The Two Conditions That Got Violent Night Made
Does the concept of cheerful Christmas carnage sound absurd to you? Is it difficult to imagine a holly, jolly Santa Claus kicking ass and taking down a team of mercenaries by murdering them in increasingly horrific ways? Well, you're not alone. The screenwriters behind the R-rated holiday action flick "Violent Night" knew that the idea was wild before they even started putting pen to paper. In fact, Pat Casey and Josh Miller initially assumed that the only way to make their "Die Hard"-inspired Santa Claus movie happen would be to fund it themselves.
"At one point, we were like, 'Is there a way to just make this ourselves for $30,000, Kevin Smith style?'" Miller said in an interview with Vulture. He explained that while they spent years working through the idea, they rarely brought it up with other people. "We didn't think a regular production company would like it, let alone a major Hollywood studio. It was preposterous that anyone with money would think this was a good idea."
Lo and behold, Universal Pictures took an interest. The duo pitched the idea of "Violent Night" to their agents and voilà, 87 North producer David Leitch ("John Wick," "Bullet Train") came aboard. Universal executive Vice President of Production Matt Riley quickly followed. "We were kind of shocked because we always thought the idea was so stupid. But, as it turned out, maybe it was just stupid enough because David [Leitch] was loving everything about it," Casey noted.
'Just go nuts'
Before they could get started, Pat Casey and Josh Miller were told to keep two important conditions in mind. You might expect stipulations along the lines of "no child violence" or "don't let Santa do anything that would scar a generation for life," but their rules were much simpler than that. According to Vulture, Universal Pictures' Matt Riley had only two requests for "Violent Night." The first was purely a financial constraint, stating that "any depiction of the North Pole would be prohibitively expensive." Understandably — building an entire society for toy-making elves is never simple. As for the second condition? They were told to "'Just go nuts' with the action."
In case you've somehow missed out on the fun of David Harbour, dressed as Santa and covered in blood, then allow me to enlighten you: this version of Father Christmas isn't the saintly man you were promised. Most depictions of Kris Kringle see him hugging children, handing out presents, or winking while enjoying his milk and cookies. But in "Violent Night," good ol' Saint Nick prefers beer to milk, isn't afraid to impale a man with an icicle, and knows that a Christmas star can easily take someone's eye out. Santa racks up a body count to rival John Wick and it's absolutely glorious — so yes, Casey and Miller took that final condition very seriously.
A ho ho ho-rrifically good time
In his review, /Film's Ben Silvero declared the film "a soon-to-be Christmas classic" that would be especially popular amongst "fans of over-the-top, elaborate action sequences with ultraviolence." You wanted to see Santa wield a sledgehammer, yes? Then consider this movie a dream come true. But believe it or not, Ben also promised that "once you unwrap the package of brutality and violence, you'll find a heart-warming tale about family and the real meaning of Christmas."
No Christmas movie (or chocolate chip cookie) would be complete without that gooey, well-meaning center. But that doesn't mean there isn't plenty of room for holiday bloodshed! "The object of this movie was always just to be a fun time. And Universal execs didn't make us water it down," Pat Casey explained. "They really embraced everything this movie could be."
"Violent Night" is helmed by Tommy Wirkola ("Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters") and also stars John Leguizamo, Cam Gigandet, Alex Hassell, Alexis Louder, Edi Patterson, and Beverly D'Angelo. The film is now playing in theaters.