Silent Night, Bloody Night (1972)

Too much of everything

Such a frustrating disappointment

Redundant and unnecessary.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

East coast manor, once used by its owner as an asylum before his mysterious death by fire, is about to be sold during the Christmas holiday by the grandson of the deceased; someone on the grounds, armed with an ax, doesn't like that idea. Demented horror outing with some interesting visual ideas, some brutal killings, a chilly, shuddery ambiance, scary music and creaking doors--but no talent behind the camera for narrative or character motivation. Director Theodore Gershuny, working from a screenplay by Ira Teller and Jeffrey Konvitz (the same Konvitz who later wrote "The Sentinel"), uses subjective camera-tracking (innovative for the genre at the time) and sepia-toned flashbacks to create a skin-crawling mood. This works for a while until the poorly-formed 'plot' comes to the fore, and the viewer soon realizes the hat-tricks by Gershuny were just window-dressing and that the finale isn't going to live up to expectations. *1/2 from ****

This is a twisted tale, taking place at Christmastime but not really revolving around the holiday. A man named Jeffrey Butler (James Patterson) inherits an old country house but needs money and is eager to sell it. So he sends his lawyer John Carter (Patrick O'Neal) to arrange a deal with the town council, who want to buy it. Of course, this being a horror film, the place has the expected sordid history, and a mysterious figure starts placing calls to the people on the council - the mayor (Walter Abel), switchboard operator (Fran Stevens), newspaperman (John Carradine), and sheriff (Walter Klavun) - promising retribution for an almost 40 year old crime and stating that "Marianne" has come back.Also featuring appearances by Andy Warhol film graduates Mary Woronov (the ever delightful cult icon, very young and sexy here) and Candy Darling, this film, also known as "Silent Night Bloody Night" and "Deathouse", is very reminiscent of a giallo and is also similar in some ways to "Black Christmas", although this one actually predates BC. It's undeniably crude at times and obviously a low budget affair, but damn if it doesn't have a reasonably engrossing mystery (involving such sundry elements as incest) and some effectively stark atmosphere. Co-written by author Jeffrey Konvitz ("The Sentinel") and director Theodore Gershuny, it's amusing in spots, has one unexpected plot twist about a half hour along, and has a deliciously gory murder set piece. The music by Gershon Kingsley is quite good.None of the performances are really all that hot, but the actors are still watchable, especially Woronov. Poor Patterson was dying of cancer during this time, and had to be dubbed by another actor. One nice touch is to have Carradines' character be a mute and acknowledge what others have said by ringing a bell. Gorgeous Astrid Heeren plays Carters' gal pal; Philip Bruns (the original Morty Seinfeld) has a role in the flashback scenes, and Staats Cotsworth provides the eerie hissing voice of our black gloved antagonist.Worth a look, overall.Lloyd Kaufman of Troma fame was the associate producer.Seven out of 10.

If you like those Gothic style movies that take place in old houses full of creepy sounds and secret mysteries, then this is the film for you.Old man Butler (Philip Bruns) is burned to death, and years later his house is being sold by his grandson (James Patterson). This was Patterson's last film as he dies at the age of 40 two years before it was released.As news of the sale is announced, a patient escapes from a local mental hospital, and the town is given the chance to buy it. Why do they want it Does it have something to do with the escaped patient.Naturally, there are lots of deaths, and lots of secrets. Trying to figure out who is doing the killing will give you nightmares.Grab the popcorn and your favorite partner and give it a whirl.

I wanted to like this movie. In fact, I like watching low budget horror movies so I thought I would like this. But it didn't work for me. To be fair, I didn't find the movie to be awful or even bad. There are some things that work. The movie often has a moody, somewhat creepy feeling to it. Occasionally there is a striking image that burns itself in your mind. There is also some mystery at the beginning, and the movie does its best to play tricks on us, even pulling a "Psycho" on two characters we think will be the central characters. But eventually, the movie runs out of juice - the second half of the movie has next to nothing of importance happening. You'll be squirming in your seat with impatience. And whether it was due to the dark print or the garbled storytelling, I couldn't figure what was happening or revealed at the climatic sequence. It's a close call, but I can't recommend this movie. By the way, if you're a John Carradine fan, be warned - the movie gives him next to nothing to do.