Silent Night, Bloody Night (1972)

A man inherits a mansion which once was a mental home. He visits the place and begins to investigate some crimes that happened in old times, scaring the people living in the region.

Director:

Theodore Gershuny

Writers:

Theodore Gershuny, Jeffrey Konvitz (screenplay)

Stars:

Patrick O'Neal, James Patterson, Mary Woronov

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Patrick O'Neal	...	John Carter
James Patterson	...	Jeffrey Butler
Mary Woronov	...	Diane Adams
Astrid Heeren	...	Ingrid
John Carradine	...	Charlie Towman
Walter Abel	...	Mayor Adams
Fran Stevens	...	Tess Howard
Walter Klavun	...	Sheriff Bill Mason
Philip Bruns	...	Wilfred Butler (1929) (as Phillip Bruns)
Staats Cotsworth	...	Wilfred Butler (voice)
Ondine	...	Chief Inmate
Tally Brown	...	Inmate
Lewis Love	...	Inmate
Candy Darling	...	Guest
Harvey Cohen	...	Inmate

Storyline

Wilford Butler returns home on Christmas Eve and his house had been turned into a mental institution for the criminally insane. But the day of his return, he is set on fire and dies. The towns people believe his death was an accident, and the institution-house is later closed down. Wilford leaves the house to his grandson Jeffrey. A few years later, Jeffrey finally decides to sell this grandfather's house, but the towns people including the Mayor have mixed feelings on keeping people away from the house, especially when a serial killer escapes from another institution and finds refuge there. The killer makes frightening phone calls and kills anyone coming near the house. But what does the killer have in common with what happened to Wilford Butler years before?

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Plot Keywords:

murder in cemetery | burning car | telephone switchboard | psychotronic film | part of a series | 

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Taglines:

For one night in each century, the devil controls the heavens...and earth becomes an inferno of horrors!

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed in 1970 as "Night Of The Dark Full Moon" (from Famous Monsters #190 John Carradine retrospective Part III), but not released until 1972.

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Goofs

Main character Jeffrey Butler is riding with John Carradine, who plays Towman. Butler and Carradine have decided to go out to the Butler house to see what is going on. Instead, Towman pulls into the drive of another house, and Jeffrey Butler says, "Towman this isn't my house, it's Tess'. Tess is another of the townspeople, and it is her house, but Jeffrey would not have known that because he has never been to the town before.

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Quotes

Diane Adams: How old are you?
Jeffrey Butler: You mean how many years have I lived?

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Crazy Credits

The word 'Bloody' in the opening title card is red, where as the text of the rest of the credits are white.

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Connections

Featured in Nightmare Theatre's Late Night Chill-o-Rama Horror Show Vol. 1 (1996)

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Soundtracks

Silent Night, Holy Night
(uncredited)
Music by Franz Xaver Gruber

User Reviews

Independent US horror from a forgotten era

I love discovering new-to-me American horror flicks of the 1970s. These independent, backwoods-shot productions usually showcase some then-startling gore effects, as well as creepy atmosphere and a sense of gritty realism usually absent from the slicker Hollywood productions. SILENT NIGHT, BLOODY NIGHT fits the bill as an all-but-forgotten movie from this era, but sadly it turns out to be anything but a gem. Saying that, this early slasher flick even manages to pre-date Black Christmas by a year, and HALLOWEEN fans will find much of interest in the p.o.v. killer shots and the eerie atmosphere that highlight this unusual little movie.

The film was obviously made on the cheap, and in many places things are far too dark to see what's going on. Despite the best intentions of the filmmakers, this film's a chore to sit through. The story is slow beyond belief and the narrative stilted and mishandled; the editing of various scenes is done in such a way to make even the simplest shots confusing to the viewer. In essence, it's about a creepy old abandoned house that may be home to a murderous lunatic, plus some back story about an old asylum. The plot itself is fairly simple and uneventful, at least until the final denouement which has a classic twist of an ending. As is usual for most '70s horror flicks, there's a little gruesomeness, including a double axe murder and a broken bottle in the face, but nothing too off-putting for seasoned buffs who like their horror of the older, more classic variety. One of the most positive aspects of the film lies in director Theodore Gershuny's work – there are some genuinely inventive moments, enhanced by weird camera angles, and an excellent flashback sequence involving inmates taking over the asylum in which things get really spooky and eerie.

The story is cheaply acted by a bunch of no-name or cult stars such as Warhol favourite Mary Woronov. Guest star Patrick O'Neal doesn't hang around for long, while John Carradine doesn't say a word! Leading actor James Patterson was dying of cancer while the film was being made, adding a further level of grubbiness to the thing. SILENT NIGHT, BLOODY NIGHT is a very obscure movie, and it's easy to see why; low budget, quite similar to dozens of others, and with no big names to market it. Despite these factors it works in places and provides a fair few chills during the short running time.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 November 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

Zora

Filming Locations:

1026 W Shore Rd, Mill Neck, Long Island, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$295,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Armor Films Inc., Cannon Productions, Jeffrey Konvitz Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min 64 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1