Being a big fan of the horror genre, it takes an above average horror film to give me chills. This highly influential horror-thriller does just that, every time I see it!
As a college sorority house empties out for the holidays, the remaining girls are unaware that a warped murderer has just climbed into their attic...
Black Christmas is one of the most shamefully over-looked films in the slasher film genre, it's also been one of the most inspiring films of the genre. The story that drives this film is an extremely creepy one, taught with suspense, mystery, and an undying feeling of dread. It's also an intelligent story that wisely remembers that the unseen is scarier than anything one can put on film. Director Bob Clark builds an atmosphere of almost unnerving tension through out this film. Clark makes even the singing of Christmas carols very chilling. Adding even more to the sheer spookiness of this film is Carl Zitter's bizarre music score, which sounds as twisted as the killer's brain. A number of scenes from this film are simply unforgettable - the insane phone calls from the murderer, the glass unicorn stabbing, and my personal favorite, our heroine turning to see the killer's eye staring at her from behind the bedroom door.
The cast of this film is great and contains a number of stars. The wonderful Olivia Hussey is sympathetic as our leading lady. Keir Dullea is strong as Hussey's boy friend, who's been behaving rather strangely. Margot Kidder provides some comic relief as the sorority bad-girl. John Saxon is solid as the police lieutenant who's trying to solve a murder. Supporting cast Marian Waldman, Andrea Martin, Art Hindle, and Douglas McGrath are terrific as well.
Black Christmas has had a big hand in the slasher genre, such films as Halloween (1978), When a Stranger Calls (1979), and Friday the 13th (1980) were strongly influenced by this forgotten classic. For horror fans, Black Christmas is a must-see terror. I wouldn't recommend that you watch it alone in the dark though.
**** out of ****
As a college sorority house empties out for the holidays, the remaining girls are unaware that a warped murderer has just climbed into their attic...
Black Christmas is one of the most shamefully over-looked films in the slasher film genre, it's also been one of the most inspiring films of the genre. The story that drives this film is an extremely creepy one, taught with suspense, mystery, and an undying feeling of dread. It's also an intelligent story that wisely remembers that the unseen is scarier than anything one can put on film. Director Bob Clark builds an atmosphere of almost unnerving tension through out this film. Clark makes even the singing of Christmas carols very chilling. Adding even more to the sheer spookiness of this film is Carl Zitter's bizarre music score, which sounds as twisted as the killer's brain. A number of scenes from this film are simply unforgettable - the insane phone calls from the murderer, the glass unicorn stabbing, and my personal favorite, our heroine turning to see the killer's eye staring at her from behind the bedroom door.
The cast of this film is great and contains a number of stars. The wonderful Olivia Hussey is sympathetic as our leading lady. Keir Dullea is strong as Hussey's boy friend, who's been behaving rather strangely. Margot Kidder provides some comic relief as the sorority bad-girl. John Saxon is solid as the police lieutenant who's trying to solve a murder. Supporting cast Marian Waldman, Andrea Martin, Art Hindle, and Douglas McGrath are terrific as well.
Black Christmas has had a big hand in the slasher genre, such films as Halloween (1978), When a Stranger Calls (1979), and Friday the 13th (1980) were strongly influenced by this forgotten classic. For horror fans, Black Christmas is a must-see terror. I wouldn't recommend that you watch it alone in the dark though.
**** out of ****