Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker (1991) (V)

Director:

Martin Kitrosser

Writers:

Martin Kitrosser
Brian Yuzna

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

He's Home... But He's Not Alone.

Plot:

An old toy maker and his son make killer toys designed to kill their owners, kids.

Plot Keywords:

Toy Maker | Festive | Killer Santa Claus | Fifth Part | Sequel

Cast

William Thorne	...	Derek
Jane Higginson	...	Sarah Quinn
Van Quattro	...	Tom Quinn
Tracy Fraim	...	Noah Adams
Neith Hunter	...	Kim
Conan Yuzna	...	Lonnie
Mickey Rooney	...	Joe Petto
Brian Bremer	...	Pino
Gerry Black	...	Harold
Clint Howard	...	Ricky
Thornton Simmons	...	Other Santa
Catherine Schreiber	...	Mother
Zoe Yuzna	...	Brandy
Jennifer Pusheck	...	Elf
Billy Oscar	...	Dad
Cathy Yuzna	...	Stroller #1
Gary Schmoeller	...	Stroller #2
Amy L. Taylor	...	Merideth
Eric Welch	...	Buck
Richard N. Gladstein	...	Driver Dad
Jan Linder	...	Nurse

Directed by
Martin Kitrosser

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Martin Kitrosser
Brian Yuzna

Produced by
Richard N. Gladstein	....	producer
Ronna B. Wallace	....	executive producer
Brian Yuzna	....	producer

Original Music by
Matthew Morse

Cinematography by
James Mathers

Film Editing by
Norman Buckley

Casting by
Billy DaMota

Production Design by
Whitney Brooke Wheeler

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jerry Goldberg	....	second assistant director
Thomas C. Rainone	....	second unit director

Art Department
Gordon E. Holmes	....	set dresser
Elan Papa	....	art assistant

Sound Department
Pat Toma	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Michael Deak	....	second unit effects
Jeffrey S. Farley	....	lab technician: Screaming Mad George, Inc.
Misa Uo Gardner	....	smg coordinator: Screaming Mad George, Inc.
Screaming Mad George	....	designer/supervisor: Screaming Mad George, Inc.
Dave Matherly	....	key effects: Screaming Mad George, Inc.
Jake McKinnon	....	mechanic: Screaming Mad George, Inc.
Rudy Perez	....	special effects crew: FX Concepts
Paul Sciacca	....	lab technician: Screaming Mad George, Inc.
Ken Tarallo	....	special effects coordinator
Shawn West	....	lab technician: Screaming Mad George, Inc.

Visual Effects by
Screaming Mad George	....	surrealistic visual design and effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Eric H. Lasher	....	still photographer
Jeff Muhlstock	....	Steadicam operator

Editorial Department
Dory Lubliner	....	first assistant editor

Other crew
Christopher Aber	....	assistant to Mickey Rooney
Keith Douglas Kramer	....	location manager
Thomas D. Krausz	....	set production assistant
Stu Schechter	....	production assistant
Victoria A. Zamora	....	post-production accountant

Production Companies

• Still Silent Films Inc.

Distributors

• International Video Entertainment (IVE) (USA) (VHS)
• Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Live Entertainment (1991) (USA) (VHS)

Special Effects

• F/X Concepts (pyrotechnics and mechanical effects)
• Screaming Mad George Inc. (special make-up effects and pino creations)

Also Known As:

"Silent Night, Deadly Night V: The Toy Maker" - USA (DVD box title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sensuality and violence

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | USA:R

Company:

Still Silent Films Inc.

Trivia:

Mickey Rooney wrote a letter of protest against the first Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) stating that the "scum" who made it should be "run out of town" for having sullied the sacredness of Christmas. And yet he co-starred in this fifth installment in the gory horror series.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Stroller #1:Look at that.

Movie Connections:

References Re-Animator (1985)

Just keep repeating: it's only a toy. Only a toy...only a toy...

The people behind these sequels certainly came up with some insane ideas once they moved away from the whole "killer Santa" routine. This last entry is co-written by director Martin Kitrosser and producer Brian Yuzna. If you recognize Kitrosser's name, that's because he'd co-written the third "Friday the 13th" movie several years previous, but has kept busy in the film business as a script supervisor, and is in fact Quentin Tarantino's script supervisor of choice. His movie is an amusing combination of the genuinely creepy and the genuinely kinky. Toys designed for a deadly purpose have been sent out for years, and killed the father of a traumatized and mute boy, Derek (William Thorne). His concerned mother Sarah (Jane Higginson) comes to suspect either drunken, seemingly kindly toy store proprietor Joe Petto (screen legend Mickey Rooney) or his weirdo son Pino (Brian Bremer, whom you may recognize from "Pumpkinhead", Yuzna's "Society", and / or "Spontaneous Combustion"). Meanwhile, a young man, Noah (Tracy Fraim) is awfully intent on making contact with Derek and Sarah, and what could be his reason? The best of these sequels since Part 2, in this reviewer's humble opinion, it benefits from being so utterly twisted. In fact, right towards the end it features what has to be one of the most disturbing attempted rape sequences committed to celluloid. The special effects are often of the cheesy and tacky variety, yet are reasonably entertaining for this reason. Kitrosser's focus on sex is pretty blatant: at one point he keeps cutting between two separate sex scenes. None too subtle references to a classic children's story are indicative of his whole approach to his movie. The acting is mostly competent enough, with the appropriately cast Bremer coming off the best. Rooney acts his little heart out, as could be expected; regarding his presence here when his was one of the voices demonizing the original movie, it just goes to show what an actor is willing to do when they're desperate enough for a gig. Neith Hunter and Conan Yuzna reprise their roles of Kim and Lonnie from the previous sequel; ubiquitous Clint Howard once again shows up, and plays a character named Ricky, but is only around for one scene. One thing this movie is not is boring, and if your tastes are anything like mine, you're sure to derive some entertainment out of this demented piece of work. Seven out of 10.