Some fun, holiday-centric news from Deadline today, Cineverse will be taking another stab at the Christmas slasher film Silent Night, Deadly Night! Cineverse is best known for distributing Terrifier 3, another Christmas horror movie released this past October and made bank at the box office.
Now, the entertainment company has acquired the global rights to a reimagining of the 1984 cult film from director Charles E. Sellier Jr. Following a traumatized young man named Billy Chapman, Silent Night, Deadly Night follows him into his adulthood where he clothes himself in a Santa Claus suit and goes on a killing spree inspired by witnessing something similar as a child when a man in a Santa outfit murdered his parents. As a result, Billy was sent to an abusive orphanage that only furthered his eventual breakdown and transformation into a killer.
Upon its release in the early 1980s, the film generated a lot of controversy due to its violent subject matter centering around a deadly Santa Claus in the lead role. Not dissimilar from the other Cineverse film Terrifier 3. But despite this, the movie performed well at the box office and spawned multiple sequels, the latest being the 2012 remake starring Malcolm McDowell and Jaime King.
Per Deadline, the new version of the movie will launch during the upcoming American Film Market and is expected to be released in theaters late 2025. Wrong Turn director Mike P. Nelson will write and direct this version, with original executive producers Scott Schneid and Dennis Whitehead returning to produce. Production hasn't started yet but will reportedly begin soon to stay on track for a release next (presumably) holiday season.
Discussing the new take on Silent Night, Deadly Night, Cineverse Executive Director of Acquisitions, Brandon Hill says he's long been a fan of the original movie and as "there continues to be incredible demand for independent horror films with bite, and we believe this can deliver strong audiences from theatrical to home entertainment and streaming.”
If Silent Night, Deadly Night is even half as gory and fun as Terrifier 3, then I see no reason why the distributor won't have another big hit on its hands!