Black Christmas (1974)

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Pretty Good

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Admirable film.

Based on a series of Canadian murders and the urban legend of calls coming to a babysitter from within the house (also see When a Stranger Calls), Bob Clark and A. Roy Moore created what many feel is one of the precursors to the slasher film genre.Bedford is a small college town, complete with a sorority house filled with victims, err, characters. While they're celebrating at a holiday party, Jess (Olivia Hussey, who was told by her psychic to do this movie) gets a phone call from "The Moaner," a crank caller who has been bothering the other sisters: Barb (Margot Kidder, Sisters), Phyllis (Andrea Martin, SCTV) and Clare (Lynne Griffin, Strange Brew). Barb is a real firecracker, provoking the caller, who tells the girls that he will kill them all.Clare goes upstairs to pack and is suffocated by plastic wrap by an unseen killer and placed on a rocking chair in the attic.The next day, Clare's dad comes to take her back home for Christmas. The girls and their housemother, Mrs. MacHenry (Marian Waldman, Phobia), are surprised, as they thought she already went home. While all that is going on, Jess tells her boyfriend Peter (Keir Dullea, 2001: A Space Odyssey) that she is getting an abortion. He argues with her but can't change her mind.Meanwhile, the police get involved after learning that another girl, Janice, has gone missing. Jess also tells Chris (Arthur Hindle, Porky's), Clare's boyfriend, that something is up.While everyone else joins police lieutenant Fuller (John Saxon!) to search for the missing girls, Mrs. Mac is killed inside the house. Sadly, her life of hiding booze and yelling at everyone was cut short. As the girls return home, they find Jess' body and get another obscene call, which she reports to the police, who decide to bug the line so they can trace the calls. Then, Peter sneaks into the house for another argument.Black Christmas is unafraid of using holiday traditions to allow its killer to get away with murder. While carolers sing outside, Barb's screams go unheard as she is stabbed to death by a glass unicorn.Another phone call happens - one that quotes the argument Jess had with Peter. And while that's occurring, Phyl goes to check on Barb and is killed. Finally, Jess keeps the obscene caller on the line long enough for a trace, which reveals that the calls are coming from inside the house. She goes upstairs, armed with a fireplace poker, to get the rest of the girls, only to find their dead bodies. The killer chases her into the cellar and when Peter appears outside the window, she assumes that he is the killer and murders him with the poker.The police arrive to find Jess sitting with Peter's dead body. They're convinced that he is the killer, although they can't find Clare or Mrs. Mac's bodies. After she is sedated, the cops leave while one officer remains behind to wait for forensics. Then, we hear a voice whisper, "Anges, it's me, Billy." Jess' phone rings, which means her fate - and who the killer is - will remain a mystery.One of the most frightening parts of the film are the obscene phone calls, which were performed by Clark and actor Nick Mancuso (Under Siege), who stood on his head while recording to make his voice sound more insane. Mancuso would come back to record a "Billy Commentary" on the film, which is on the recent Scream Factory! release.Warner Brother studio executives hated the ending and demanding that Clark change the final scene to have Chris appear before Jess and say, "Agnes, don't tell them what we did" before murdering her. However, Clark stuck to his guns and kept the ending that he believed in. The studio further tinkered with the film, calling it Silent Night, Evil Night in its original release.When NBC aired the film as Stranger in the House on the January 28, 1978 edition of Saturday Night at the Movies, it gave stations the option of airing Doc Savage, as the Ted Bundy murders had just occurred two weeks earlier.There's an urban legend that this was Elvis' favorite horror movie. It definitely made an impression on Steve Martin, who told Olivia Hussey "Oh my God, Olivia, you were in one of my all-time favorite films" when she was being considered for Roxanne. She thought he meant Romeo and Juliet, but he told her that he meant Black Christmas, claiming that he had seen the film 27 times.There's another urban legend - how many can one film have - that says that Halloween was originally intended as a sequel to this movie.Clark would go on to direct Porky's and a film that failed at first before becoming a holiday tradition, 1983's A Christmas Story. Yep - he pretty much made both the happiest and darkest films about the Yuletide, which is pretty awesome.I love this movie. It's a true classic that's unafraid to go against conventions even as it creates them. Nearly every actor and actress in this movie went on to do more and play their roles perfectly here.

Aside from a few logic holes like the totally inept police and the slightly slow pacing this is a fantastic scary horror. There are no laughs here as this is as serious as horror gets. This is what is so good about it. The creepy phone calls really set the mood leading towards the intense and petrifying scary ending. This is a very good and well-polished but still gritty stalker horror. The killer is always hidden. There aren't many jumps in the film, there doesn't need to be as there is this impending sense of doom that lingers throughout even after the intense ending. Very good horror film.

My understanding is that BLACK Christmas is considered to be a cult classic because it is one of the first slasher movies; it laid the foundations for those that came later. Although pretty well done overall, it does have some problems. The film is lightly based on an urban legend - it concerns a Christmas holiday murderer who primarily targets those living in a sorority house. The killer may or may not be involved in some other murders around town, but the focus here is on the people living in the house.The acting is fairly well done by all of the cast, however, some of the characters are very one dimensional. We only see one side of their personality - the conservative virgin, the vulgar party girl and the inept policeman are perfect examples. There are others who are a little more fleshed out and have more depth to them, but the movie does suffer from that shallowness as many horror movies do.Unlike the slashers that came later, BLACK Christmas is very tame in it's graphic violence. Many of the murders take place off screen although the aftermath is generally seen. Although very little blood is filmed, the movie does have a fair amount of bad language so be warned if you don't like profanity or sexual references. It's definitely not suitable for kids.The film is really genuinely creepy in parts, especially in the interactions between the killer and the girls living in the sorority house. The ending is quite creepy as well.Parts of the movie don't make a lot of sense though. I don't want to get into any spoilers here, but lets just say that certain things should easily be heard when things are quiet. And of course, you have the character who stays and puts herself in danger when she's knows that things are quite amiss - one of my biggest pet peeves with horror movies. The film is pretty well paced overall which made it enjoyable to watch. Although some reviewers disagree, I actually did like it's final scenes but I wouldn't want to live in a town where the police don't think things through to a logical conclusion.If you like your horror tame, this one would be a pretty good choice if you can handle the vulgarity. There are other "entry level" horror films that are better, but this one is okay. I don't know that a seasoned horror buff who likes their movies bloody and violent would like it though.

That Guy Had One Creepy Sounding Voice ManExcellent start to a Gothic horror plot. A man walks across the scene, but who is he? And why is he there? The narrative is convoluted at times like this. NKE could symbolize a culture counterfeit in American society. And the songs ... no Christmas spirit like this anymore, that's for sure. Hot damn! This is what I mean when I say "culture counterfeit." The first line we hear is "Hey, who left the goddamn front door open?" love @@@@ like this. This film is NOT trying to be a film, it's just happening and a camera seems to be rolling. Then the camera shifts. And I Love how we see the POV of the killer in this one. Bob Clark is right on the money. Though why are we informed about a 720 train into the city? We're never going to go there. And where is Mt. Holly, is that a city name where Barb want to go? Nobody clues us in on these details. Like why does Barb drink? Why does she compare her sex life with a turtle? What is she alluding to. I want to know these things. Anyhow, I love Jess's "Hello's" in this one. She must have of said hello a hundred times. I will be talking a lot about Jess and Barb as we go further. First, the sorority house. How is Barb comparing this to a convent? Clark gives us a good jump scare, and later comes up with some clever ideas. Old clothes and old jokes, that's what we get with this film, "old tradition vs modernity." We all like to drink during the holidays, but stringing lights on trees and caroling seem far fetched today. What this film reminds me to do is brush. Why else have a lady brushing her teeth shot? I ought to brush more, okay. So, anyhow, Jess dates a musician in this film. And I wonder why? How does this tie into the story plot? And doesn't Mr. Harris realize that college is about drinking and partying, at least more than 20 percent of it is. And 80 percent of it is writing papers. I think he falls into the later category. Clark has a good visual eye, I will say that, and he happens to be one of my favorite directors. The film focuses on abortion and premarital marriage a little, and I wonder about why the director adds this stuff in during a time of sharing and love. Peter really doesn't like his piano does he? Lol! Clark uses a lot of nice mid-range shots throughout the film, and gives some nice ones of the conservatory. Every scene is straight forward with no real intention to try to make money off of what the masses want, it's just Clark doing what he does best. Peter is fed up and wants out of the conservatory. "He is an artist, he is high strong." I'm reminded here of father Karras in The Exorcist when he says he is losing his faith. So the idea of this struggle is constant with Peter. He wants the baby, becomes desperate, and tries to force Jess into marriage. So that idea is there. And faith is never with any of these people as they continue along their path, they seem to have individual goals and reasoning. Jess wears a crucifix and wants an abortion, so what's the reasoning behind that? About the acting. John Saxon makes this film really hold together. And he looks so good on film, big fan. There are just too many other things that are inconsistent with the plot. I would like to know more about the sorority sisters, what their major is? I would have scripted a few things differently, sure. Though this is a graceful film. I just wanted more space. Where always in the same place with Clark. Some shots are the same. This film becomes hard to follow and doesn't flow well. I found myself lost towards the end. Still a very good film!