Internet Janitor
In 1984, the world was greeted by a low-budget, holiday classic of wicked madness. It also sparked a significant amount of protests from parents to stupid to understand the difference between fiction and reality. Then in 1987, we got a direct sequel, which, to save money, used a lot of footage from the first movie, but it did give us an iconic line about garbage day. The original series gave us three more films, each with even less to do with the first.
In this remake/reboot of the original, our lead, Billy (played by Rohan Campbell from Halloween Ends), is traumatized as a young boy witnessing his parents being killed on the roadside by a deranged man in a Santa suit. Now, a grown adult with the voice of the man who killed his parents, he has a mission to set the world right by killing someone every year, on the twelve days of Christmas.
This is how you do a remake/reboot, whatever you want to call it. Beyond the opening with his parents and a few flashbacks, it’s a new story in the spirit of the original with a wicked twist to the story. Unlike in 2012, they took an entirely unrelated Scream-inspired slasher, sprinkled in a few Silent Night Deadly Night references and called it Silent Night. The film was awful and seen for the cheap plot that it was.
This one ticks along nicely; the voice in Billy’s head is a really nice touch here. They walk the line of making him seem like he believes he’s a sympathetic character doing a good deed for humanity. It’s never boring, and the much greater budget than the original is used to great effect. It’s clever, and the performances are earnest.
I won’t spoil the big set peice but for the majority of the people Billy goes after, you won’t feel any sympathy for them. Another good tactic of the filmmakers here. In the big scene, it’s deeply satisfying and, considering the state of the USA right now, very apt as well.
As I write this, we’re a long way from Christmas 2026, so there’s plenty of chance to keep off Santa’s naughty list and remember he’s watching, he’s always watching.