Silent Night, Bloody Night : The Homecoming (2013)

hyped garbage

good back-story, and good acting

Beautiful, moving film.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

As titles go, this isn't one that trips of the tongue. The awkwardness continues throughout this low-budget would-be slasher, with variable acting and sound design. The opening moments, there to lure in the viewer, are amongst the least effective thanks to some artless CGI and mismatched sound dubbing.Things pick up a little after the effective opening credits have rolled. One of the reasons I often enjoy low-budget productions is that they use, out of necessity at times, inventing ways of telling a story that negates the need for flashy effects. Such is the case here, with some interesting direction and camera angles used to partially obscure the details of some of the gory moments – of which there many. Much of the action takes place without dialogue, which adds an extra sinister layer to events.This seems to be James Plumb's project; he is credited as director and writer, but as the film is often a scene-by-scene recreation of a 1972 American horror, Plumb's is a pretty ambitious claim. Discrepancies occur – the nicely seedy Wilfred Butler dies and leaves his house to grandson Jeffrey. When we meet Jeffrey, he immediately makes a bad impression – perhaps that is the point, inviting us to believe he is the masked, brutal killer who is this film's violent protagonist. And Jeffrey is just a petulant boor with no charm whatsoever. When the killer is revealed to be Wilfred (not dead after all), we are left to wonder how old this man actually is, and how he manages to physically assault and kill so many people.This is a fairly interesting, if mangled film in which the often underwritten characters' sole purpose is the brief lead-up to their own murder.

Silent Night, Bloody Night: The Homecoming (2013) * (out of 4) Wilfred Butler commits suicide by setting himself on fire. His grandson is left his mansion but when he plans to sell it a maniac with an axe shows up to start killing people.SILENT NIGHT, BLOODY NIGHT: THE HOMECOMING is a British remake of the 1972 cult film that features Patrick O'Neil and John Carradine. When this film first went into production it really wasn't clear if it was a remake or a long-rumored sequel. Well, it's certainly a remake but those hoping for a sequel to the original film will be happy to know that it's on the way too. As for this film, it's a pretty bad film on many levels and also a very frustrating one.I say frustrating because even though the original was quite good, there were some flaws that could have been ironed out and made into an even better movie. Sadly this isn't that movie. In fact, the flaws in the original are somewhat made worse here. On a technical level this film, like the original, really shows its budget. The entire thing has a very cheap look and feel to it and there's really not a bit at atmosphere or anything else creepy. The film contains one of the worst CGI effects I've seen in my life and it won't take long for you to know what I'm talking about. The gore effects really aren't any more impressive, although I must admit that they did have a certain charm if you grew up in the 80s watching those direct-to-VHS titles. These low-budget films often featured kills off screen and then someone throwing blood onto a blanket or wall. The same type of stuff is used here.The performances are pretty much what you'd expect from a film like this and that's not very good. The biggest issue I had with the movie is that it pretty much copies the original film with only some changes towards the end. The original film had a terrific plot but there were a few things that could have been changed for the better but that doesn't happen here. In fact, I'd say the story appears to be the least concerning thing to the filmmakers. Instead they go for the blood effects and these here just aren't enough to carry the picture. Fans of the original Friday THE 13TH might want to check this out for Adrienne King but be warned that she only supplies a voice.

I always try to be positive about low budget British horror films, for in the main there is good intentions and some skill involved from the makers, Silent Night, Bloody Night: The Homecoming is practically impossible to be positive about. From the cheapness of the opening shot, picture is awash with bad effects, bad acting, boorish plotting and direction (James Plumb) that wouldn't pass muster as an entry in a first time teenage director competition. In short it's an absolute mess, like a bunch of people sat in a bar drinking one day and decided to pop around to the local abandoned house and play Am-Dram and see what happens. Basically an unofficial remake of an early 1970s film that itself wasn't exactly good, this is best avoided by anyone who values low budget horror. For this may just turn you off the medium. 2/10 purely for the house itself and some rather nifty artwork that has promoted this drek.

I agree with the other reviewer. I was also fooled by the favourable reviews on the DVD cover and the great-looking picture on the box. However, this turned out to be the equivalent of cinematic excrement. The plot doesn't make sense, the sound quality is abysmal and I have seen better acting in a pantomime. Believe me, this film makes the Friday The 13th franchise look like Citizen Kane. Don't waste your money on this film or your time by watching it. If you want to see a good Christmas-themed slasher movie, then check out Silent Night Deadly Night or the original Black Christmas. You will thank me later. This film is truly awful and only belongs in a bargain bin, but even that would be too kind a fate for this. Utter rubbish of the highest order.