarre and disconnected film in the franchise, but it’s also probably the best made of the franchise. After watching part 3, I wasn’t looking forward to this one, but I can honestly say I was blown away by how disturbing and gross this movie gets compared to the others. Special Effects wizard Screaming Mad George pulled out all the stops on this one leading to some truly disgusting (in a good way) scenes, which combined with the film’s outlandish plot about cults and Lilith make the experience feel like a fever dream.

The acting is the franchise’s best here as well, fully selling everything thrown at you on screen. The only reason this didn’t take first place is that while it’s probably my favorite in the franchise on its own, Christmas barely has anything to do with it and it truly, in every way does NOT feel like part of this franchise.

#1: Silent Night, Deadly Night 

Silent Night, Deadly Night is where it all started, and despite possibly being better known for the controversy it caused rather than the contents of the film itself, it is a solid Christmas Slasher film. Seeing Billy slowly turn from a traumatized little boy to a serial killer is what sets this film aside from most in the genre. You can’t help but root for him as you see him try, with everything he has, to live a normal life and create a life for himself. What’s more, when he does snap, his first kill is on someone who is sexually assaulting the woman Billy likes.

I appreciate that they didn’t decide to make it an accidental self-defense killing, it’s done with full intent and unleashes the monster he’s kept inside for years. The limited budget shows, and it may be a little corny at times, but the film has heart and a charm that sadly isn’t present in any of the sequels.

Which Silent Night, Deadly Night film is your favorite? Tell us in the comments!