Richard "Ricky" Chapman (later Caldwell) is a character in the Silent Night, Deadly Night franchise. He is Billy's younger brother and Jim and Ellie's youngest son.
He appeared in the first film as a minor character, in the second as the main protagonist, and in the third as the main antagonist.
Biography[]
Childhood[]
Ricky was born in 1970 in the state of Utah, the son of Jim and Ellie Chapman and the younger brother of Billy. On Christmas Eve in 1971, the newborn Ricky and his family pay a visit to the institutionalized Grandpa Chapman before heading home when it starts to grow dark. At a turn off, the family encounter a criminal dressed as Santa Claus, who shoots Jim in his shoulder and in the head, killing him. He then pulls Ellie out of the car and tries to rape her; she resists by smacking him across the face. This angered him to the point of hitting her back and then killing her by cutting her throat with a switchblade. Crying in the passenger seat of the Chapman's car during this ordeal, Billy and Ricky (who had survived due to running and hiding) are left on the deserted road to die by the Santa criminal, who quickly flees the scene.
Found and rescued at some point, Billy and Ricky are placed in St. Mary's Orphanage, which is run by the tyrannical Mother Superior. The traumatized Chapman brothers Billy and Ricky are continually bullied by Mother Superior, who views them (mainly Billy) as problem children.
By 1984, a drunken Billy snaps and goes on a killing spree dressed as Santa, murdering people he deems naughty with a variety of weaponry. During the panic caused by Billy being on the loose Father O'Brien (who was to play Santa at the orphanage) is shot to death right in front of Ricky (splattering him with blood) by a police officer, who thought O'Brien was Billy. After the killing of Father O'Brien the children are all kept inside by Mother Superior, who tries to keep them occupied while the police hunt for Billy. When Billy manages to get inside the orphanage and prepares to strike down Mother Superior with an axe he is shot and killed by the recently arrived Captain Richards. After staring down at his dead brother and the bloody axe he dropped Ricky glares at Mother Superior and states "Naughty!" in a threatening manner, indicating he is after revenge. [1]
The second Santa Claus Killer[]
After Billy's death, St. Mary's closes down and Ricky is adopted by the Rosenbergs, who are told of Ricky's troublesome past and are advised to avoid celebrating Christmas. Having a fairly average upbringing, Ricky, after Morty (Ricky's stepfather) dies, grows introverted and distant, spending his time wandering the woods for hours. Over time, Ricky starts to become unhinged and like his brother, begins killing those he views as naughty, starting with a would-be rapist in the woods and a loan shark in an alley behind his workplace. Ricky's psychosis is placated when he meets a girl named Jennifer Statson by chance and the two of them begin dating, with Ricky viewing Jennifer as the only thing he truly loves. While out for a walk one day, Ricky and Jennifer are harassed by Jennifer's ex-boyfriend Chip, who mocks and demeans Jennifer. Ricky steps in and warns Chip to stop, but he ignores him and continues. Jennifer runs in-between the two and falls to the ground, making Chip laugh at her, saying she is "falling" for him again. Enraged, Ricky chokes Chip and kills him by electrocuting him and moments later Jennifer by choking her with the car's antenna when she goes into hysterics and begins screaming at him. After Jennifer's death, an arriving officer tries to arrest Ricky, only to be killed with his own gun. With the officer's gun, Ricky goes on a shooting spree in a suburban neighborhood, laughing maniacally and firing indiscriminately, murdering three more people. When cornered by the police, Ricky tries to shoot himself, despite the police's protests. He laughs as he pulls the trigger. Unfortunately for him, he realizes he is all out of bullets.
Arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced to life in an asylum, Ricky is visited one Christmas Eve by Dr. Henry Bloom, the thirteenth psychiatrist to try and analyze him. Aloof during his entire session with the doctor, Ricky tells him about his past, murdering Bloom afterward by strangling him with tape recorder tape. Escaping the institution, Ricky kills a Salvation Army Santa and steals his costume; he finds Mother Superior (who has recently retired and suffered a stroke and appears to be older than she was in the first film)’s phone number phone book and calls and taunts her by saying, "Santa's back!" before heading off to the old nun's house. Breaking into Mother Superior’s home (similar to The Shining), Ricky manages to kill her by decapitating her with his axe, and puts it back on while trying to take all the blood out. A short while later, Ricky is cornered by the police, sustaining two gunshots to the chest and a shotgun blast to the stomach (which knocks him through a solid glass door) before being stopped.[2]
Return[]
Ricky in SNDN3
Left in a coma, Ricky's damaged head is repaired by Dr. Newbury, who replaces his skullcap with one made of plastic and metal (which exposes Ricky's brain and its fluids).
Inert for six years, Ricky is awakened by a blind and psychic teenager named Laura Anderson, who Doctor Newbury was using to try and communicate with Ricky. Killing two hospital employees and acquiring a knife Ricky follows Laura to her grandmother's, using their mental link to learn where she is going. Getting a vehicle, clothes and gas from a trucker and gas station attendant he murders Ricky reaches Granny Anderson's first, murdering her and hiding the old woman's body in the basement. When Laura, her brother Chris and his girlfriend Jerri arrive Ricky remains hidden for some time before making himself known to the group, sabotaging their car and cutting the phone lines. When the trio try to run, Ricky injures Chris and before he can chase Laura and Jerri, he is distracted by the recently arrived Dr. Newbury, who tries pacifying him. However, his peaceful approach fails and Ricky kills him. He then heads back to Granny Anderson's in search of Laura and Jerri afterward.
Presumed death[]
Breaking inside, Ricky kills Jerri and chases Laura into the basement, where she tries to attack him with a stick, only to be easily disarmed. As Ricky strangles Laura, he is attacked by the recovered Chris, who shoots Ricky in the shoulder with a shotgun. Wounded, but still dangerous, Ricky chokes Chris to death with the shotgun.
When he tries to lunge at Laura, Ricky ends up impaling himself on a sharpened stake, seemingly killing him for good. After the lieutenant finds his way to the house and sees paramedics loading a still living body into an ambulance. The film does not clarify who the still living person is, but judging by the lieutenant's reaction, it is implied that Ricky is still alive.
The film ends with a hallucination of Ricky stating "... And Happy New Year" when Laura wishes an officer a Merry Christmas.[3]
Victims[]
- Eddie - Run over by Jeep with Ricky Chapman
- Rocco the Loan Shark - Impaled trough chest with umbrella by Ricky Chapman
- Loudmouth in Theater - strangled with popcorn sack by Ricky Chapman
- Chip- electrocuted with car battery jumper cables by Ricky Chapman
- Jennifer Statson - Chocked with car antenna by Ricky Chapman
- Rent-a-cop - Shot in the head with gun by Ricky Chapman
- Suburbanite with Beer - Shot in the chest by Ricky Chapman
- Suburbanite with Garbage can - Shot in the chest by Ricky Chapman
- Motorist - Exploded in car explosion by Ricky Chapman
- Dr. Henry Bloom - Strangled with Magnetic tape by Ricky Chapman
- Salvation Santa - Strangled with phone cord by Ricky Chapman
- Mother Superior - Decapitated with Axe by Ricky Chapman
- Hospital Santa - Killed with Unknow Means by Ricky Chapman
- Hospital Receptionist - Throat slit with scalpel by Ricky Chapman
- Truck Driver - Killed with Unknow Means by Ricky Chapman
- Craig The Gas Station Attendant- Decapitated with Unknow Means by Ricky Chapman
- Granny Anderson - Killed with Unknow means by Ricky Chapman
- Jerri - Pulled under bed and Stabbed by Ricky Chapman
- Christopher Anderson - Chocked with shotgun by Ricky Chapman
- Dr. Newburry - Stabbed in the gut by Ricky Chapman
Perpetrators[]
- Eddie - Run over by jeep by Ricky Chapman
- Rocco the Loan Shark - Impaled through chest with umbrella by Ricky Chapman
- Loudmouth In Theater - Strangled by Ricky Chapman
- Chip - Electrocuted with jumper cables and car battery by Ricky Chapman
- Mother Superior - Decapitated with axe by Ricky Chapman
- Hospital Santa - Killed with Unknow Means by Ricky Chapman