Christmas horror often evokes iconic imagery. In particular the film Silent Night, Deadly Night conjures up images of a crazed man in a Santa suit wielding an axe and leaving a bloodbath in his path. The first sequel that followed carved out its own path into horror canon and has become a beloved cult classic today, but there’s one other sequel in particular that doesn’t get as much love. One particular entry that seems to have been forgotten after all these years.
Here’s where things get weird with this wacky franchise…
After the release of solid but quickly forgotten entry Silent Night, Deadly Night III: Better Watch Out, it was decided the series needed a shake up. Something to keep audiences interested in the franchise. The solution was to revisit a rejected pitch for the third entry with an absolutely bonkers story and execution. Where the first three Silent Night, Deadly Night films follow a killer of some sort, Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation follows occult worshippers, bugs, Clint Howard eating burgers out of the trash, bugs, secular cults and… did I mention bugs?
Hailing from the mind of Brian Yuzna, hot off his success with Society and Bride of Re-Animator, Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation provides a wholly different experience from the rest of the entire series. This wasn’t your average Christmas Horror film. This time around things would get more abstract. And more sinister than your usual brand of Christmas Horror.
The film follows Kim Levitt (Neith Hunter) in her first but not final appearance in the franchise (more on that later). A Los Angeles-based reporter, she begins to investigate a mysterious death that happens in the beginning of the film, involving spontaneous combustion no less. Using this as a springboard she begins to navigate her investigation which leads her to a bookstore owned by Fima (Maud Adams), where she is given a book having to do with the occult. It’s here where she is also harassed by Ricky (Clint Howard), a character named so as a nod to the first two installments of the franchise. What follows is gross, sinister, and flat out one of the most unforgettable horror movies that I’ve seen.
Without diving into spoiler territory, it should be obvious by now that this is a Silent Night, Deadly Night sequel in name only. Yuzna instead crafts an occult-based horror story around what is most traditionally viewed as a Christian holiday; but also at the same time, whether it was intentional or not, to some level a feminist horror film. Kim throughout the film proves numerous times to be entirely capable and a strong protagonist, from jumping headstrong into a murder investigation to surviving a wiccan cult ritual. It’s honestly quite the paradigm shift from how most women were treated in this franchise. She’s a protagonist that can stand up with some of horror’s best and deserves to have a second look at. What’s great is that this wasn’t her only appearance, as she later reappears in Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker (another underrated sequel)!
Yuzna brings the gross factor in full force here. Rather than focus solely on gore (don’t worry, there’s still plenty of that), this entry focuses on bugs and gross out creature designs. With the creature effects done by none other than Screaming Mad George! Perhaps best known for his work in Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and the aforementioned Society, he brings his unique vision to life featuring some of the best practical effects of the 90s that have held up to this day. Squeamish viewers need not apply. It’s the signature Yuzna/Screaming George combo that reinvigorates this beloved series after a lackluster previous installment.
While Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation saw a release Holiday 1990 during the boom of the late 1980s/early 1990s direct-to-video horror scene, it never quite took off. This could be for any number of reasons: burnout from fans who were disappointed with the series’ third installment, this one being the first to be released directly to video, or the departure from a “Santa Claus” killer that the series was most famous for. Perhaps its biggest reason though is that at the time of this writing, the film hasn’t seen a home media release since December 2009 when Lionsgate released it in a collection including Silent Night, Deadly Night 3-5. With over 10 years since the last proper release, the time is primed for a reprisal of this little known Christmas Horror gem. Who knows, maybe if more people can learn to appreciate Initiation, à la Halloween 3: Season of the Witch, we can finally see an HD home media release of this bonkers little gem.
I highly implore you to seek SNDN 4 out. As far as I’m concerned, it’s right up there with Society, another Brian Yuzna gem that seemingly has 10x the fan following of this one.
source https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3645704/hell-holidays-underseen-madness-silent-night-deadly-night-4-initiation/
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