Black Christmas

  There were a lot of options for a Christmas theme horror film this week and I thought about it for quite a while before deciding that the original Black Christmas, while a bit obvious, was the right choice. With its obvious influence on Halloween four years later, this (and Peeping Tom before it) was the proto-slasher film before the slasher boom of the 80s.

Black Christmas was written by Roy Moore (Riel), directed by Bob Clark (A Christmas Story) and was released on October 11, 1974. Black Christmas was made on a budget of $620,000 and went on to make $4.1 million. The film received mixed reviews upon release but has received a critical reappraisal in recent years and is now considered one of the best horror films of all time. Black Christmas inspired two remakes, one in 2006 and one in 2019.

Black Christmas follows a group of women in a sorority house being harassed and murdered by a killer hiding in the attic of their house during the Christmas holiday. Sorority sister Jess (Olivia Hussey, Romeo and Juliet) survives the massacre, but it’s implied that the horror is not over yet.

Black Christmas is a great film. Well-directed, tense, and stacked with a likeable cast of characters, it really has everything a film needs. Combine all of that with a darkly ironic Christmas setting and you have everything you need for a good time. 

Like its successor, Halloween, the film succeeds largely on its cast. While all of the characters are enjoyable to watch, my favorite is Barb (Margot Kidder, Superman) who brings a ton of energy to every scene that she’s in. Hussey gives the film an emotional grounding with her decision to get an abortion despite the protests of her shitty boyfriend Peter (Keir Dullea, 2001: A Space Odyssey), who may or may not be the killer. Rounding out the cast is Phyl (Andrea Martin, My Big Fat Greek Wedding), Mrs. Mac (Marian Waldman, Phobia), and Lt. Fuller (John Saxon, A Nightmare on Elm Street).

Clark’s direction is fantastic. The film is largely confined to the sorority house and he makes the most of the setting. The use of the Christmas trappings are restrained, but effective, and the tension surrounding the harassing phone calls is excellent.

Overall, Black Christmas has more than earned its reputation as a great slasher. The film will be an annual Christmas watch for me and I highly recommend it.

Rating: 4 glass unicorns out of 5

Other Observations:

• Harrison’s Favorite Scare: Initially it was Clare’s (Lynne Griffin, Wind At My Back) death by suffocation and each subsequent reveal of her body, but I have to give it to Barb’s death. The brutality of the stabbing (with the aforementioned glass unicorn) combined with the children caroling is chilling.

• Does the Dog Die? No!

• Mrs. Mac’s hidden liquor bottles is a great running gag.

• Andrea Martin returns in the ‘06 remake (which I’ll certainly cover at some point) as the house mother. I love a remake casting gag.

• Next Week: I’m checking out a film that was requested by a friend of mine, The Lost Boys.