Silent Night, Bloody Night (1972)

I was surprised to see Cannon Releasing as the company behind this, as I usually think of that company as a vehicle for Menahem Golan and Yoram Golus to release cheap horror, sci-fi and action films in the 1980s.  However, they were aroound long before, formed by Dennis Friedland and Chris Dewey, and specializing in low-budget films of all types.  One of those was this film, which lingered in obscurity until Elvira dug it up and brought it to light, as it had become public domain after its drive-in and theater run due to a failure to properly register it. 

Although pretty much a forgotten film it has a lot of interesting names associated with it, one being co-producer Lloyd Kaufman, who is now famous for his own company, Troma Entertainment.  Another is Mary Woronov, who was married to director Theodore Gershuny at the time.  She was not the only Andy Warhol alum to appear in the movie, with Ondine, Candy Darling and others playing guests and asylum inmates in a flashback scene toward the end of the film.  It is quite atmospheric, takes some strange turns, and has a weird out-of-place narration.  I just wish it was a much better movie.

In 1950 Wilfred Butler (Philip Bruns) accidentally sets himself on fire in his home and is killed, with his large house going to his son Jeffrey (James Patterson).  His will states that the house must stay as-is, uninhabited and with its interior untouched.  The town itself has been attempting for years to acquire it, and it turns out that Jeffrey is ready to sell, sending lawyer John Carter (Patrick O'Neal) to make a deal.  While Carter is staying in the house with his mistress Ingrid (Astrid Heeren) the couple are murdered by an unknown intruder.

The intruder calls the sheriff (Walter Klavun) claiming to be a person named Marianne, and also places calls to phone operator Tess (Fran Stevens) and newspaper editor Towman (John Carradine).  The message meant for the mayor (Walter Abel) is received by his daughter Diane (Woronov), who soon joins with the recently arrived Jeffrey to investigate. 

The problem with being in the public domain is that this film, which didn't have the greatest production values to begin with, has limited potential for restoration and despite those involved and a small cult following due to Elvira, there's not a whole lot of interest in hunting down original negatives.  The current prints are of rather poor quality, and it's obvious that the movie itself was filmed as a silent movie and was later dubbed, and dubbed badly.  Patterson in particular had another actor do his voice because he was dying of cancer while making the movie and passed on by the time it came to record dialogue.  

Much of this could be forgiven if the plot wasn't so drawn out and convoluted.  Parts of the final resolution do not make sense.  The killer's motivation does, but the way it is carried out does not, particularly since it seems that his main targets were in plain view for decades.  There is some great atmosphere , particularly the sepia-toned flashbacks and the build-up to some of the kills, but the pacing of the movie leaves a lot to be desired.  Some of the better parts are the kills themselves, with some definite giallo influence, but unfortunately they are few and far between. 

Christmas horror films have rarely been successful, and this is no exception.  It may have had some influence on one of the rare classics of the genre, Black Christmas, but Silent Night, Bloody Night seems as cheaply thrown together as many other attempts to make a buck off of holiday horror. 

Silent Night, Bloody Night (1972)

Time: 81 minutes

Starring: Mary Woronov, James Patterson, Patrick O'Neal, Astrid Heeren

Director: Theodore Gershuny