fear factor – Movies of the Soul

Vampire Owl: We have always wished for silent nights in favour of vampire activity.

Vampire Bat: Vampires have always hoped for silence to keep on hunting, that too in a flash.

Vampire Owl: For vegetarian vampires, we do hunt really well.

Vampire Bat: We have hunted evil better these days.

Vampire Owl: Yet, humans consider us to be evil.

Vampire Bat: There will never be bigger evil than humans. Their evil returns every time and rises like a phoenix.

Vampire Owl: Well, we are yet to find a good human during our visits to their lands.

Vampire Bat: But serial killers are too easy to find, especially on the 11th day of terror. We are watching them at all times.

Vampire Owl: They call these people psychos, but this cruelty comes natural to them.

Vampire Bat: There are always much bigger modes of cruelty among humans. Just make a call on the vampire phone.

[Gets some tacos and three cups of taro tea].

What is the movie about? :: On a Christmas evening, a child is seen traveling by car with his parents from his grandfather’s place and their vehicle is seen as stopping on a remote road. A man dressed as Santa Claus arrives in another car and murders Billy’s parents in front of him. The killer, who is also stabbed, is revealed to be Charlie (Mark Acheson). As the child comes into physical contact with Charlie, an electrical surge appears to pass between them, and there seems to be something which has passed on from the dying killer. As the child grows up, known to the society as Billy Chapman (Rohan Campbell), he is seen as taking over the duty of committing murders while wearing the costume of Santa Claus during the Christmas season. The idea goes like this – during each Christmas, he begins hearing Charlie’s voice urging him to punish people who have been evil, and from then he would need to commit a murder for each day leading up to Christmas. There will be no failure to follow this particular procedure.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: After committing a quick murder at a motel, Billy escapes from the scene to avoid suspicion and arrives in the town of Hackett. There he becomes instantly interested in the beautiful, but angry lady of the town Pamela Sims (Ruby Modine) and her father Dean Sims (Lawrence Brown) who runs a gift shop. He gets a job in the same shop, and gets closer to Pamela, finally beginning an intimate relationship. But he never really losses his skill in murders as new victims is found and killed without remorse. A local police officer and Pamela’s abusive ex-boyfriend Max Benedict (David Tomlinson) is not happy about Billy being around her, and also develops suspicions about the new person moving into the town after which too many murders happen at the same place. But it is revealed that there is some other series of incidents happening in the same area, with little kids going missing one after another. There is a suspected abductor referred to as “the Snatcher”, but it is to be seen how the incidents go on as Christmas gets closer.

The defence of Silent Night, Deadly Night :: The slasher horror mode activated very quickly with this one, not really wasting that much time. The protagonist here is a tragic anti-hero who is forced to go through what he does, rather than the usual supernatural or psychotic villain, and that surely brings a change from the usual. There is time spent in exploring his trauma and motivations, which makes the character more relatable. To add to it the same, there is a mythology, supernatural elements and mystery involving missing children. The horror effects work well with the blood and gore, as one would expect from a slasher horror movie, and deaths become natural part of the film with ease. The killing are also justified for a change, instead of making the whole thing random or a case of revenge like some other flicks. The holiday mood can also be felt with the Christmas elements around, and the ending nicely supports a sequel which could have further variety with the kind of serial killer it develops with the finish.

The claws of flaw :: Silent Night, Deadly Night feels absurd even for a slasher horror movie with its content which does not innovate, or chooses not to bring some nice creative elements. There were many moments which it could have made more interesting, especially by adding usual elements of the genre which have been going through a classic path for a very long time. The question about what special elements this one brings or what it brings as part of the genre, would need better answers here. There is also a certain amount of extra complication that comes with some of these additions here, and the background tale with the mythology is not that much thought about. There is the slow pace and drag that comes in between, and the romance is also not going too deep, and never being emotional enough. The strange ideas are not that much explored, and we feel the need during regular intervals. Many viewers could feel that there is something missing around here, as the movie seems to just go on as it wishes to, and thinks not that much about connections.

The performers of the soul :: Rohan Campbell makes the main character memorable, and worth being the Christmas killer that we would need to follow. There is something more than a serial killer or a murderous psychopath about him, as more aspects of the character are nicely shown by him. A man with a deeply damaged childhood and never-ending emotional conflicts also with the trauma and violent impulses, remains safe in his hands while going through vulnerability and terrifying menace. Ruby Modine makes her character interesting, and there is something about the same all the time, and might have even more to contribute later in a possible sequel – there is a lot that a scream queen in a slasher can do. There are violence and darkness in her, which she manages to display with a charming ease. Her scenes bring some of the most emotionally grounded moments to the movie, and elevate the whole thing. Mark Acheson has a more unusual role, but contributes nicely to the film’s dark and supernatural elements.

How it finishes :: This serves as the second remake of the 1984 film with the same name, after the 2012 reimagining of the same. The audience who enjoys traditional slashers focused mainly on the brutal kills and other elements may find the added mythology and the strange emotional storytelling distracting, as deviation from the usual ideas is surely present here. This is not your classic old slasher of nostalgia and memories for sure. But those who are willing to accept its strange mix of genres are likely to find a surprisingly engaging work with a divergence. Despite not sticking to a classic tradition, it remains a solid Christmas horror film that will probably appeal most to a certain kind of audience. One would guess that making it interesting for all kinds of viewers was never really the idea with this one. Still, we are having the slashers in this world which is going after nonsense because it pretends to be funny, and that much is hope with feathers. Something more sinister might still be coming in a sequel.

Release date: 12th December 2025
Running time: 96 minutes
Directed by: Mike P Nelson
Starring: Rohan Campbell, Ruby Modine, David Lawrence Brown, David Tomlinson, Mark Acheson

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Vampire Owl: A movie with another monkey at the core?

Vampire Bat: This is an ape who is not really a toy like that movie.

Vampire Owl: I feel that Vampire Monkey will not be that happy. Neither will be Uncle Dracula.

Vampire Bat: Vampire Monkey is no longer affiliated with the vampire castle.

Vampire Owl: So, he is a freelance vampire with part-time work.

Vampire Bat: We do not offer part-time work anymore, as it affects overall quality.

Vampire Owl: Well, there has been some strange things going on around here.

Vampire Bat: Still, not that strange as the human field of work.

Vampire Owl: Well, humans have never been the species to look forward to. They are the fallen ones. Ask Dr. Frakenstein for details.

Vampire Bat: Even humans after death are not the kind of people we should choose. Compared to them, witches and zombies are clean.

[Gets a savala vada and three cups of Wayanad tea].

What is the movie about? :: Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah) is a young college student, who is on the way back to her home in Hawaii after spending many years far away from her family and friends. Her best friend Kate (Victoria Wyant) is also with her and meets her in the airport, but is dismayed to see that Kate has also invited an additional guest, Hannah (Jessica Alexander), without telling her earlier, and this particular acquaintance is not someone she is really fond of. While boarding the flight, the three friends also meet Drew (Charlie Mann) and Brad (Tienne Simon), two young men who are taking the same flight to have a grand vacation in the same place. In Hawaii, they meet up with Kate’s brother Nick (Benjamin Cheng) who drive them to the family home located on a cliff with all the modern facilities. They also meet Lucy’s father Adam (Troy Kotsur), who is a famous novelist, and a deaf man who mostly communicates through sign language. Then they also come across Erin (Gia Hunter), Lucy’s younger sister. Ben (Miguel Torres Umba), a chimpanzee owned by the family is also present at the house.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Ben is considered to be highly intelligent and has been taught to communicate using a software on a tablet by creating sounds by clicking on it. Ben lives in an enclosure outside the house, but comes into home when he is taken there by the family members during daytime. Later that night, Ben begins acting strangely after being bitten by a mongoose in his enclosure. He plans to take the mongoose to a lab the following morning to check for infections and asks Lambert (Rob Delaney), a veterinarian to check on Ben as he has to leave for a book signing. But as the friends enjoy the party by the outdoor infinity pool at the cliff’s edge, Lambert who enters Ben’s enclosure, is attacked and brutally killed by Ben, who is clearly infected by rabies after that bite by mongoose. Ben escapes the enclosure and moves towards the pool, towards unsuspecting youngsters, only to be noted by Kate and Lucy who found the teddy bear covered in blood. As Ben unleashes chaos, the youngsters enter the pool and hopes that the ape would leave, but is it possible?

The defence of Primate :: The movie maintains strong tension, jump scares and edge-of-the-seat situations which keeps the terrifying situation quite strong. The survival mode is activated soon enough, and after that, the movie keeps us close to the main characters, going through the journey of trouble with them. The attacks are also violent and the gore adds to the seriousness of the situation and reminds the pet owners to be careful, not just for themselves, but also for those who live around them, or with them. There has been too many cases of violent dogs affected by rabies attacking even little children and elders who cannot move away in time, and it has been more of the result of animal lovers not taking the right action and the pets being left on the road without care – replace the chimpanzee with dog and you have the exact reflection. The attack here seems to be unique and never exaggerated, making us feel close to the whole situation. The setting is too good, not just perfectly suited for the situation, but also visually stunning. The movie is of short length, and never really makes us feel bored as something seems like ready to make a difference all the time.

The claws of flaw :: The movie’s tale is just the usual repeated one with a number of youngsters hunted by a force which feels almost impossible to stop. Some of the characters are just generic, and feels even less important than other horror movies which at least brands them into a group as even more clearly said in The Cabin in the Woods. This one has the extra characters seemingly just to get killed by a chimpanzee which is too smart and is powered as much by his earned skills as by the rabies which just got into him. There are two friends of the main girl added here instead of her coming alone, but the use of the characters seems to be in the minimum. As in other horror movies, they remain not that smart, but in those movies, they were at least smarter than chimpanzees in the forest around them. There is also that chance to bring innovation being lost here, as there was such a fine setting, and so much to be done – here, they just have the swimming pool, lost phones and the cliff which are not used to the best efficiency.

The performers of the soul :: The biggest performers of the movie is indeed its main antagonist, the work with the ape has been quite remarkable. The rest of the work is led by Johnny Sequoyah, who comes the closest to what should be called the protagonist-like character, even though this one is also not written that much with never really getting enough time alone or with a past that could make the movie and performances stronger. It is more like the character is placed there and the rest, we have to create with imaginary characterizations. But she surely becomes what would be the closest to the scream queen around here, leading the way as the movie nears the end as much as the lives of the remaining characters who have somehow manages to be not ripped into pieces by the ape. Jessica Alexander just supports well and so does Victoria Wyant while Gia Hunter manages just fine. Troy Kotsur is good when he is around, while Benjamin Cheng, Charlie Mann and Tienne Simon are there mostly to serve the ape purpose.

How it finishes :: The movie’s journey is quick and strong, even though there is not that much of a focus on the story. The reminder to keep the pets checked and the fact that animals will always remain with their characteristics is reiterated here with ease – those who were chased by some dogs on the streets or those who were frightened by the neighbour’s dog will know this the best. The thrills are surely there, and the strength of a survival movie is also present along with being a horror flick with moments that will stay for the quick effects and the everlasting gore. The terror of the ape feels real and lasting. But the storyline, predictable structure and mostly shallow characters hold it back from being a memorable one which is there to stay. Yet, it you want entertainment or is with a wish to be scared, this one is definitely there for delivering the same. For the other kinds of survival movies, there is always something like The Shallows in the ocean and Gravity in space or even Bollywood’s own Trapped in an apartment, but this one is more about bringing the scares as much as providing the need to survive against all odds.

Release date: 18th September 2025
Running time: 89 minutes
Directed by: Johannes Roberts
Starring: Johnny Sequoyah, Jessica Alexander, Victoria Wyant, Gia Hunter, Benjamin Cheng, Troy Kotsur