Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Ginger Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

mkay-549-110495 The second in a trio of Brian Yuzna-directed early-90s sequels to 80s horror classics, this one stands out - as particularly uninspired. Bride of Re-Animator was a decent direct sequel, continuing the story where it ended in Re-Animator, while Return of the Living Dead III surprisingly re-animated a left-for-dead franchise with a new story bearing only some connections to the original (and missing its humor). Both of them were B-movies, sure, but they had good ideas, the weird make-up effects that Society, Yuzna's freaky debut, made him known for, and lots of B-charm of their own. Why Yuzna even bothered with the trite SNDN series I don't know - probably it started with a late-night call like this: " Well, that last Silent Night Deadly Night movie did OK, so if you have anything which we could somehow distribute under that franchise, we'll do it." The only thing that connects this one to the others is the character of Ricky (this time it's the great Clint Howard in one of his lamest performances) who's shot-to-goo brain has healed remarkably well in just one year. Well, the bum he plays may as well be named Ron or Gerald - and probably was before they tried to make some unnecessary connection with the SNDN series. The story is uninteresting from the start, the acting is bland (the unknown Neith Hunter probably got the lead because she was willing to do the slime-trenched nude scenes) and yes, there's Yuzna's trademark scenes involving Screaming Mad George's body melt effects which are fun as always, but they are few and short, hardly worth the wait. As there's hardly any Christmas connections either, this one doesn't even qualify for a Trashmas video night in the holidays.

Dagon First, let me start off by saying that as an avid horror fan, I can appreciate the vision of most movies - good or bad. I've seen my share of both over the years and I'm sure you have too. Occasionally, there is always a title that creeps up on you, leaving you scratching your head. "What did I just watch?" you might ask yourself. Imagine that little scenario, but multiply its impact ten fold and you've found yourself laying in a pool of confusion, as the end credits play, with an image of Initiation: Silent Night Deadly Night 4 projecting through your television.One of the biggest observations that goes without saying is the most obvious one...what does this, in any way, have anything to do with the Silent Night, Deadly Night series. I was forewarned that this title would be irrelevant to the first three titles. Arguably, I could sit here and say a movie like Friday the 13th Part VII is irrelevant...I could bring up the fact that many titles in the Children of the Corn lineup are questionable in terms of content. However, none of these can light a candle to the sheer audacity that Silent Night, Deadly Night 4 has. The main difference is that in the previously mentioned titles, the storyline (although far gone and nonsensical by that point) is still left somewhat intact. The current fan-base is still expecting a revival of their favorite character or plot line. Initiation, on the other hand, goes off running in some odd direction with the attention span of an ADD-stricken grade-schooler.I feel very cheated on account of this movie. For the record, I admire Brian Yuzna for his contributions on the Re-Animator series, Dagon, Faust, Necronomicon, and Return of the Living Dead III. I even enjoyed his directorial debut on the 1989 title, "Society." I can see that his personal tastes played a huge part in the outcome of this movie. I found that the creature effects involving many of the insects were very much akin to his style (I was reminded of the third story in Necronomicon, and some scenes from Society, for example).To be fair, I don't have many complaints about the acting or the amount of gore that I've learned to appreciate. The lead female character is believable to a degree, and Clint Howard delivers a decent performance as well, but the acting in general isn't too thought provoking. To elaborate on my previous point concerning relevance, the actors present in the earlier films were not here to reprise their roles - and why should they when there is absolutely no mention of them? I would have been more pleased if Yuzna decided to somehow include Billy or Ricky (the two murderers that took part in 1-3)...and to admit that preference is humiliating.In conclusion, it baffles me beyond the scope of any human being's imagination to consider this movie brilliant or fun. The fact that this film tacks on the Silent Night, Deadly Night moniker on the end of the title is pitiful; I absolutely refuse to label it as an "original horror movie twist about Christmas." For my own personal records that I keep offline, this has to be the second worst horror movie contained within a series, only slightly falling below the Howling III...an abomination so horrendous that the cast and crew responsbile should be tarred and feathered. So here's to another hand-drawn "tick" added to the very vast wall of horror for completion purposes. If you're a glutton for punishment and a masochist, throw this one in and lay back. Don't be surprised if you wake up in another state surrounded by bottles of alcohol and an empty container of pills - it wasn't the movie's fault.

Scarecrow-88 Reporter Kim(Neith Hunter in an awful performance), tired of working the Classified section and Calender at her male-dominating newspaper, decides to follow the unusual suicide of a young woman whose body was found charred from the waist down. What she walks into is a coven of strange witches led by Fima(Maud Adams)who wishes to use Kim, through various oddball witchcraftian concoctions, to bring back her daughter(..who indeed is the burning suicidal girl who took the plunge from the top of the apartment complex). The witches have this belief that Kim can rid herself of the parasitic males who have "ruled" over her by carrying out the ceremony of "Isis" where she would sacrifice the brother of her lover(..and co-worker)Hank(Tommy Hinkley). Kim is reluctant to do any of the things Fima and her co-horts desire and often faces bizarre hallucinations as big bugs(cock-roaches mainly)and larvaic worms rear their ugly heads everywhere she frequents. The biggest bug she can't rid herself of is ogre-like Ricky(Clint Howard playing his usually disgusting troll who Yuzna embellishes by photographing him with imaginative angles)who is the coven's gopher/soldier doing their bidding so that their ceremonies and such get accomplished. Will Kim be able to escape the clutches of the witches? Or, will she suffer the same fate as Fima's daughter?Your usual Yuzna weirdness. Lots of nasty bugs grown to massive size to give those who dislike them the creeps thanks to Screamin' Mad George's workshop. Hell, even Kim's spaghetti "breathes" at one point! There's a grotesque scene where Kim begins to morph into a worm and really violent scenes where Ricky attacks people such as Kim's boyfriend Hank with a steak knife or like choking Hank's father with Christmas lights. Oh, and Yuzna makes sure to show us why this film is in the series as a fourth film(..other than merely exploiting the title for his own purposes)by showing an excerpt of the previous sequel where the blind girl dreams of being nearly attacked by the killer Santa. The film really is merely an exercise in disgusting effects with a spit of witchcraft thrown in for good measure. One talent Yuzna shows is how to express creepy facial expressions out of rust on doors and through tree branches as they often form faces. Phantasm fans might dig the minor role Reggie Bannister has as Eli, the man in charge of the successful newspaper Kim wishes to become a reporter at.

BloodTheTelepathicDog I'm a huge Brian Yuzna fan, it all began after watching the classic horror/comedy Re-Animator.This fourth installment of the moderately entertaining Silent Night Deadly Night franchise is far better than the previous three. Granted I was disappointed when Santa never made an appearance in this film, but Yuzna ands ingredients that had been lacking from the original three films.Screaming Mad George's effects are always first rate, the giant bugs were marvelous and gross at the same time. How does he do it? Lead actress Neith Hunter is a very capable actress, and much like other Yuzna flicks(Re-Animator's Barbara Crampton & Progeny's Jillian McWhirter) isn't afraid to showcase some skin here and there.I absolutely hate Ron Howard's talentless brother Clint, but much like Tori Spelling in Sol Goode, his minuscule talents were suited for the role.Go ahead and rent it if your a fan of decent low budget horror flicks.