Spoiler Warning: This article contains spoilers for Violent Night.
Violent Night makes a pivotal change to Santa Claus' origins to explain his penchant for brutal violence. The film is directed by Norwegian filmmaker Tommy Wirkola, best known for the 2009 Nazi zombie horror-comedy Dead Snow and its 2014 sequel, as well as 2013's Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters. Violent Night inserts Santa Claus (David Harbour) into a Die Hard-like situation against a gang of mercenaries, which unveils a violent new twist on the seemingly jolly old elf's backstory.
In one of the quieter scenes of Violent Night, where David Harbour's Santa is nursing wounds and speaking to trapped child Trudy (Leah Brady) on a walkie-talkie, Santa reveals that he was once a fearsome Viking named Nikamund the Red. Santa experiences great regret for this brutal and ruthless period of his life, which likely explains how this version of Santa is a borderline alcoholic, more interested in having brandy with cookies than milk. However, Trudy suggests to Santa that he can use this dark side of himself to do good, setting the stage for the violent chaos of the rest of the film.
Violent Night's Santa Was Once At The Top Of The Naughty List
Accompanied by flashbacks of Nikamund the Red in his Viking garb, Santa speaks with pride and regret about how he would smash into the heads of his enemies with his mighty hammer, adding that he would have been at the very top of Santa Claus' own naughty list. This is a time in Santa's life that he would rather forget, with him fully embracing the Viking stereotype of pillaging, plundering, and killing, feeding his violent side. However, thanks to Trudy and her family held hostage by Mr. Scrooge (John Leguizamo), Santa taps into his dark past for a good reason.
How Violent Night's Santa Returns To His Viking Roots
The turning point of Violent Night comes after the arrival of a heavily-armed extraction team, who reveal themselves to be in cahoots with the mercenaries. Distraught over the many added names to his naughty list, Santa takes shelter in a shed, only to come face-to-face with a sledgehammer. This awakens the violent Viking within and Santa Claus' true nature in Violent Night, and with Bryan Adams' 1985 holiday hit "Christmas Time" ironically playing in the background, the movie begins to live up to its title with a gory action scene consisting of smashed heads, candy cane stabbings, ice skate beheadings, and a mercenary going through a snowblower.
It would have been easy for Violent Night to simply be a homage to Die Hard with Santa in the John McClaine role and be done with it. However, giving Santa Claus a Viking backstory adds extra layers to his character, especially as he is willing to delve into his dark past and resurrect that forgotten part of himself to save Trudy and her family. This unleashing of Santa's Viking roots helps to make Violent Night a bloody good time.