"Silent Night, Zombie Night" surprised my low expectations. It does tread in some of the "same ole" category with the basic zombie outbreak, but at its core is really a character study of a love triangle, with real adult feelings and all of that. It stands out from the crowd as far as Indie zombie movies go and could appeal to a broader audience than most.
On the acting front, Jack Forcinito as the tough as nails jerk of a hero runs this rodeo. He seems born for the role in a "give that man a B movie trophy!" sort of way. Middle aged ladies and perhaps younger ladies with daddy issues may throw their panties at the screen for the bad boy, man about business character Jack brings to life. Sizzle.
Andy Hopper is an actor I could see on a "Law & Order" type show and Nadine Stenovich as the leading lady brings a real beauty of a woman to the mix, which may not please the fake boobs in a bikini crowd.
Felissa Rose, Vernon Wells, and Lew Temple as known B movie names all come in with parts that are more than cameos. I would say extended cameos, but considering the amount of dialog and Lew Temple's going for the Oscar sob antics: they are real bona fide parts.
The low budget nature of the beast is going to have some FX groaned at (some are pulled off gory and great), but overall it does not feel like a case of someone trying to junk something out for nothing, but rather filmmakers really trying to make something good with very little.
Is the Christmas spirit there? Well, it was shot in Los Angeles and around Christmas time I am led to believe, so: no snow. Some may want more tinsel and miss the snow, but I guess I can't fault it for playing to reality. Maybe you're stuck in the snowed-up Midwest and want to spend Christmas in warm L.A.? Here you go, and with zombies!
"Silent Night, Zombie Night" is a step above many Indie low-to-no budget zombie movies and I think it earns a spot on a horror collector's shelf. Actually, I would recommend it to people who do not like zombie movies per-say, but dig adult relationship dramas. It is worth a rent at least and could be an odd date night movie.
