"Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toymaker" is the final contiguous entry of the "Silent Night, Deadly Night" series, and like Part 4, it takes yet another departure from the original storyline. This time, it's concerned with a young boy who witnesses the death of his father at the hands of a mysterious toy that appears on their doorstep during Christmastime; a local toyshop seems to be to blame.
Needless to say, the film is silly, and was quite obviously inspired by "Halloween III: Season of the Witch" and "Puppetmaster" in equal measure. As a direct-to-video feature, it has a similarly cheap look to it that the previous installments had, with fairly uninspired cinematography. There are some ridiculous and fun, hokey visuals, however, especially in regard to the killer toys, as well as the bonkers finale.
Narratively speaking, it's reasonably well-written and boasts a handful of clever plot turns that, though certainly unspectacular, generate a bit of interest. Another unusual aspect of the film is its inclusion of characters from the previous sequel, almost as though the intent were to sculpt a "Silent Night, Deadly Night" film universe, had any additional sequels panned out. It's a bit strange but does thread some continuity between it and Part 4 (which itself is absolutely insane for a handful of other reasons). The lead child actor, William Thorne, plays the traumatized Derek rather well, and Jane Higgison is likable as his mother. Neith Hunter, the lead from the former sequel, makes a welcome appearance as the mother's friend, as does Brian Yuzna's son as Lonnie (also carried over from the previous film), who receives a pair of rocket-powered rollerblades. Mickey Rooney also has a major part as the elderly wacky toyshop proprietor.
In the end, "Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toymaker" is every bit the bad movie that most expect it to be, but as far as bad movies go, it offers enough absurd special effects and amusing twists to make for a fun holiday viewing. Part 4 still outranks it in weirdness, but "The Toymaker" is no less utterly insane. Highlights include a drawn-out sex scene in which a macho man gets his rear-end penetrated by the fingers of an animated toy hand (and likes it) whilst having sex with the babysitter. 5/10.
Needless to say, the film is silly, and was quite obviously inspired by "Halloween III: Season of the Witch" and "Puppetmaster" in equal measure. As a direct-to-video feature, it has a similarly cheap look to it that the previous installments had, with fairly uninspired cinematography. There are some ridiculous and fun, hokey visuals, however, especially in regard to the killer toys, as well as the bonkers finale.
Narratively speaking, it's reasonably well-written and boasts a handful of clever plot turns that, though certainly unspectacular, generate a bit of interest. Another unusual aspect of the film is its inclusion of characters from the previous sequel, almost as though the intent were to sculpt a "Silent Night, Deadly Night" film universe, had any additional sequels panned out. It's a bit strange but does thread some continuity between it and Part 4 (which itself is absolutely insane for a handful of other reasons). The lead child actor, William Thorne, plays the traumatized Derek rather well, and Jane Higgison is likable as his mother. Neith Hunter, the lead from the former sequel, makes a welcome appearance as the mother's friend, as does Brian Yuzna's son as Lonnie (also carried over from the previous film), who receives a pair of rocket-powered rollerblades. Mickey Rooney also has a major part as the elderly wacky toyshop proprietor.
In the end, "Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toymaker" is every bit the bad movie that most expect it to be, but as far as bad movies go, it offers enough absurd special effects and amusing twists to make for a fun holiday viewing. Part 4 still outranks it in weirdness, but "The Toymaker" is no less utterly insane. Highlights include a drawn-out sex scene in which a macho man gets his rear-end penetrated by the fingers of an animated toy hand (and likes it) whilst having sex with the babysitter. 5/10.