Director Mike P. Nelson and star Ruby Modine took 1984’s Silent Night, Deadly Night and turned it into a “Hallmark movie drenched in blood” where both the killer and final girl get a win.
“I wanted there to be a love story, but I wanted it to be a challenging one,” Nelson tells GamesRadar+ during an exclusive interview at NYCC. “You have two people dealing with inner demons, and what does that look like when they come head to head? That can either go really, really bad, or it can go really, really good, depending on how you look at it.”
It could have been, and I mean for me honestly, like the butting of heads, the Mortal Kombat between two crazy people is sort of the way to go. But I thought there was more to it than that. And honestly, while I was writing it, I was sort of finding that. And the more and more that I wrote and realized that, Billy and Pam started to connect. I was like, I want them to win. I want there to be a win in this movie. There’s so many horror movies now more than ever where it just feels like nobody gets a win. And I really wanted there to be a solid win with these two.”
Nelson is right: in the original 1984 film, Billy (played by Robert Brian Wilson) is doomed from the start after a man dressed as Santa Claus kills both of his parents, leaving him an orphan. Though he initially sets out to protect her, he ends up killing the love of his life, Pamela (played by Toni Nero). While the movie stands as a classic ’80s slasher with some impossibly fun kills (antlers through the chest, anyone?), it’s a rather bleak ending for Billy and Pam. Modine was adamant that her version of Pamela had a different spirit than Nero’s portrayal.
“With all due respect to the original, I feel like [2025 Pamela] has such a ferocious side to her that is driven by how much she adores and loves the people that she adores and loves,” Modine explains. “And she’s trying to figure out a balance within that, within a world that she’s also trying to kind of somewhat escape. When Billy comes to town, there’s a bit of hope given, like, maybe I could see myself settling down. And I just like that she’s in the midst of a journey. There’s no journey to be discussed with Pam. It’s actively happening and you’re witnessing it.”
Silent Night, Deadly Night had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest, where it received largely positive reviews. Because the slasher film centers on the love story between Billy and Pam, Dread Central called it a “Hallmark movie drenched in blood.”
Adds Modine: ” Because real human beings, we all have inner demons that we’re struggling with. And then when you find somebody that you’re able to coexist with, and you’re able to be like, I have shit, you have shit, let’s figure our shit out together.”
Silent Night, Deadly Night hits theaters on December 12, just in time for the Christmas holiday. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2025 and beyond.
