Many children around the world can't sleep on Christmas Eve because of the excitement that Santa Claus brings; I couldn't sleep for fear he'd murder me with an axe.  That's part of being brought up with classic horror movies such as Tri-Star Pictures' 1984 Silent Night, Deadly Night.  Now, Anchor Bay would like to re-awaken my old nightmares as they've picked up rights to Silent Night, a modern interpretation based loosely on the original.  The picture, from The Genre Company and Inferno's Ember Productions, was scripted by Jayson Rothwell (The Order of the Seven) and will be directed by Steven C. Miller (The Aggression Scale).  Silent Night will also star Malcolm McDowell (Halloween) as Sheriff Cooper, "a small-town hero ready for some big-time action."  Hit the jump for more on Silent Night.

Variety reported on Anchor Bay's pick up of Silent Night, which it plans to unspool this holiday season after principal photography begins next month. The original picture focused on a young orphan boy who watched his parents be brutally murdered by a man in a Santa outfit. After suffering abuse at a Catholic orphanage, the boy takes on the persona of the murderer and goes on a killing spree of his own. So far, details on the remake say that the film will center on a Midwestern town's local law enforcement and their search for a killer dressed as Santa Claus who terrorizes people on Christmas Eve.  If you haven't seen the original, 1984 Silent Night, Deadly Night, we've provided the trailer and the poster below:

silent-night-deadly-night-poster