You better watch out. Santa Claus is coming to town.

From slashers like Christmas Bloody Christmas to the silly mayhem of Fatman and Violent Night, it seems like Christmas is ready to take its bloody beating once again. Now, with the release of Silent Night, Deadly Night, director Mike P. Nelson delivers a holiday horror that taps into the recent trend of violent Christmas stories yet still manages to entertain with vicious glee.

Based on the 1984 horror classic of the same name, Silent Night, Deadly Night tells the story of Billy Chapman (Rohan Campbell), a young man who witnessed the brutal murder of his parents a on Christmas Eve s a child. Understandably traumatized by the experience, the now adult Billy is transformed into a Killer Santa who takes his naughty list extremely seriously. Every Christmas season, Billy’s mission becomes one of retribution to bad people in the neighbourhood. But, this year, something’s different. Having fallen for a young woman who makes him re-examine his inner darkness, Billy is finally forced to ask himself what it means to be naughty and nice.

Admittedly, Deadly Night is at its best when it leans into its own absurdity. As the mystery unravels and the body count rises, the film becomes increasingly bloody and borderline silly. But that’s not a criticism. It’s in the moments where Nightbecomes unhinged that it’s actually at its brutal best.

For what it’s worth, Nelson does take his time to make sense of the Christmas carnage. However, Deadly Night knows that viewers have come for the holiday chaos and, for those looking for blood on their stockings, it delivers. Severe beatings and severed limbs are par for the course for our axe-wielding Santa. And Nelson lets loose with increasing glee. Surely, this will meet the expectations of slasher fans but, honestly, the ferocity of Santa’s wrath isn’t the most interesting part of the film.

At the centre of it all, Deadly Night’s most interesting aspect is Billy himself.

Tormented by his ghostly (or ghastly) inner voice, Billy feels caught in the middle of his demonic war on crime. He isn’t happy about his… job. Yet neither does he feel like he can escape it. As a viewer, this leaves us torn. We’re never comfortable with Billy’s actions yet, the more we get to know him, the more we kind of empathize with his situation. As Billy, Campbell does a good job walking the line between psychotic and sympathetic. There’s an affability about his performance that keeps us from siding with his victims. (And, there’s even a strange charm to the conversations that he has with the demon within him.)

What’s more, Nelson makes sure to remind us that they ‘deserved’ what happened to them. Here, Santa’s wrath is swift and vengeful. Billy’s voice gets a ‘feeling’ that something is wrong. And that sends him into furious action. But every murder spree seems buoyed by a twisted sense of justice. (In this way, Deadly Night echoes the recent Venom series, creating a Christmas-y form of the Lethal Protector.) Yes, Billy’s willing to wield an axe without mercy. However, he only does so when his prey is evil in their soul.

Of course, this sets up a fascinating dichotomy as well. We’re told that Billy is only willing to kill ‘bad’ people yet his actions are mired with deadly justness So, what makes his actions worthy?

In the context of Deadly Night, the difference lies in the heart.

For Billy, his desire to do ‘good’ differs from those who have settled on ‘evil’ beliefs and worldviews. This isn’t about ‘doing wrong’ so much as it’s about whether or not people believe they’re ‘doing right’ when they’re wrong. Without giving spoilers, Billy’s victims are fueled by hatred or selfishness. And, in Deadly Night, that tainted heart of darkness is far worse than one’s past mistakes.

Though the film may technically be a remake, Nelson makes the film his own.

As such, while refreshed Silent Night, Deadly Night may not be a holiday horror classic but it certainly should more than meet the needs of those looking for a healthy dose of Christmas chaos.

Silent Night, Deadly Night is available in theatres on Friday, May 9th.