There’s no shortage of remakes and reboots in Hollywood, but they’re very rarely better than the original movie. Shockingly, one of the few reboots better than the original is the new Silent Night, Deadly Night. 

The 1984 original is a slasher film that follows the life of a young man named Billy who witnessed his parents being murdered by a man in a Santa Claus suit on Christmas Eve. When he grows up, he dons the red suit to go on a killing spree during the holiday. It’s an entertaining tale that explores the psyche of an unfortunate character, showcases the holiday in a different light, and offers a bloody good time for horror fans. There’s something surprisingly fun about a guy wielding an axe to chop down victims while dressed as Santa Claus.The plot isn’t the deepest or most unique, and most of the characters outside of the protagonist aren’t the most memorable, but it’s still a fantastic time.

Now, in 2025, a new take on Silent Night, Deadly Night has made its way to the big screen. This reimagining also has Billy witness the murder of his parents by a man in a Santa suit, causing him to later don the suit to murder those on the naughty list. Outside of some references, this is essentially where the similarities end, and it’s brilliant. The first movie was great for what it was, but this new one manages to be better.

First of all, this new movie honors and celebrates the original (and its direct sequels) with plenty of clever Easter eggs and references, but it also forms an identity of its very own. It takes the premise in new directions, and it’s simply captivating. It never feels bogged down by the pre-existing franchise.

It’s worth noting that this newer version of Billy actually punishes those who are naughty. The original Billy essentially declared everyone as naughty to excuse his killing. Here, we see his justification, and it all really exciting and satisfying when it’s slashing time.

Something else that this new movie adds are great new characters. Originally, Billy was fantastic, while everyone else felt rather hollow. There are a couple of welcome additions in the 2025 version, especially with the character of Pam. She’s just as crazy as Billy in her own ways and is an extremely entertaining character who is always fun to watch and has some outstanding dialogue.

The dark humor in the original may be great, but here, it’s top-notch. It’s delightfully twisted, and even takes advantage of the holiday, like using an advent calendar to keep track of how many days he’s killed. This is a movie that will have a crowd roaring with laughter.

The overall story is a little more well-thought-out too. Billy feels more like a character we care about and who actually grows. There are external conflicts that we see built up over time that lead to one heck of a finale. The film plays with a paranormal aspect that the original doesn’t even attempt, and it ends up being one of the most fun aspects of the movie. It feels like there’s interesting lore here that can actually be expanded upon. It’s also overall a more interesting and captivating story with better pacing than the 1984 classic.

One more element that’s worth noting is that the gore effects here are also amazing. Sure, the 1984 film had great gore, but it’s especially great here. It’s truly impressive, and the filmmakers didn’t hold back with how bloody it all looked.

Sure, 2025’s Silent Night, Deadly Night isn’t a wholly perfect movie. For instance, there are some scenes that could have been edited a little less wildly with fewer cuts and the camera could have zoomed out a bit so the audience could see more of the action, but it’s still a genuinely great film.

While the original Silent Night, Deadly Night isn’t a bad movie by any means, it’s still really interesting that the 2025 version of all things is one of the few remakes in movie history that manages to be better than the original it’s based on.

Read Next: The 9 Best Christmas Horror Movies