Silent Night, Deadly Night Part II - 1987

 First one's a hit, make another.  That's how horror used to work... and I guess still does.

This movie is an hour 25 minutes with about 50 minutes of that being new footage.  That's because we get  a long and involved recap of the first Silent Night Deadly Night, which showcases exactly what made that movie likable in the first place.  Its a good movie you realize at the same time you're realizing this sequel...not so much as good.

Overacting Eric Freeman as a brother to the main character of the last film, Ricky Caldwell, is in a asylum of some sort at the beginning of this and is recounting his brothers story and then his own.  He describes the moment when he too decided that in the spirit of reenacting Santa killers, he would start killing people as punishment for being naughty.  He kills some folks including the somewhat iconic bad movie moment "garbage day" which is one of the many moments which show his drawbacks as an actor.

As a horror movie is okay, as a sequel its a far step down.  It makes you realize just how grounded and well acted the first one was, and that's not a grounded or amazingly acted movie - its just that this is worlds behind it.  

The series would go on to have 3 more sequels and a reboot, which I think I'll try to watch all of before Christmas this year.  This one can have 2.5 stars.