The first trailer for Silent Night, Deadly Night, has been released. The film is directed by Mike. P. Nelson. The warm spirit of the trailer quickly turns sinister as a man dressed as Santa Claus appears with an axe in hand, carrying out a brutal and bloody kill. The first fifteen seconds of the trailer quickly establish the film’s union of holiday cheer and horror, resonating with the original classic from 1984 while modernizing the style of production as well as tone.

The trailer introduces Billy Chapman, played by Rohan Campbell. Chapman is a drifter who is haunted by childhood trauma. In the 1984 original, Billy witnessed a man dressed as Santa brutally murder his parents on Christmas Eve. Whether the 2025 version will fully follow this storyline remains unclear. However, the 2025 version will follow the fact that years later, Billy has taken on the same red suit himself to release his pain into multiple cruel murders against those he deems “naughty.” The trailer shows both his brutal rampage and the twisted logic behind his actions, positioning him as a morally grey antihero rather than a psychotic killer.

The trailer closes with “This Christmas, Santa’s gonna slay.” Silent Night, Deadly Night is set to release in U.S. theaters on December 12, 2025.