Black Christmas (1974) - Merry Christmas you filthy animals! It’s time to start the holiday traditions and as the song “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” sings, part of that tradition is telling scary ghost stories from Christmas’ long long ago! So let’s get going with my first gift to you!
Black Christmas is hands down my favorite Christmas horror film. This slasher movie is a perfectly gift wrapped thriller that deals with some coming of age themes and,with what I think, has one of horror film’s best killers, even though we are seeing the murders through the killer’s point of view the whole film.
The story follows a group of sorority sisters who receive threatening phone calls and are eventually stalked and murdered by a deranged killer during the Christmas season. What really sets this slasher flick apart is how the story is told. It’s not your traditional slasher film, in which this one was a major inspiration for, most notably the Halloween franchise. This is depicted more as a dramatic crime thriller or crime procedural drama. There are, of course, scenes of gruesome murder, but the story unfolds as the parents of the victim are involved and the detectives soon are on the case. There are also asides of teen pregnancy melodrama that add to the drama and realism, which in turn make it much more than your traditional horror fare.
It can’t be understated that the actors are extremely down to earth and like-able. There is this authenticity to every role that allows you to feel their emotions and personal struggles with what is happening to them. The sorority sisters don’t come off as cliche as they deal with their mysterious caller and their own drama. The ever-so radiant Margot Kidder absolutely shines as the drunk and loose lipped sister and the police, especially horror genre famous John Saxon as Lt Fuller, are believable as salt of the earth people. This allows you to put yourself in the shoes of the on screen characters and relate, as in “What would you do if you were in their position?”
There are also some comedic moments, particularly from the chain smoking Kidder and the even more alcoholic sorority housemother, Mrs Mac, played by Marion Waldman as she is always on and easter egg hunt for where she put that bottle of booze. Even the killer, as we’ll simply call “Billy” or the “Moaner” has some choice words for the girls in his creepy phone call ramblings that are almost funny to the point they’ll make you uncomfortable.
To sum it up, this film is a top notch telling of urban legend lore. It actually hooks you from the first scene and is a gripping drama all the way to what I can only describe is one of the most ICONIC endings in film history. But what makes this film even more interesting is its producer/director, Bob Clark, is most notable for another Christmas classic. After watching this film it’ll be hard to believe he directed and created the iconic Christmas line “You’ll shoot your eye out” from A Christmas Story.