Another horror flick for the spooky season! With another remake on the way (which I am interested in as its written by film critic April Wolfe), Black Christmas (1974) is a classic of the horror genre, a precursor to John Carpenter’s Halloween and the launch of the ‘slasher’ sub-genre. Even with early tropes of the form in evidence (“the call is coming from inside the house”), there is a elegant craft to the chills and kills. The basic plot: an unknown creep stalks the members of a sorority house one by one by hiding in the attic.
As Michelle Francis Astrid reviewed it for VHS Tracking Issue 8, “The refreshing difference of Black Christmas is there’s a story to invest in beyond the basic slasher plot. Each character’s personality is explored; often with humour, and with a distinct lack of moralising. It’s strong on atmosphere, low on body count, and driven by the terror of never knowing who Billy is, why he’s targeting the women, or even what he looks like. His phone calls are more unnerving than his murders, which are shot with a delightful Giallo influence.”
That, and the director Bob Clark, who would later make Porky’s and A Christmas Story, works in decent comic relief through the alcoholic sorority matron character and Margot Kidder’s sassy one-liners. Olivia Hussey is the main girl, Kier Duellea her shifty boyfriend, and John Saxon the cop on the case. And in the tradition of many 1970s Canadian horror/thrillers, a member of SCTV is in the cast – the great Andrea Martin. And the ending I found completely eerie and unsettling (which made me regret watching it late at night by myself!). Stream it on Amazon Prime or Tubi (even try YouTube).
VHS Tracking 