Scary phone calls from a psychopathic killer? Inspect. Disturbing first-person POV? Double check. A slow-burn set around the holidays? Triple check. And no, it’s not “Black Christmas” we’re discussing. Theodore Gershuny’s “Silent Night, Bloody Night” (not to be confused with “Silent Night, Deadly Night”) reads as a cooling precursor to the Bob Clark-directed slasher. Here, the story includes a former psychological asylum developed into a mansion estate, the return of a long-lost relative, and a town harboring its own dark secrets. When Jeffrey Butler (James Patterson) chooses to sell his late grandfather’s house, he enlists attorney John Carter (Patrick O’Neal) and assistant Ingrid (Astrid Heeren) to scope out the home and open it up for prospective purchasers. Well, the regional townsfolk don’t take too kindly to outsiders and make their concerns known, loud and clear.
The mayor’s daughter, Diane Adams (Mary Woronov), quickly begins receiving disturbing telephone call from a killer who states their name is “Marianne.” Throughout the film, “Marianne” just means their real identity and draws members of the town, including switchboard operator Tess (Fran Stevens), to a grim fate inside the Butler home. What is most lovely about “Silent Night, Bloody Night” is its gritty, almost washed-out feel. Shadows penetrate the corners of the screen, a spooky element even if an unintentional one. It’s this darkness that is nearly suffocating and more heightens the secret around the killer’s devious and lethal plot.
Source: https://www.slashfilm.com/958726/underrated-slasher-movies-you-need-to-check-out/