Horror Extreme Movie Catalog

While not a high budget production it still manages to deliver some chills to the viewer. Just get out the popcorn and a soda and set down on a stormy night and enoy an old fashioned thriller.

"Silent Night, Bloody Night" is a low-budget, poorly edited but compulsively watchable 70s horror flick concerning the escape of a maniac from a mental institution, with an ax (figuratively and literally) to grind with the citizens of a small community that has more dirty little secrets than Peyton Place. An abandoned mansion sits, menacingly in the dark of night, luring some of the town's most prominent members via whispering, creepy phone calls. But who is it? And why? The sheriff's daughter, Diane (Mary Woronov) meets the grandson of the home's original owner, Jeffrey Butler (James Patterson), and the two set out to investigate what is going on. It turns out that both of them are closer to the mystery than they would care to be - with many frightening turns and revelations that I wouldn't think of giving away. One thing about the film that is irritating (besides the choppy editing), is that the top-billed performer, Patrick O'Neal, has a brief bit early on as a real estate agent who, along with his attractive girlfriend (Astrid Hereen) is brutally butchered in the Victorian style bedroom of the ancestral home. Why wouldn't Patterson and Woronov be first in the credits, since their roles are far more prominent? John Carradine gives a very effective performance as the town mute who also has a past entangled with Jeffrey's grandfather, Wilfred Butler.

The shoestring budget can be frustrating at times, particularly during the flashback sequences, and the late night darkness makes viewing more difficult, but it also adds to the atmospheric quality of the production.

And if you know what's good for you, watch when you're not alone - or every noise you hear will make you think that you are the murderer's next target!