Controversial '80s holiday horror gets (another) Winnipeg reboot
For the second time in 15 years, a controversial 1984 horror film is getting a made-in-Manitoba reboot.
Casting is currently underway for Silent Night, Deadly Night, currently in pre-production from Cineverse, the company that produced the hard-core horror franchise Terrifier, with StudioCanal handling global sales outside North America under their new genre label Sixth Dimension. In Winnipeg, it will be produced under the auspices of new production company Bear Paw Studio, a partnership between local producer/filmmaker Jeremy Torrie and Erik Bernard.
The original film of the same title created a wave of mass consternation in the '80s with its advertising campaign, which depicted a demented axe-wielding Santa climbing down a chimney. At the time, the image of Santa Claus tended to be more sacrosanct in film.
The reaction to the film was perhaps best exemplified by Gene Siskel. On an episode of Siskel & Ebert at the Movies, the Chicago critic pointedly named the film's distributors, writer and director to shame them.
Of course, the effort to tarnish the film made it more successful than it might have otherwise been. Upon its release, it out-grossed the more revered horror film from the same year, Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street. (Silent Night, Deadly Night has a major fan in no less than Quentin Tarantino, who called it "the only [holiday horror film] that truly bears a discussion.… I'm a big fan.")
The film was rebooted in 2012 with a shortened title — Silent Night. It was filmed mainly in Winnipeg and Selkirk and produced by Los Angeles-based Richard Saperstein's the Genre Company, in conjunction with local production company Buffalo Gal Pictures, under its in-house genre imprint Insidious Pictures.
That film altered the plot, focusing on a traumatized small town cop (Jaime King) and an unhinged police chief (Malcolm McDowell) attempting to track a psycho in a Santa suit during a seasonal festival in which half the town is wearing Santa costumes. (Winnipeg actor-stuntman Rick Skene played the killer in an unnerving Santa mask.)
The new reboot will be directed by genre up-and-comer Mike P. Nelson (V/H/S/85 and the 2021 reboot Wrong Turn) and will follow the original more closely — no surprise, since it is being produced by Scott Schneid and Dennis Whitehead, executive producers of the original film, said Torrie, who also highlights producer Jamie R. Thompson.
"He was the one who put it all together," Torrie said.
"We had the director and the U.S. producers in town a couple weeks ago scouting, so we're forging ahead on that."
Scouting locations included Selkirk, Carman, Stonewall and Steinbach, Torrie said.
The plan for the film is that it will be turned around for a release in late 2025, just in time for the holiday season.
Torrie said he hopes Cineverse follows the release pattern for last year's Terrifier 3.
"They released it in 2,500 theatres and made $90 million US," Torrie said. "That would be huge for us."
Busy spring
It may prove to be a busy spring for film production in Winnipeg.
A previously announced film, purporting to tell the inside story of the assassination of U.S. president John F. Kennedy, is likely heading to Winnipeg in May, with an impressive cast that includes John Travolta (Pulp Fiction), Mandy Patinkin (The Princess Bride) and Dermot Mulroney (My Best Friend's Wedding).
November 1963: The Killing of a President will be directed by Roland Joffe, who was twice nominated for Oscars, for his work on The Killing Fields (1985) and The Mission (1987).
November 1963 's screenwriter is Nicholas Celozzi, the nephew of notorious Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana. The story is based on the eyewitness account of Giancana's brother Joseph (Pepe) Giancana, who was with Sam during the two days preceding the 1963 assassination.
Later in 2025, Winnipeg may expect to see yet another blood-stained Santa with the planned sequel to Violent Night (2022), which starred David Harbour (Stranger Things) as the real St. Nick, obliged to return to his bloodthirsty ways when defending a wealthy family from a gang of murderous thieves.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Star
09-05-2025
- Toronto Star
Documentary details fall of former broadcaster once dubbed ‘sexiest man in Winnipeg'
There was a time back in the 1990s when Steve Vogelsang was known as the 'sexiest man in Winnipeg.' A former sportscaster, college instructor and executive with True North Sports and Entertainment, Vogelsang helped several Winnipeggers shape their careers. So when the Saskatoon native was arrested in 2017 for sticking up banks in Saskatchewan and Alberta, his once made-for-TV persona became rife with static. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'It raises a lot of questions,' said Charlie Siskel, a director and producer for 'The Sexiest Man in Winnipeg,' a new documentary detailing Vogelsang's rise and fall that releases Friday on Amazon's Prime Video. 'What happened to this guy? Why did he end up robbing a bunch of banks? Why did he do it in such theatrically ridiculous fashion?' Vogelsang was sentenced in 2019 to six and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to a string of bank robberies in Saskatchewan and Alberta between July and October 2017. In one case, he walked into a Regina bank with a fake bomb strapped to his chest, slid a note to the teller demanding $50,000 and pleaded for help, saying 'They've got my grandson.' On its face, it's a ridiculous but tragic story, says co-director Ben Daughtrey. 'We decided to embrace both sides of Steve's personality,' he said in an interview. 'He is genuinely a funny person, but there's also something ultimately tragic about a person going to these depths to try to change his life.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW In an interview from Washington state, Siskel said the documentary has been in the works since Vogelsang's release from prison. Vogelsang himself was involved in its making, re-enacting elements and sharing his thoughts for the cameras. The documentary also hears from several current and former Winnipeg reporters who knew Vogelsang and recall their shock at learning he had been arrested. 'The film is a character study, ultimately,' he said. 'Not so much a whodunit because we know who committed the crimes, but a whydunit.' Vogelsang's trial heard the former broadcaster's marriage had fallen apart, his prescribed medication for depression wasn't working and he was deep in debt from lengthy unemployment. Asked why Vogelsang gets a documentary when ordinary people convicted of bank robberies don't, Siskel said humans are obsessed with true crime and fame. His crimes were minor, so it's all the more surprising, the director said, that Vogelsang thought it was his way back. 'What is it about these crimes and criminals and crime stories that so fascinates the public and makes such a ready market for these kinds of stories ... Is this all fame seeking on his part? ... What role do we have in turning these people back into celebrities?' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Siskel said the viewer should 'play jury' when watching the documentary. Was Vogelsang 'some sort of monster,' he said, or an ordinary person who got a taste of fame, lost it and went about a 'weird way' of getting it back? Siskel adds that Vogelsang routinely points out in the film that he doesn't want 'that much fame.' But Siskel thinks otherwise. 'I do think that fame and fame seeking is at the heart of Steve's story,' he said. 'I think there is an element of redemption in the sense that Steve is coming to terms with his own past and his choices. 'Is it a redemption story, is it exposing the deep flaws of another human being, or is it something in between?' This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 9, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
09-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Documentary details fall of former broadcaster once dubbed ‘sexiest man in Winnipeg'
There was a time back in the 1990s when Steve Vogelsang was known as the 'sexiest man in Winnipeg.' A former sportscaster, college instructor and executive with True North Sports and Entertainment, Vogelsang helped several Winnipeggers shape their careers. So when the Saskatoon native was arrested in 2017 for sticking up banks in Saskatchewan and Alberta, his once made-for-TV persona became rife with static. 'It raises a lot of questions,' said Charlie Siskel, a director and producer for 'The Sexiest Man in Winnipeg,' a new documentary detailing Vogelsang's rise and fall that releases Friday on Amazon's Prime Video. 'What happened to this guy? Why did he end up robbing a bunch of banks? Why did he do it in such theatrically ridiculous fashion?' Vogelsang was sentenced in 2019 to six and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to a string of bank robberies in Saskatchewan and Alberta between July and October 2017. In one case, he walked into a Regina bank with a fake bomb strapped to his chest, slid a note to the teller demanding $50,000 and pleaded for help, saying 'They've got my grandson.' On its face, it's a ridiculous but tragic story, says co-director Ben Daughtrey. 'We decided to embrace both sides of Steve's personality,' he said in an interview. 'He is genuinely a funny person, but there's also something ultimately tragic about a person going to these depths to try to change his life.' In an interview from Washington state, Siskel said the documentary has been in the works since Vogelsang's release from prison. Vogelsang himself was involved in its making, re-enacting elements and sharing his thoughts for the cameras. The documentary also hears from several current and former Winnipeg reporters who knew Vogelsang and recall their shock at learning he had been arrested. 'The film is a character study, ultimately,' he said. 'Not so much a whodunit because we know who committed the crimes, but a whydunit.' Vogelsang's trial heard the former broadcaster's marriage had fallen apart, his prescribed medication for depression wasn't working and he was deep in debt from lengthy unemployment. Asked why Vogelsang gets a documentary when ordinary people convicted of bank robberies don't, Siskel said humans are obsessed with true crime and fame. His crimes were minor, so it's all the more surprising, the director said, that Vogelsang thought it was his way back. 'What is it about these crimes and criminals and crime stories that so fascinates the public and makes such a ready market for these kinds of stories … Is this all fame seeking on his part? … What role do we have in turning these people back into celebrities?' Siskel said the viewer should 'play jury' when watching the documentary. Was Vogelsang 'some sort of monster,' he said, or an ordinary person who got a taste of fame, lost it and went about a 'weird way' of getting it back? Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Siskel adds that Vogelsang routinely points out in the film that he doesn't want 'that much fame.' But Siskel thinks otherwise. 'I do think that fame and fame seeking is at the heart of Steve's story,' he said. 'I think there is an element of redemption in the sense that Steve is coming to terms with his own past and his choices. 'Is it a redemption story, is it exposing the deep flaws of another human being, or is it something in between?' This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 9, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
07-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Original producers return for reboot of Christmas slasher being filmed in Winnipeg
Something sinister is going on beneath the quaint gabled roofs of Armstrong's Point. In Winnipeg, a city currently bustling with movie-making activity, it's hardly unusual to see trucks filled with equipment parked on West Gate, especially since the stately older homes of the neighbourhood are frequently used as film locations. But the movie being made is worth a startled raise of the eyebrows. Silent Night, Deadly Night is the second locally made reboot of a controversial slasher of the same name that drew protests in front of movie theatres when Tri-Star premièred it during the holiday season of 1984. PRNewsfoto/Cineverse Rohan Campbell takes over the role of a murderous Saint Nick in the latest version of Silent Night, Deadly Night, shooting in Winnipeg. On this particular day in April, the location is a rambling century-old structure with cedar shakes painted a cheery light blue. It will be the new home for the film's designated maniac, Billy Chapman (Rohan Campbell), a quietly deranged young man who gets murderous whenever he dons a Santa suit. The name is the same as the original, but the character will arrive with a supernatural twist, it is rumoured, although none of the talent at the location is volunteering any spoilers. The original film was reinvented only 13 years ago in 2012 as Silent Night, starring Malcolm McDowell, Jaime King and Donal Logue. That slasher, which jettisoned much of the original's plot, was produced by the Genre Company, in conjunction with local production company Buffalo Gal Pictures, under its in-house imprint, Insidious Pictures. This new iteration is doubly noteworthy because this time the original film's producers, Scott Schneid and Dennis Whitehead, are resuming their producer duties four decades later after the property and the assets of its three sequels were essentially taken away from them, though Schneid and Whitehead were the ones who midwifed the original into existence alongside screenwriter Michael Hickey. The pair vividly recall the controversy surrounding a maniac in a Santa suit. 'It was different times, you know? It was a conservative time in America,' says Whitehead. 'People started picketing the theatres when the movie came out,' recalls Schneid. 'They even formed a coalition called Mothers Against Movie Madness and they were picketing theatres with their little five-year-olds, holding signs that said 'Santa ain't no hit man' and 'Deck the hall with holly, not bodies.' 'It was the '80s, when R-rated slashers for teenagers were the rage. Halloween was the first one to come out and the first Friday the 13th and Tri-Star was looking for its teen horror franchise.' It turned out the company bit off more candy cane than it could chew. The protests — which ranged from placard-carrying parents to mainstream film critic Gene Siskel publicly shaming the filmmakers — prompted the removal of the movie from theatres before it even made headway into wide release, although it was well on its way to hit status, earning US$4 million on a US$1-million budget. Whitehead estimates it was bound for a US$25-million gross. 'Tri-Star was a newly formed studio at that time. They were the new kid on the block and they were funded by Coca-Cola, CBS and HBO, so they had big corporate interests behind them,' Schneid says. The company behind the new SNDN property has no such queasiness: Cineverse is responsible for the ultra-gruesome Terrifier franchise, which follows the adventures of a silent but deadly psycho clown named Art. The company is represented by younger executive producers who oversaw the making of Terrifier 3 : Brandon Hill and Brad Miska, whose production experience includes work on the wintry thriller Cult of Chucky (2017) in Winnipeg. Though Silent Night is set in the winter, Miska is relieved it's not being shot in the cold. 'It was -20 C and I was like: I'm never coming back ever again, so when we heard we were gonna shoot this in the spring, I said, 'Oh, thank God. Thank God,'' Miska says. Miska and Hall both saw the original during an annual Christmas showcase at the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles programmed by Quentin Tarantino, an unabashed fan. It was a past New Beverly screening that captured the attention of Schneid, who overcame some personal bitterness to see it. '(Tarantino) has his own 30mm print of Silent Night and shows it every Christmas, so I wanted to see it with a friend of mine, and we saw people were lined up around the block to see it,' Schneid says. SUPPLIED The 1984 movie sparked protests at theatres. That led Schneid on a course to discover who owned the rights to the film, a quest that ultimately led to this new version, which he feels will go towards remedying the mistake of the 2012 film. 'It had no relationship with the original,' Schneid says. 'Yeah, sorry, it was crapola. 'Can I say it one more time?' Schneid says, leaning into the microphone. 'Crapola!' • • • From a local perspective, the film will feature plenty of homegrown talent, including special effects artist Doug Morrow, production designer Oscar Fenogolio, costume designer Laura DeLuca, stunt co-ordinator Kristen Sawatzky, casting director Jim Weber and line producer Tanya Brunel. Local cast includes David Lawrence Brown ( Fargo ), Sharon Bajer ( Nobody ) and horror veteran Marina Stephenson Kerr ( Cult of Chucky ). Two of the movers and shakers behind the film are veteran Winnipeg producer Jeremy Torrie and Erik Bernard, Torrie's partner in the newly minted company Bear Paw Studio. Bernard is a recent transplant, having just moved here from Texas. Once a showrunner on the TV series Hoarders, he sees Winnipeg as a city of opportunity in the film business. 'I think that in the U.S. it has gotten a little bit harder to produce things …, and Jeremy has been doing this a long time, and I think that, like anything else, it comes down to teams,' he says. Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Sign up for The Warm-Up 'I saw some opportunity with him and he saw some opportunity with me to kind of kind of forge a team on a foundational level so we can go out and compete in in this indie space.' As for Torrie, he is excited to join Bernard in the Cineverse universe, especially given the company's past success with Terrifier 3. 'They released it in 2,500 theatres and made $90 million U.S. That would be huge for us,' Torrie says. Cineverse plans to open Silent Night, Deadly Night in theatres by Dec. 12. Randall King Reporter In a way, Randall King was born into the entertainment beat. Read full biography
