Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) review

Ho-ho-horrible childhood time: as a boy, Billy Chapman (Jonathan Best) witnesses both of his parents killed by a homicidal man dressed up in a Santa Claus outfit and is then raised in an orphanage by stern Mother Superior (Lilyan Chauvin) and caring Sister Margaret (Gilmer McCormick), but when he becomes an adult (Robert Brian Wilson) and starts working for a toy store, he's told to put on St. Nick's get-up and goes on a rampage.  This apparently caused quite a stir in the 1980's, with people objecting to its crass treatment of a sacred holiday ... yet it's just a silly "examination" of trauma and madness that can't be taken remotely seriously (although McCormick does seem to be giving it her all).  It's really there for some cheap thrills (the scene where Billy gives a little girl a bloody box cutter is unexpectedly funny) and gratuitous nudity: chase it down with a few shots of heavily-spiked eggnog.