Silent Night, Deadly Night

Silent Night, Deadly Night
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Charles E. Sellier Jr.
Screenplay by	Michael Hickey
Story by	Paul Caimi
Produced by	Ira Richard Barmak Scott J. Schneid Dennis Whitehead
Starring	Lilyan Chauvin Gilmer McCormick Toni Nero Robert Brian Wilson
Cinematography	Henning Schellerup
Edited by	Michael Spence
Music by	Perry Botkin
Production company	Slayride Productions Inc.
Distributed by	Tri-Star Pictures
Release date	November 9, 1984 (1984-11-09)
Running time	82 minutes 85 minutes (Unrated)
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$750,000[1]
Box office	$2.5 million[2]

Silent Night, Deadly Night is a 1984 American slasher film directed by Charles E. Sellier, Jr., and starring Robert Brian Wilson, Lilyan Chauvin, Gilmer McCormick, Toni Nero, Linnea Quigley, Britt Leach, and Leo Geter. The story concerns a young man named Billy, who suffers from post-traumatic stress over witnessing his parents' murder on Christmas Eve by a man disguised as Santa Claus and his subsequent upbringing in an abusive Catholic orphanage. In adulthood, the Christmas holiday leads him into a psychological breakdown, and he emerges as a spree killer donning a Santa suit.

The film was released by Tri-Star Pictures on November 9, 1984; it received substantial controversy over its promotional material and content, which featured a killer Santa Claus. In addition to receiving mixed reviews, it was pulled from theaters a week after its release. However, it was a success during its opening week, grossing $2.5 million on a budget of $750,000. Since its release, it has developed a cult following^[3] and spawned a series, consisting of four sequels, with the fourth and fifth installments having no connection to the original film, as well as a loose remake in 2012. Another reboot is in development.