1974 | R | 1Hr 38 Min | Horror | CFCD
Writer: Roy Moore
Stars:
Olivia Hussey
Keir Dullea
Margot Kidder
John Saxon
Synopsis:
It's time for Christmas break, and the sorority sisters make plans for the holiday, but the strange anonymous phone calls are beginning to put them on edge. When Clare disappears, they contact the police, who don't express much concern. Meanwhile, Jess is planning to get an abortion, but boyfriend Peter is very much against it. The police finally begin to get concerned when a 13-year-old girl is found dead in the park. They set up a wiretap to the sorority house, but will they be in time to prevent a sorority girl attrition problem?
Not wanting to completely miss out on Creepmas and thanks to a little help from Joe Bob Briggs and Shudder this past weekend helped me get into the dark holiday spirit. I have always wanted to dive into Bob Clark's Black Christmas when it started to gain momentum of a lost gem in the early 2000s shortly after Clark's death. And with Clark's career helping feed my desires, Porky's is on my top ten of the all-time list, and of course, Christmas Story is his legacy and forever to be a Christmas Classic, it's always fun to look back on to there roots of director's when they started there career with Horror!
When rock royalty Elvis Presley and Steve Martin claim Black Christmas to be one of there all-time favorite horror flicks. And Black Christmas star Margot Kidder admitted in an interview that she never thought that the film would become a hit and was surprised to learn that it had gained such a large cult following over the years you can not help but think this is going to be a wild ride when instead you get a slow burn with subduing twists and turns that get seasoned vets of horror like me to go crazy trying to figure it out. Every time you think you know the answer to the puzzle Clark and writer Roy Moore slap you in the face and take you in a different direction. Hailed as the movie that helped jump-start the slasher genre the rules of horror have not been written yet so anything goes, and the survival of neither virgin nor even final girl comes guaranteed.
The movie does a great job of settling you into the warm feel and glow of Christmas setting the tone. Yet the story keeps you guessing as it weaves you through the story of whodunit and why. With a fine-looking young cast and a well-shot movie, it is hard to look away. When the credits roll you're left with thoughts of why who and man that was a pretty wild ride. Your left thinking about this movie for days after and yet you don't know why. And this is a good thing! It is the uncertainty that is unveiled in the final moments before the credits roll that makes Black Christmas stand alone in its genre and a must-see Christmas Horror Flick.
Look this movie is not for everyone yet the film still manages a good slice of old-fashioned suspense like Aunt Jean's Fruit Cake. Like John Carpenters Halloween, Clark avoids graphic gore, focussing instead on suggestion and using careful editing and use of music to build suspense. Oh and that soundtrack! The cleaver way of slowing down Christmas classic's giving them a creepy sound that fits in. If you have not seen the 1974 Black Christmas and enjoy the classic feel of a slasher flick do check this out. If you need your horror spelled out for you or fast-paced action your better off skipping it.
The movie does a great job of settling you into the warm feel and glow of Christmas setting the tone. Yet the story keeps you guessing as it weaves you through the story of whodunit and why. With a fine-looking young cast and a well-shot movie, it is hard to look away. When the credits roll you're left with thoughts of why who and man that was a pretty wild ride. Your left thinking about this movie for days after and yet you don't know why. And this is a good thing! It is the uncertainty that is unveiled in the final moments before the credits roll that makes Black Christmas stand alone in its genre and a must-see Christmas Horror Flick.
Look this movie is not for everyone yet the film still manages a good slice of old-fashioned suspense like Aunt Jean's Fruit Cake. Like John Carpenters Halloween, Clark avoids graphic gore, focussing instead on suggestion and using careful editing and use of music to build suspense. Oh and that soundtrack! The cleaver way of slowing down Christmas classic's giving them a creepy sound that fits in. If you have not seen the 1974 Black Christmas and enjoy the classic feel of a slasher flick do check this out. If you need your horror spelled out for you or fast-paced action your better off skipping it.
 |
| 3 Bloody Brains out of 5 |
Love this one. I remember when it was a talked about but little seen gem from the past, and love that it has gained the fans it deserves. Watch every December, a private little tradition for me on a late Christmastime night. So good.
ReplyDeleteNot my cup of tea but it has a great cast of favourite "B movie" actors!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorites from when I was a teen. Remember the ending being very creepy.
ReplyDelete