Silent Night Fatal Night (2023) Review – Everyone’s a Villain in a Lifetime Movie, and That’s What Makes It a Mystery
As fans enjoy the release of a famous book series, it’s author decides it’s time to end the series. Silent Night Fatal Night could be the end for Mallory
SEO Meta Description: Silent Night Fatal Night (2023) is a Lifetime thriller where fandom turns fatal and fiction becomes captivity, perfect for holiday binge drama.
Where Would We Be Without Lifetime Movies?
Silent Night Fatal Night feels like a story inspired by iconic classics like Misery and The Fanatic, where a famous person is kidnapped. It hovers over the idea that sometimes the general public becomes obsessed with the characters we’re introduced to in cinema, television, and literature. Despite the tackiness of the title, the story opens up a conversational point: what might happen if an author decided to end the typed universe they created?
This is a soft thriller that explores the dark lengths some will go to control the artistic expression of another. In this title, that ideal is represented in various ways. Far be it from me to ruin the mystery component of the movie, so I won’t spoil all the ingredients that made this a pleasant watch. However, what I will divulge is that this story represents the impact of ending a character’s life, especially when they’re killed off, canceled, or when it’s just the end of the road for that particular narrative path.
The Captive Author
The story begins with Mallory Dearborn, a celebrated author known for her Gideon Snow book series. She reads aloud to an audience of fans and journalists before signing copies for anyone wanting to meet her. Afterward, she shocks her agent, Michael Harrington, by announcing her plan to conclude the beloved series and pursue a new passion project.
“I don’t know what I’d ever do if you stopped writing these.”
— Quote from Silent Night Fatal Night (2023)
Lifetime Format, Fully Loaded
Silent Night Fatal Night doesn’t keep secrets when it comes to who and why Mallory gets kidnapped and kept hostage in a tranquil retreat. Lifetime movies aren’t known for subterfuge or confusing elements that require a lot of thought. These are the types of films you watch when you know the thinking will be done for you. Questions are generally asked and answered within the first act, and we like that sometimes.
What initially appears to be a generous invitation to an isolated estate turns out to be manipulation. Floating on the successful release of her newest book, Mallory finds herself in a waking nightmare. Her agent is revealed to be behind the plan to imprison her to make sure she completes a final installment. Then, the story unveils which characters are doing Mallory dirty—and why. Her savior furiously works to solve what happened to her favorite detective.
Sure, it’s moderately far-fetched. But let’s not pretend that partaking in TV soaps and movies of this ilk are looking for anything else. Lo and behold, though, this particular story combines some heavy hitters when it comes to who’s on board behind the scenes.
Writers and Director
- Robert Dean Klein – known for To Kill a Stepfather
- Adam Rockoff – writer of the extreme horror I Spit on Your Grave under the alias Stuart Morse
- Peter Sullivan – writer of Secrets in the Desert and director here as well
The writers did a sufficiently commendable job laying out the title.
Cast & Performances
Also, an upside for Silent Night Fatal Night is that the performances are representative of the climate in which they are served. Alex Camacho, Matthew Pohlkamp, and Hailey Rutledge all feature in this quick-fix flick and do evenly solid work.
Lifetime movies are known for their almost hammy dialogue, dramatic interactions, cringeworthy one-liners, and evil laughs. This isn’t an exception to the stamp of daytime television and, in fact, underpins the very nature of what most viewers anticipate.
Christmas-Adjacent, Not Christmas Core
Far from being a Christmas-centric thriller, events happen in the lead-up to the festive season. Not only that, but the title chosen proves the opportunistic talents of those looking for ways to find movie releases that fit neatly into that holiday slot. Despite that, I quite enjoyed this Misery-adjacent, festive season-set story.
If you’re looking for an easy watch, Silent Night Fatal Night is available as a rental on Amazon. Alternatively, it can be found on the Lifetime.com streaming site after December 30, 2023.
Rating
3 out of 5 – Everyone’s a villain in a Lifetime movie, and that’s what makes it a mystery.
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Silent Night Fatal Night Trailer
Silent Night Fatal Night (2023) Review – Everyone’s a Villain in a Lifetime Movie, and That’s What Makes It a Mystery | Mother of Movies
Director: Peter Sullivan
Date Created: 2023-12-30 20:56
3
Pros
- Easy to watch, easy to follow.
- Christmas thriller with a storyline like "Misery."
Cons
- It's Lifetime content, you get what you think you will get.
