Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2

.5/4

Starring: Eric Freeman, James Newman, Elizabeth Kaitan, Ken Weichert

Rated R for Violence/Gore, Rape and Language

Like "Wishmaster 2," the only reason I watched the sequel to "Silent Night, Deadly Night" is because it came with the original, not because the quality of the first one was high.  The sequel, on the other hand, is beyond awful.

It's not unusual for a sequel to reference or even give viewers a short breakdown of what happened in the first film.  It's a good reminder for those who haven't seen the first one in a while and for those who skipped the original.  Usually, though, it takes about five or ten minutes, give or take.  In "Part 2," it takes half the film (literally, I checked).  In between the flashbacks, we are given narration by Billy's younger brother Ricky (Freeman), who is either in prison or a mental hospital for as yet unknown crimes.  Once he recounts the events of the first film, we see his crimes.

First of all, devoting half the film to rehashing the original isn't clever or useful.  It's laziness on the part of the screenwriters.  It might have worked if Ricky had added a new viewpoint to what happened, but he's basically repeating it for the psychiatrist, played by James Newman.  Even worse is the fact that we have to watch Freeman act, or more appropriately, try to.  He's horrible, giving Jason Behr in "The Tattooist" a run for his money in the "worst performances of all time" category.  John Newman is decent, and Elizabeth Kaitan and Ken Weichert are okay, although maybe that's because they're up against Freeman, who is more like a robot than an actor.

Second of all, Ricky doesn't don the Santa costume until the final scenes.  What is the point of calling it "Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2" if the killer barely dresses up in the signature costume.  I mean, marketing reasons I guess, but the original wasn't exactly a legendary hit.

Frankly, the only reason I'm not giving this movie 0/4 is because the flashbacks of the first film are decent enough, and they're the best thing about the movie.  Everything else is shit.

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