Silent Night, Deadly Night 4 Review: No Santa, No Snow, Lots of Bugs
My Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ☆ ☆ ☆ 2.3/5
A woman falls from a rooftop.
Her body burns where it lands.
A reporter starts asking questions.
And somewhere close by, something starts to crawl.
Welcome to our Silent Night, Deadly Night 4 Review. If you do not like bugs, this is not the movie for you. I mean that with my whole chest. This one squirms, skitters, and oozes from start to finish.
This Silent Night, Deadly Night 4 Review is spoiler free. I will cover the setup, the cast, the bugs, and the strange story behind the film. The ending stays buried where it belongs.
Silent Night, Deadly Night 4 Review: Where Did Santa Go?
Brian Yuzna directed this film. Woody Keith wrote the screenplay from a story by Yuzna, Arthur Gorson, and S.J. Smith. Richard N. Gladstein produced it.
The full title on screen is Initiation: Silent Night, Deadly Night 4. LIVE Entertainment released it straight to video on November 21, 1990. In the United Kingdom, it later came out under a much more honest title. They called it Bugs.
After the first three films, this one makes you stop and think. Where is Santa? Where is the axe? Where is Christmas, for that matter?
The answer is simple. They are mostly gone.
The first three movies all followed the Chapman brothers. You can catch up with my review of the 1984 original, my review of Part 2, and my review of Part 3. Part 4 throws all of that out the window.
There is no killer Santa here. There is barely any Christmas. What you get instead is a witch cult, a mystery, and a whole lot of creepy crawlies.
The Story Setup
Kim Levitt works at a Los Angeles newspaper called the L.A. Eye. She wants to be a real reporter. For now, she is stuck editing the classified ads.
Her boss, Eli, keeps handing the good stories to the men in the office. That includes Kim’s boyfriend, Hank. Kim is tired of waiting her turn.
Then a woman is found dead on a sidewalk. She seems to have fallen from a building. Stranger still, her body is half burned, as if she caught fire on her own.
Kim smells a story. She starts digging, even without her boss’s blessing.
Her search leads her to Fima, the owner of a used bookstore in the same building. Fima gives Kim a book about women and the occult. Before long, Kim is pulled into a circle of women with some very old beliefs.
Christmas does show up, sort of. Kim spends Christmas Eve with Hank’s family. There is an office party too. But the holiday mostly sits in the background like a string of lights nobody bothered to plug in.
And then there are the bugs. Lots and lots of bugs.
That is as far as I will take you. The rest is a strange, gooey ride that is best seen with an empty stomach.
The Cast of Silent Night, Deadly Night 4
For a direct to video sequel, this is a fun cast for genre fans.
Neith Hunter plays Kim Levitt. She had small roles in Near Dark and Less than Zero in 1987. This was her first major leading role.
Maud Adams plays Fima, the bookstore owner. She is famous as a two time Bond girl, first in The Man with the Golden Gun in 1974. She returned as the title character in Octopussy in 1983.
Clint Howard plays Ricky, a strange man who lurks around the edges of the story.
Tommy Hinkley plays Hank, Kim’s boyfriend.
Reggie Bannister plays Eli, Kim’s boss. Horror fans know him as Reggie in Phantasm from 1979.
Allyce Beasley plays Janice.
Hugh Fink plays Jeff.
Jeanne Bates plays Katherine.
Marjean Holden plays Jane.
Laurel Lockhart plays Ann.
Ben Slack plays Gus.
Conan Yuzna plays Lonnie.
Richard N. Gladstein plays Woody. He was also the producer.
Neith Hunter carries the movie on her shoulders. Kim is smart, stubborn, and a little lonely. Hunter makes you root for her even when the story gets truly bizarre.
Maud Adams is the classiest person on screen. She brings real calm and mystery to Fima. Seeing a Bond girl in a Silent Night, Deadly Night movie is a treat all by itself.
And then there is Clint Howard. He brings his usual oddball energy to the role. He is unsettling just standing there. Every scene he is in feels a little greasier.
Hunter, Howard, and young Conan Yuzna would all turn up again in Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker. Hunter even plays Kim again. That is about as close as this series gets to a connecting thread after Part 3.
If You Do Not Like Bugs, Run
I want to be clear about this. The bugs are not a small part of the movie. They are the movie.
There are cockroaches. There are worms and other slimy things I would rather not name. Some are small and fast. Some are big enough to make you pull your feet up onto the couch.
The effects come from Screaming Mad George. He is credited with the surrealistic visual design and effects. He had already worked with Brian Yuzna on Society and Bride of Re-Animator.
One giant cockroach effect may look familiar to horror fans. Screaming Mad George had used a similar roach effect in A Nightmare on Elm Street 4. Recycling in the Silent Night, Deadly Night series seems to be a family tradition.
To be fair, the effects are the strongest thing about this movie. They are practical, gooey, and genuinely gross. Even when the story drags, the bugs keep you squirming.
Growing up in Southwest Iowa, I have seen my share of June bugs on the screen door and box elder bugs on the porch. None of them ever prepared me for this.
Not Much Christmas at All
Here is my other big complaint, and it is a fair one.
This movie has almost nothing to do with Christmas. The holiday is there on paper. A family gathering. An office party. A few decorations.
But you could move this story to the Fourth of July and barely change a thing. That is a strange choice for a series called Silent Night, Deadly Night.
By this point, the series title starts to feel like a sticker slapped on the box. It is the famous name on the outside with a totally different movie inside.
Producer Richard Gladstein did ask for a Christmas setting to keep the movie tied to the series name. He also wanted it made quickly and cheaply. The quick and cheap part clearly stuck. The Christmas part, not so much.
Los Angeles does not help either. There is no snow, no cold, and no cozy small town. Out here, Christmas means frozen windshields and the smell of a wood stove. This movie feels more like a sunny afternoon with a few tinsel strands tossed around.
Behind the Scenes
LIVE Entertainment approached Brian Yuzna to direct the film in 1989. The company had already picked up the distribution rights to his film Bride of Re-Animator.
Here is a fun twist. The story that became Part 4 was first meant for Part 3. That earlier script even included Ricky Caldwell from the first two sequels.
When Monte Hellman signed on to direct Part 3, he tossed that script. It found a new home here. Yuzna, Gladstein, and writer Woody Keith then reworked it and cut every tie to the earlier films.
Filming took place in Los Angeles in the spring of 1990. Principal photography wrapped on April 15, 1990. The scenes at Hank’s parents’ house were shot in an empty home that was in escrow.
Richard Band composed the music. Philip Holahan handled the cinematography. Peter Teschner edited the film.
After its video release, the film aired on Cinemax on New Year’s Eve. In the United Kingdom, the Bugs version arrived on tape in 1996, with eight seconds trimmed by the censors.
For collectors, it later landed on DVD in a 2009 Lionsgate set with Parts 3 and 5. It also turned up in the 2022 Blu-ray collection from Lionsgate’s Vestron Video Collector’s Series.
Here at the shop in Shenandoah, a VHS copy with the Bugs title would be a real oddball find. I would put it right next to the Santa tapes just to watch people scratch their heads.
Brian Yuzna’s Strange World
Brian Yuzna came to this film fresh off Society and Bride of Re-Animator. Both are known for wild, slimy body horror. Part 4 fits right in with them.
Writer Woody Keith had worked with Yuzna on both of those films. Woody Keith is a pen name for Zeph E. Daniel.
Yuzna’s touch is everywhere here. The camera lingers on the gross stuff. The story takes odd turns. Nothing ever feels quite normal.
A year later, Yuzna stayed with the series as a producer and cowriter on The Toy Maker. That film traded bugs for killer toys.
Love his style or not, you always know when you are watching a Brian Yuzna movie.
Ranking It Against the Others
So far, I have reviewed the 1984 original at 4.7, Part 2 at 2, Part 3 at 2.7, and The Toy Maker at 4.1. Part 4 lands just above the bottom of that stack at 2.3.
Part 2 was bad but fun. Part 3 was slow but had Bill Moseley. Part 4 has great effects but little else that feels like this series.
The Toy Maker came next and brought back some holiday spirit along with real fun. If Part 4 leaves a bad taste in your mouth, that one might fix it.
Where It Stumbles
There is a lot to talk about here, so let’s be honest.
The story is slow and confusing. The mystery takes a long time to come together. When it does, it is more strange than satisfying.
It barely feels like a Silent Night, Deadly Night movie. No Santa. No killer in a red suit. Very little Christmas. Fans of the first three will feel like they walked into the wrong theater.
The bugs will be too much for many viewers. I am not exaggerating. If insects make your skin crawl, this film will keep it crawling from start to finish.
Some of the supporting performances are flat. A few characters exist only to be gross or to explain the plot.
And the film leans on shock more than scares. It is disgusting far more often than it is frightening. There is a difference, and this movie lives on the wrong side of it.
It is also rough material in other ways. There is violence, adult content, and some disturbing moments. This is not one for the kids or the squeamish.
Is Silent Night, Deadly Night 4 Worth Watching?
For most folks, probably not.
If you came for killer Santa thrills, you will be let down. If you hate bugs, you will be miserable. If you want a holiday horror movie that feels like the holidays, look elsewhere.
But some viewers will get a kick out of it. Fans of Brian Yuzna will recognize his weird, gooey style. Effects buffs will want to see what Screaming Mad George cooked up.
It is also worth a look if you are watching the whole series in order. You have to see Part 4 to understand just how far the franchise wandered.
My advice is simple. Eat dinner first. Then put the popcorn bowl somewhere you cannot see it during the bug scenes.
The Kilroy Verdict on Silent Night, Deadly Night 4
This is the oddest entry in a very odd series.
Writing this Silent Night, Deadly Night 4 Review, I kept going back to the same question. Who was this movie made for? It is too gross for casual viewers and too far from Santa for series fans.
Still, I have to give credit where it is due. Neith Hunter gives a solid lead performance. Maud Adams adds a touch of class. And Screaming Mad George delivers effects that will stick with you, whether you like it or not.
It is a mess, but it is a bold mess. It just forgot to bring Christmas along for the ride.
Final Thoughts 2.3/5
This one earns a 2.3 out of 5 from Kilroy. Wrapping up this Silent Night, Deadly Night 4 Review, if you do not like bugs, this is not the movie for you.
“Screaming Mad George’s skin crawling bug effects squirm right off the screen.”
ML Lamp, Kilroy Was Here Shop
After the first three films, this one really makes you stop and think. There is no Santa, and it has very little to do with Christmas. What it does have is a game lead, a Bond girl, and an army of creepy crawlies.
If you are a completist, add it to the pile. Just keep a flashlight handy and check your slippers before you put them on.
And if you find a cockroach under the Christmas tree this year, do not open it. Trust me on this one.
