Yes Virginia, Santa Claus has an axe again! Just a little over 40 years since the original shocked audiences and caused quite an uproar, Silent Night, Deadly Night’s previously announced reimagining is about to change the way you think about this infamous franchise. Writer/director Mike P. Nelson’s remake is going to have people talking for sure, and after both interviewing him and star Ruby Modine – as well as attending their New York Comic Con 2025 panel – I’m dreaming of a very red Christmas.

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As a representative for That Hashtag Show’s New York Comic Con team, I had the honor of speaking with the pair on hand to promote Cineverse and Bloody Disgusting’s latest holiday horror show. So of course I had to know how in the world this Rohan Campbell starring slasher came to be, as this Silent Night title spins the story of Billy Chapman and his Santa psychosis in a way fans might not expect. 

Mr. Nelson, also known for 2021’s Wrong Turn reboot, couldn’t have been happier to explain the formula that built this gingerbread house of carnage. Here’s what he chalked it all up to:

At the time, it’s gonna sound interesting, I was watching a lot of Pixar. I was watching a lot of Disney, with the family; but strangely, at the same time, had just watched Frailty and Adam Wingard’s The Guest.  And so there was this very strange [thought], ‘I wonder what happens if you mix together The Santa Clause, flourishes from Elf, and then you just go full blown Frailty, with a little bit of that meanness of The Guest?’ And I was like, ‘I think I have something.’ 

It was at that moment that horror veteran Ruby Modine stepped in at that point to share what that “something” was. To paraphrase the Happy Death Day star her own words, it was, “the greatest fucking script.” Further highlighting her fondness for Silent Night, Deadly Night, Modine provided this story about how co-lead Pamela, a potential romantic partner for Rohan Campbell’s Billy, endeared herself in her mind:

I read the script, and I called Mike and said, ‘Nothing will stop me from doing this.’ I love Pam, to this day. … She’s got a good balance of psycho and passionate love.

Having seen this project for myself, I’m inclined to agree that the story’s really tight; which is thanks to some novel concepts that are still under wraps. Not even Silent Night, Deadly Night’s teaser trailer gives away all that much about the movie’s plot. However, there’s one scene that was teased in the New York Comic Con panel that I know is going to be a standout moment – for better or worse.

There’s A “Christmas Party” To Die For In Silent Night, Deadly Night

The sub-header above may not sound like much of a tease, but trust me – you’ll know when you get to what could be Silent Night, Deadly Night’s best killing field of all. Mike P. Nelson teased this centerpiece during the film’s subsequent panel as “the Christmas Party,” and that’s a very innocent way of describing the moment that ensues when Billy Chapman pivots from stalking one victim to taking out an entire room of guests – only armed with his trusty axe. And yes, guns are available as an option; but Billy has his personal reasons for turning them down.

I cannot say enough good things about what follows in this sequence, but in the interest of avoiding spoilers I have to keep mum. However, there is a hint in the teaser trailer for this December’s bloody battle. If you scour the footage closely enough, one of the victims tips their hat to why this particular bloodletting occurs – and I don’t think people will be disappointed in how it plays out. Well, depending on your personal belief system, of course. 

If you’re ready to hang your stockings and swing an axe with Santa, it’ll be a minute before you can open this yuletide offering. Silent Night, Deadly Night opens in theaters, unrated and bloody as hell, on December 12th. 

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