Rohan Campbell's Billy aiming a bow and arrow in his Santa suit in Silent Night, Deadly Night
By
Grant Hermanns
Published 1 hour ago
Grant Hermanns is a TV News Editor, Interview Host and Reviewer for ScreenRant, having joined the team in early 2021. He got his start in the industry with Moviepilot, followed by working at ComingSoon.net. When not indulging in his love of film/TV, Grant is making his way through his gaming backlog and exploring the world of Dungeons & Dragons with friends.
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Warning: SPOILERS lie ahead for Silent Night, Deadly Night!A new interpretation of Billy Chapman is slaying up the scene in the new Silent Night, Deadly Night, and the team behind the film are ready for much more. The slasher movie serves as a second reboot of the cult classic horror franchise, starring Halloween Ends' Rohan Campbell as Billy, a young man still traumatized by the murder of his parents by someone dressed in a Santa Claus suit, who subsequently kills others in a similar fashion, albeit those deemed evil by him and a voice in his head by the name of Charlie.
Also starring Happy Death Day's Ruby Modine and Elf's Mark Acheson, Silent Night, Deadly Night sees Billy start to consider a non-killer lifestyle after falling for Modine's Pam when stopping in her small town. However, as the voice in his head becomes hungrier for bloodshed, and a string of kids go missing in the area, Billy is put to the test.
This all culminates with Silent Night, Deadly Night's ending, in which Billy lays out the truth about his past to Pam, namely that Charlie is his parents' murderer whose consciousness was transferred into him just before he died. The two also successfully track down the person responsible for the abductions, with Billy killing him, though being mortally wounded in the fight, dying in the process, but not before transferring his consciousness to Pam, leaving the door open for a unique future between them.
Ahead of the movie's release, which saw it garner largely positive reviews from critics and audiences alike, ScreenRant's Grant Hermanns interviewed Rohan Campbell, Ruby Modine and Mike P. Nelson to discuss Silent Night, Deadly Night. In looking at the movie's ending, in which Billy meets his physical end, Campbell expressed that he "couldn't see it end any other way," as he felt the way Nelson tackled it was "a fun way to pass that baton":
Rohan Campbell: Mike really took the original and sort of just gave it a new twist. I was sad to see Billy go, but obviously he's probably not gone. I think it's such a cool way to handle things, and I think Mike's a bit of a genius for putting that twist on it.
Modine went on to reveal that "the first version of the script actually had a different ending" for both of their characters, though didn't share what it was. However, the star did share that she was "adamant" in her conversations with Nelson in the lead up to production that she felt it unnecessary to change it. As it evolved into its final form, Modine was "explosively happy" with the result.
The star went on to recall filming the scene "on the very last day of filming" the horror reboot, which she described as being "serendipitous and cathartic" as the crew shot "until the sun rose." Modine also shared that Nelson, unintentionally, made her cry by making this the end of Silent Night, Deadly Night's production, as she wasn't ready to say goodbye to the world or characters of the film:
Ruby Modine: I turned and looked at the camera. He panned in, and he said, "Cut," and he stepped to the side and said, "That's a wrap." I was like, "No, we have to keep going!" I could live in Silent Night, Deadly Night for the rest of my life. That world is so pristine.
With the movie leaving the door open for Pam to carry on the torch as the next Santa-disguised killer, and the film off to a strong critical and commercial start, a Silent Night, Deadly Night sequel seems all but inevitable. Campbell was cautious in being asked about a follow-up, saying "we'll leave that up to the powers that be" about returning, though requesting to "let us play again" as he would "have so much fun doing that."
Nelson similarly expressed a hopeful-yet-careful response to a potential sequel, saying the goal was to "make sure that the movie could end with a satisfied [feeling of], 'Look at this! It continues.'" However, he's very ready to get back behind the camera for a follow-up, humorously sharing that Modine is reaching out to him "a lot" about an update on the sequel, to which she affirmed she wants to explore "dating someone, and then they just live in your head":
Mike P. Nelson: She reaches out every so often — a lot often. "When are we gonna do the sequel?!" And the answer to your question is, "Absolutely, yes." There are some really fun ideas that we've been toying around with that I really hope that we can do. Because it's freaking gonzo bats--t.
Rohan Campbell Delighted In Handling Many Of His Stunts By Himself
ScreenRant: One thing I love about this movie is that you're getting to help bring back another iconic property. You were also part of Halloween Ends. Going from that experience to this one, what is one of the biggest lessons you took away from Halloween Ends?
Rohan Campbell: I've always been a big fan of horror films, and I think if I learned anything from Halloween, it was that there's no other genre where you can feel this connected with a fan base — on both sides of the fence, no matter how people feel about the movie. I think the biggest thing I learned from Halloween Ends was just how much fun it is to be involved in the community, be a part of it, and have a chance to make those movies come to life. People ask me all the time if I want to stay in horror and if I love it, and I genuinely really do. I have such a good time doing this. What I learned most was how much fun it is interacting with the fan base and getting a chance to be a part of these kinds of movies.
ScreenRant: As opinionated as some people in the horror genre community can be, we're also some of the most loving.
Rohan Campbell: Dude, listen, that's what this is. What keeps the industry and these movies alive, man, is it needs to be divisive and fun and engaging. That's the whole thing. I think that's why we love being a part of this community.
ScreenRant: Billy is such an affecting character in this film. We really do get that tug of war between his inner voice, Charlie, urging him to do some killer things, and his own desire to settle down a little bit. What is that like for you as a performer, balancing those two very different sides of the spectrum?
Rohan Cambpell's Billy looking off into the distance in Silent Night, Deadly Night
Rohan Campbell: I just thought it was really fun to switch between them both. The best thing about both sides of the coin is that there's such a big romantic aspect and human aspect to this movie. Every time I was not in Killer Billy mode, I had such a warm character around me, and it was so easy to switch between them. There were two weeks of production where it really did feel like we were shooting this rom-com, Hallmark romance movie. The flip side of that would be like me and Mike just swinging axes at things, and it was a completely different movie. But it's so much fun. Similar to Halloween Ends, I get to engage in both sides of a person. That's a pretty fun exploration.
ScreenRant: One of my favorite scenes of the killer side of the coin is that Nazi-killing sequence. You just go all out in that scene! Talk to me about the production of that scene; it seemed like such a big set, such a massive amount of actors to mow your way through. What were the logistics of that?
Rohan Campbell: I remember reading that in the script, and it was so crazy. The Christmas before I got sent this script, I had seen this movie for the first time in a theater. I know I'm late, sorry! So, I would have always said yes, but when I came across that scene in the script, it was one of those scenes that you read and go, "There's no way we're going to actually get this in the movie, is there?" And then when I showed up, we were definitely doing it. I got a chance to rehearse it all, to learn it and get through it. It was so much fun to be able to do it all myself and to go through those stunts with that insanely talented stunt team. But it was just a riot, man. I remember walking onto that set, looking at Mike, and being like, "Dude, what is this?" It's insane. But we had a good time. I think that was two days of just me and the crew in the barn, some insanely talented stunt people, and a big old axe. And it was a good time!
ScreenRant: Did you have a favorite stunt that you got to do? Because you've got everything from fighting hand-to-hand to jumping over a bar in that scene.
Rohan Campbell: Because I had the opportunity and the time to learn it, the best part for me was being able to actually just continuously go through it. We would get long shots of all those stunts coming together, and you start to feel like it's actually dangerous. You're like, "Wow, this is so much fun to put this choreography together." The leg chop is so fun. I think the guts spilling out cracked me up. That was a good one. There are so many good beats. Watching her shoot that machine gun down on everybody and running away was just hysterical. It was a crazy couple of days.
ScreenRant: This movie has some epic kills. Do you have a favorite kill in this movie out of all of them, or is it too hard to pick?
Rohan Campbell: I really like the head split in the armchair. I just love that shot through the window; it's such a fun death sequence. It was also really fun to do, because I had to hit that mark perfectly on one of those dummies. That was a lot of fun, and it took a lot of focus. I just remember looking up when they called cut, and everyone just went, "Whoa, that looked crazy." That was probably my favorite. That was a good one.
ScreenRant: Did they have some prosthetic blood in that dummy as well?
Rohan Campbell: Oh, yeah! Mike is not cheap on the blood.
Silent Night, Deadly Night's Producers Needed No Convincing For The Movie's Epic Nazi-Killing Scene
ScreenRant: We were just speaking about Elf, Mike, and I still look back on it as my first exposure to Mark Acheson's work. How did you land on him being the perfect voice for Charlie, since it's almost a two-hander with him and Rohan for a good portion of this film?
Mike P. Nelson: Dude, he sent in an incredible audition. At one point, we were going to be shooting this movie in Vancouver, but it just got too late in the season. Production couldn't get together fast enough, and by the time we wanted to shoot, it was July. We were like, "Nope, it's not happening." But he had auditioned for that first round, and there was no question. His voice was perfect, and he did it on -camera too. He leaned in so you could see his facial features, even though the majority of the movie would just use his voice. But even just the way that he used his face made me go, "100%, yes!" Honestly, he was one of the very first roles cast — he and Ruby were the first roles that were actually cast.
ScreenRant: Ruby, your character mentions that she's a true crime nut. But apart from maybe the group of Nazis that we see, she lives in a pretty quiet small town. She's got a nice, happy family. Why do you think she adjusts so well to the chaos that starts to happen once Billy comes into town?
Ruby Modine's Pam looking scared with her hands over her mouth in Silent Night, Deadly Night
Ruby Modine: It's a great question, and I want to think on this. I feel like maybe it's small-town nature, where you're looking at something from the outside, despite where you're from. She lives in a cozy, comfy town and doesn't know much else other than that, right? And then Billy comes in — he's new face, and she's all, "Who is this guy?" He's got a splash of excitement, so to speak, and I think that her love for true crime is immediately piqued. She's so excited when she finds out his dirty little secret.
ScreenRant: That reveal is great. I'm just amazed that she's like, "Yeah, I'll stay."
Ruby Modine: When he says, "Charlie says he likes you." And she's like, "Oh my God..." It's true love. It could have either been the most epic Mortal Kombat fight or love. There is no in between.
ScreenRant: Mike, Billy has this great balance of being a genuinely frightening person to watch on screen, but also so human when he's around Ruby. I'm curious what that was like for you on the writing side of things, making sure that balance was felt by the audience.
Mike P. Nelson: I think Billy is just genuinely a nice guy, but he has this thing that he's dealing with. He's like any of us who have a demon or a dark side, or something within us that we're dealing with. I think there are plenty of really good people who have a darkness in them, and he's a mirror to that. In terms of writing it, he was always supposed to be just a guy. He's you, he's me, he's the random dude that crosses the street. That's it; he's that universal character that most people can relate to. And then when you find out his dirty little secret, there's a lot of fun to be had with that mystery that unfolds. You start to learn so much about him through the way that he handles that blessing, we'll call it. I think that's where a lot of the fun comes from. We get to know him through so much of that, like when he interacts with Pam. It's that double-edged sword that keeps bouncing back and forth. I think that if we had just stayed with Billy doing the Lord's work, I think we would have seen just one side of him. But Pam brings his other side out of him that makes it really a challenge to watch, because you're kind of like, "Who's this guy? I have to keep I have to see what's going to go on with him." There's something going on here.
ScreenRant: It really does add some stakes for us as viewers to want to stick with Billy's journey, instead of just knowing we're going to get to the next kill eventually.
Mike P. Nelson: Yes, and it was so important to me to have that be the case. It couldn't just be a kill-to-kill kind of slasher; that's not what I'm interested in. When you watch one of my movies, we are going to slow down at times. We're going to take some time to deal with who these people are, and then we're going to give you something that you're not going to expect 30 seconds later. Those are the games I like to play.
ScreenRant: Mike, I've got to ask about the Nazi killing sequence, because what a killer sequence it was. When I asked Rohan yesterday, he said he wasn't sure it was going to get made. How did you go about selling producers on it?
Mike P. Nelson: Dude, I didn't have to convince the producer at all, but I thought I was going to have to. When I wrote it and pitched it to them, I was like, "Man, they're going to think we can't do this. Is this even possible?" But they were like, "100%, this has to be in the movie." They were actually more concerned about Ruby beating the s--t out of a kid with a hockey stick. They were mortified. They were like, "Oh my God, people are gonna hate Pam." But what we found out was the complete opposite: people fell in love with Pam when she beat kids up with a hockey stick. In terms of the Nazi scene, though, we had to do it. Everybody was jazzed for it. Everybody was so on board. We had not nearly enough time to do it, but that was just a testament to the cast and crew, and Rohan learning how to use an axe in just hours. He was so good with that choreography, which was very much planned. Our stunt coordinator took him through, and he memorized it. All the stunt players came in, and they knew their hits. We tried to film as long of takes as we could. Obviously, the scene is cut up, but I wanted there to be a lot of follow-through, so it wasn't just like, "Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut." You can see Rohan swinging, and he can take out two people in one shot before we cut to him getting hit from behind. There needed to be that longevity of seeing him in action and seeing his face. It's him. He's doing this.
Silent Night, Deadly Night is now in theaters!
Silent Night, Deadly Night
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed NR Horror Thriller Release Date December 12, 2025 Director Mike P. Nelson Writers Mike P. Nelson, Michael Hickey, Paul CaimiCast
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Rohan Campbell
Billy Chapman
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Ruby Modine
Pamela Varo
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David Tomlinson
Max Benedict
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Erik Athavale
Geoff
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