Film Review: SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT 4: INITIATION (1990)

One year after the previous sequel debuted straight to DVD horror director Brian Yuzna (Bride of Re-Animator, Return of the Living Dead 3) was brought on board to develop a different story in which to brand the Silent Night, Deadly Night franchise. Yuzna developed the story (with screenplay written by Woody Keith) and directed this in name only sequel Part 4: Initiation, which is more a witchcraft story than a serial killer Santa Clause film.

The film concerns a young reporter Kim (Neith Hunter) who is frustrated with not being taken seriously at her paper and thus wants to investigate the death of an unknown woman who jumped off a building while also experiencing a strange case of spontaneous human combustion. This leads her investigation to a book seller in the same building that the woman jumped from Fima (Maud Adams) and her group of very liberated women. Fima and her group take Kim into their fold and while Kim thinks she is investigating the death the group is putting Kim through a secret initiation process that forces her to confront her inner fears and demons by making them a physical manifestation. All this is done in order to liberate Kim and make her one of the groups newest members after the tragic accident of their previous member.

The story is very interesting in terms of the story taking a very feminist view on a woman’s place in a world filled with men. Yuzna as always crafts some very interesting visuals as Kim’s inner fears are given physical manifestation in the form of world-like creatures and giant cockroaches. What the film suffers from (like many of Yuzna’s films) is bad performances especially from Hunter who comes off as the angriest woman ever. She is so over the top that even the presence of Adams can’t save the overall film.

The theme of Christmas is very loosely displayed in this film and that’s probably because the film was not meant to be a direct sequel to the franchise. The film could have easily been a standalone film but potential profits with the “Silent Night, Deadly Night” brand name probably dictated the change. Regardless, despite the films many flaws this is the best sequel in the franchise simply because it isn’t a standard slasher film but an exercise in mental and psychological fear.