I watched the 2nd movie a few years ago. A few weeks ago, I finally got to see this one, the original. The whole story about how each movie came to be and how they were received are really interesting. And all of those Christmas songs, written just for the movie. Weird but True: the one song stuck in my head this season has been, "Santa's Watching".
My main memory of this movie is the edglord 11 year old at the bus stop who wouldn't quit talking about the killer Santa he saw at the movies with his dad, and described how Santa killed people to us. He also liked Friday the 13th movies. He also cried uncontrollably in front of the class when our principal dressed up as Santa and visited classrooms that year. I figure the two are connected because who the hell brings an 11 year old to see Silent Night, Deadly Night?
Despite a soft spot for grindhouse and b-horror this movie still doesn't sound like it would appeal to me. I can't wait to read the rest of the entries in this series though.
Wow, what a great review of not just the movie, but the cultural turmoil it caused upon release. It almost seems quaint now...I mean, movies had already dressed psycho killers in hockey masks, tuxedos, cap & gowns, and all sorts of things. So why not a Santa suit? It's just another costume. The movie did not say that Saint Nick himself was a killer, just some dude in a Santa suit!
But clearly, there is a segment of this country that holds Christmas as far more sacrosanct than, for example, Christ. Back then it was railing against a silly horror movie, these days it's railing against people who say "Happy Holidays". They are the Crusaders of capitalism.
I watched the 2nd movie a few years ago. A few weeks ago, I finally got to see this one, the original. The whole story about how each movie came to be and how they were received are really interesting. And all of those Christmas songs, written just for the movie. Weird but True: the one song stuck in my head this season has been, "Santa's Watching".
My main memory of this movie is the edglord 11 year old at the bus stop who wouldn't quit talking about the killer Santa he saw at the movies with his dad, and described how Santa killed people to us. He also liked Friday the 13th movies. He also cried uncontrollably in front of the class when our principal dressed up as Santa and visited classrooms that year. I figure the two are connected because who the hell brings an 11 year old to see Silent Night, Deadly Night?
Despite a soft spot for grindhouse and b-horror this movie still doesn't sound like it would appeal to me. I can't wait to read the rest of the entries in this series though.
Fun read! The world has certainly changed a lot since the 1980s!
Wow, what a great review of not just the movie, but the cultural turmoil it caused upon release. It almost seems quaint now...I mean, movies had already dressed psycho killers in hockey masks, tuxedos, cap & gowns, and all sorts of things. So why not a Santa suit? It's just another costume. The movie did not say that Saint Nick himself was a killer, just some dude in a Santa suit!
But clearly, there is a segment of this country that holds Christmas as far more sacrosanct than, for example, Christ. Back then it was railing against a silly horror movie, these days it's railing against people who say "Happy Holidays". They are the Crusaders of capitalism.