Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 [1987]

[Cross-posted on the Bad Movie Night Facebook page.]

We started our holiday-themed Bad Movie Night with a rewatch of "Rapsittie Street Kids: Believe In Santa" which we have actually watched every year since our first viewing two years ago. It never really stops being an unnerving experience. After that we had a presumed winner with "Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2." This film is most famous for the "garbage day!" scene that was a huge meme about ten years ago but none of us realized that at the beginning of the film. It's worth noting that as amazing as the "garbage day" scene is in isolation, it actually isn't the only highlight of the film and watching it will in no way ruin your viewing experience as long as you commit to it.

The first 40 minutes or so are a framing narrative of Ricky, the most dramatic man in prison, explaining his brother's back story and then 30 minutes or so of his own back story. Their parents were killed by a crazy man in a Santa costume and this gave them both a complex that followed them into an orphanage with an S&M obsessed Mother Superior (I exaggerate slightly but aren't all Catholics just kind of Like That; don't come at me; half of us were raised Catholic). Billy, the older brother, was not treated like someone who has very specific triggers and instead he was frequently exposed to Christmas things, which led to him becoming a killing Santa himself. Billy is actually mostly triggered by witnessing sexual encounters. He kills all his coworkers at a shop after he stumbles on two of them fooling around and then a random couple he finds. The deaths are comically violent like impaling someone on a deer head. The police suspect he will go back to the orphanage for revenge and they accidentally kill the deaf janitor dressed as Santa who we never met. They get Billy in the end though and the plot shifts to Ricky. 

Ricky was adopted by a Jewish family so clearly that was an improvement, but still his triggers were never dealt with. He has a freakout as a child when he sees nuns followed by a velvety red fabric reminiscent of Santa's coat. Later after the death of his foster father, Ricky kills an attempted rapist he finds in the forest by running him over with a car. Things may be turning around for him when he meets a girl named Jennifer and has his first awkward sexual encounter. All this really does is refocus his trigger from sex to the color red. He kills some New Wave guy who is his girlfriend's ex by electrocuting him with his car and then offs his girlfriend who is dressed somewhat nun-like at the time. This leads to the killing spree (and garbage day) that lands him in prison. We realize he has killed the therapist with the recorder tape and goes out to get revenge on the Mother Superior in the final act. He decapitates her but dies himself dressed as Santa.

This movie is excellent. It is held up almost entirely by the over-the-top performance of the actor playing Ricky, but his work is so perfect that it is a must watch. There are some silly deaths and a evil nun but it all comes back to Ricky's eyebrows and inflection. I could list a bunch of quotes from him but text would never really convey why those lines are so amazing unless you watch it. It's a rewatch for sure.

Quote:
Ricky: I've never told anyone this before.
Therapist: Let it out.
Ricky: HERE IT COMES!

Spoon Rating: 8