As the 2025 remake of Silent Night, Deadly Night hits theaters in time for the holidays, it marks the perfect occasion to rank each film in the cult classic Santa slasher series. Arguably unique in its ability to lean into new, weird, and often unconnected ideas, Silent Night, Deadly Night has been keeping fans on their toes for years. Rife with wild sequels, notoriously memed entries, and even two remakes, there is no shortage of holiday carnage to be had.
The Silent Night, Deadly Night franchise thrives on campy, B-movie slasher fun, often being humorous for all the wrong reasons, which makes it all the more interesting that the original sparked controversy upon release. However, that’s also what has endeared the series to many fans: the killer Santa franchise has never been high art, but it is classic cheesy horror. With a new release to add to the list, it’s the perfect time to see where it fits among the others.
7
‘Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker’ (1991)
Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker is one of the franchise’s late-game forays into bizarre ideas. Taking a page from Child’s Play, the fifth installment stars Mickey Rooney as Joe Petto (pun intended), who crafts killer toys meant to kill naughty boys and girls. However, the movie has an absurd third-act twist that shifts the guilt with a jaw-droppingly ridiculous identity reveal. Even genre fans may not be ready for the reasoning behind this one.
Audiences will be treated to plenty of violent kills, with scenes of toys springing to life, only to latch onto the nearest person, killing them in gruesome ways. The fifth installment offers a memorable, yet odd finale that feels out of place, and while there are holiday themes at play, it strays from the original trilogy of stories, much like 4.
6
‘Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out!’ (1989)
Many fans of the franchise may be shocked to see Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out! low on the list, as it is part of the “Ricky Chapman Trilogy,” but it is also the weakest of the three, leaning into outlandish ideas to continue the story. It picks up with Ricky after the events of Part 2, finding him lobotomized and part of a sleep study, leading to a story about a psychic link with a blind young woman.
Silent Night, Deadly Night 3 is dragged down by slow, dreamlike sequences and plotting problems. It attempts something entirely new for the series while keeping the slasher spirit intact, but at the cost of much of the unintentional humor some fans loved. The third film takes itself too seriously, though some fans still consider it an underrated part of the sacred first 3.
5
‘Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation’ (1990)
Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation was the first in the series to truly step away from the Santa motif and give audiences something quite different. Part 4 isn’t really a slasher movie either. While it follows a reporter investigating a death, it’s actually about her being lulled into a witch cult that wants her to embody their new queen. It’s her initiation into the cult that sends the movie spiraling into starkly different territory, making for the most distinct installment of the series.
Initiation becomes a body-horror film, evoking the works of David Cronenberg, thanks to Society director Brian Yuzna at the helm. The fourth installment is rife with nasty practical effects work and monster bugs, and while it doesn’t make a great Silent Night, Deadly Night movie, it does work as a Yuzna flick, helping it step above 3.
4
‘Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2’ (1987)
Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 only works because it’s hilariously bad. If it were not for the unintentionally terrible acting and production throughout, it would likely be at the bottom of the list. However, many have it at the top, hailing it as the best of the franchise, thanks to its audacity in even existing in such a state. The first 45 minutes of its 88-minute runtime are just the main character recapping the first movie, complete with footage from it, padding most of the film with reused material.
Part 2 gets plenty of attention thanks to meme culture, which latched onto the infamous “Garbage Day” scene in which Ricky walks through a neighborhood, shooting people. Yet it isn’t a grand opus of the slasher genre, as it is a pure B-movie from the ground up. Instead, it needs to be enjoyed like Tommy Wiseau’s The Room, and in that light, it earns its place.
3
‘Silent Night’ (2012)
The first remake, albeit loosely, is 2012’s Silent Night. It focuses more on the police trying to stop the murderous Santa, with Malcolm McDowell and Jamie King starring. Silent Night begins along with the killing spree and keeps a tight pace, seeing flamethrowers and wood chippers come into play as the blood flows. While it doesn’t focus as much on the killer’s motivations, it still offers violent thrills.
Some tend to write it off as standard slasher fare, since it does away with much of the backstory that drove the original film. Yet, Silent Night works thanks to decent characters, creative kills, and solid humor that lands intentional laughs. It never lets the audience or its characters get too comfortable, making it a worthy take on the idea.
2
‘Silent Night, Deadly Night’ (1984)
The Santa slasher that started it all, 1984’s Silent Night Deadly Night. The horror movie actually spends a lot of time setting up its character, as he witnesses his parents’ death at the hands of a psychopathic Santa, and he spends time being traumatized by nuns in an orphanage. Only later on does his killing spree begin, when his department store asks him to fill in as Santa, unleashing the pent-up issues he’s buried.
Silent Night, Deadly Night is a classic, trashy B-horror movie that works well. It’s not as unintentionally funny as Part 2, with Billy being a bit more serious. Still, it embraces what it is, seeing plenty of bloody kills and moments that truly shocked audiences upon release. While many forgettable slashers have come and gone over the years, Silent Night, Deadly Night persists thanks to its bold swing at the holiday horror genre.
1
‘Silent Night, Deadly Night’ (2025)
Are those who tout Part 2 or even the original 1984 version as the best ready for the truth? The 2025 remake of Silent Night, Deadly Night has garnered the best reviews of the franchise, and it’s no mistake, allowing it to take the top spot. While it’s still making its way to theaters, the latest installment offers characters fans know, with Billy Chapman at the center, along with a new backstory and some fun twists.
As with any remake, it’s sure to face pushback from many fans, but it delivers violent, often humorous kills with an outstanding tonal balance. Silent Night, Deadly Night is serious when it needs to be and can make audiences laugh, stripping away the unintentional humor of other installments. While that could be a deal-breaker for some, it’s rare for a remake to improve on the original’s formula.
- Release Date
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December 12, 2025
- Director
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Mike P. Nelson
- Writers
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Mike P. Nelson, Michael Hickey, Paul Caimi
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Rohan Campbell
Billy Chapman
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David Tomlinson
Max Benedict
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This story originally appeared on Movieweb
