Black Christmas

Think of the most compelling and interesting modern slasher you've ever seen, and then imagine if it was filmed in 74'. That's what this is. I was put off by the fact that this movie looks and sounds dated by today's standards, just like all movies from that era. For me, that's usually a deal breaker. But goddamn this movie truly is tasteful and classy horror, with well acted characters that make smart decisions and say smart things that a real person would do and say, and a truly terrifying psycho killer! This movie absolutely puts to shame all "slashers" that have come after it. Seeing a brooding atmosphere set up like this really makes me understand just how much my standards have been lowered by the current offering of horror movies out there. I've just gotten used to the mediocre and accepted it as normal, but Black Christmas is true home invasion horror, like I've never imagined. And this might be the creepiest psycho killer I've ever seen.

I could see how this generation might be put off with the slowness of some of the movie. From my perspective, it wasn't slowness, it was absolutely necessary scenes to properly build an atmosphere where the actual terrifying scenes are extra terrifying, but that's getting rarer and rarer to see in modern films.

What a movie.

The godfather of all slasher movies, Black Christmas laid the foundation for an entire sub-genre. Nearly every trope/cliche of the genre can be traced back to this movie. One of the darkest films I've ever seen; even to this day there are some genuinely creepy/disturbing moments. Bob Clark masterfully crafts his sick vision through chilling shots, effective zooms, and some of the single greatest first person pov shots of any slasher. Margot Kidder, Marian Waldman, and of course Olivia Hussey all giving enjoyable performances. A bit slow in some parts, but as a whole it ranks among the best slashers ever made.

Over the years the "Halloween" "Friday the 13th" and "A Nightmare on Elm St" films have become the Monster Movies of the late 20th century. Instead of having "Dracula" "Frankenstein" and "The Mummy" we had "Michael Myers" "Jason Voorhees" and "Freddy Kruger". Well a few years before those movie villains hit the screen there was another killer who packed a powerful punch his name was Billy and he was terrifying in the 1974 film "Black Christmas". To me he is the scariest man in movie history.

This 1974 film is not well known. It is however 10x better than most other horror movies pf the 1970's and 1980's!

This film has many things that seemed to of inspired "Halloween". The opening shots and set up were almost identical to "Halloween" which was released 4 years later.

In this film As winter break begins, a group of sorority sisters, including Jess (Olivia Hussey) and the often inebriated Barb (Margot Kidder), begin to receive anonymous, lascivious phone calls. Initially, Barb eggs the caller on, but stops when he responds threateningly. Soon, Barb's friend Claire (Lynne Griffin) goes missing from the sorority house, and a local adolescent girl is murdered, leading the girls to suspect a serial killer is on the loose. But no one realizes just how near the culprit is.

This film developed a cult following and was later remade. The original however is still an edge of your seat thriller!

If you like horror films then get this. You will love it!

The girls of a sorority house are being tormented by a twisted prank caller who continually calls to convey increasingly vile and abusive sentiments. What at first appears to be a sick joke eventually turns violent for the girls during the season of supposed goodwill and merriment.

The original and maybe even the best, ‘Black Christmas' set the ball rolling for the slasher genre and was the biggest influence for the phenomenally successful John Carpenter classic, ‘Halloween' (1978), which was, in fact, originally conceived as a sequel. Although Italian director, Mario Bava, had previously created what some see as the first slasher movie, ‘Bay of Blood' (1971), it was ‘Black Christmas' that was to become recognised as the catalyst for one of the most lucrative sub-genres of horror cinema. Bob Clark (who previously made the kooky, enjoyable, low-budget zombie film ‘Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things' (1972)), still at this point something of an amateur director, took a simple yet naturally frightening concept and turned it into one of the most unsettling and nerve-wracking one hundred minutes in cinematic history. Only a select few films such as ‘The Haunting' (1963) and ‘Alien' (1979) are atmospheric enough to truly equate to the eeriness and feelings of apprehension that are to be induced by ‘Black Christmas'.

The simplicity of the production is what makes it so endearing. There are no overly bloody death sequences or unlikely, comic-book style events; the viewer is just presented with an unnerving tale which could easily have a strong basis in reality. Inventive camerawork and POV shots as well as a superlative use of lighting are the elements that combine to achieve the desired results. The often pseudo-claustrophobic environment of the sorority house, from where the vast majority of events occur, offers the perfect, vulnerable and unguarded location susceptible to intrusion and thus attributes to the continual foreboding atmosphere. Clark was not afraid to take time building both the story and characterisation as well as introduce the viewer to the aspects that he would use to build the suspense. This is prepared before plunging the viewer into a seemingly uncontrolled nightmare that one experiences along with the protagonists. Another aspect that firmly stands out is the mysterious way that everything is presented; even at the very end, very little has truly been explained yet everything seems like it should have an obvious explanation. Even in its undoubted simplicity, ‘Black Christmas' has complicated facets that require thought from the viewer to entirely comprehend the film. In some ways, the concealing of several key points puts the viewer's knowledge of events on a par with the actual characters.

‘Black Christmas' is also complimented wonderfully by strong acting performances from Olivia Hussey, Margot Kidder, John Saxon and a highly pleasant and amusing turn from Marian Waldman. Despite the tiny budget, this is a highly polished horror film that genuinely belongs among the elite of the genre. This is where it all started and those familiar with later slasher films such as ‘Halloween', ‘Friday the 13th' (1980), Slumber Party Massacre (1982) and ‘The House on Sorority Row' (1983) should be able to spot several of the now-clichés that first materialized in ‘Black Christmas'. My rating for ‘Black Christmas' - 8½/10.

"Black Christmas" is truly a forgotten gem. Even though the producers intended the film for cinema, "Black Christmas" has the look and feel of its precursors, the made-for-television gothic suspense thrillers between 1969 and early 1974. This four year period featured inexpensively-produced but having hi-quality production values that older viewers will remember. These include, "A Howling In the Woods", "When Michael Calls", "How Awful About Allen", "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark", "Home for the Holidays", et al. "Black Christmas", produced at the tail-end of this short-lived genre, clearly displays the same suspenseful and moodily atmospheric elements involving human angst, fears, anxieties, and complicated, sometimes destructive relationships. In one small aspect, "Black Christmas" is a transitional film set between the television gothic supsense thrillers and the onset of the slasher genre epitomized by 1978's "Halloween" and 1979's "Friday the 13th". The violence was certainly more graphic than its television precursors, but not gratuitous. Foul language sprinkled throughout "Black Christmas" would never have made it past the television censors. And look again at "Halloween". It's reliance on atmosphere, moodiness, suspense, and the fright of awaiting something that is surely around the next dark bend of the house harkens back to the early 70s gothic thrillers. "Black Christmas" is from a unique genre long gone and will probably not return, but for those seeking quality shockers without the schlock will no doubt find repeat viewings of this suspense film noir satisfying.