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Black Christmas

Black Christmas

List Price: $19.95
Your Price: $15.96
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Best.....
Review: Director Bob Clark, aka Benjamin Clark, did such films as Porky's, A Christmas Story (that's right)and Deranged. This is simply the best slasher film of the 1970's hands down. Filmed in '72, it predates the super classic, Halloween. Shot in Canada, this epic features John Saxon (Blood Beach, The Bees) Olivia Hussey, and Margot Kidder to name a few. The direction is superb, as well as the sets. The story is very twisted and in depth, combining all elements to create the creepiest horror flick in decades. Must be seen before Christmas for full effect, it at least has to be cold out!! Bob Clark must be thanked for this MASTERPIECE. ENJOY!!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the finest horror pictures ever made.
Review: This film takes the viewer through a horror filled ride of who done it and who's next. The director should be applauded for his work with lighting, and cover your eyes terror! If you like to be scared, get this movie.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very underrated
Review: Black Christmas is a very underrated slasher movie that needs more recognition. Jump starting the slasher scene, Black Christmas uses many of the elements Halloween does. But that can't be, Black Christmas came out 4 years earlier. When a Stranger Calls also owes this film plenty. Black Christmas is a very creepy movie with a great cast. Starring Olivia Hussey from the 1968 movie, Romeo and Juliet. The old Mrs. Mac is just a riot as she has many liquor bottles hidden around the house. Rent this movie better yet buy it it's worth every penny, but don't watch it alone for the first time it will give you major goosebumps.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This is probably the greatest slasher film of all time.
Review: Every time I come across a jaded individual who feels unscarable, I throw this movie in the VCR. In the words of my roommate, who sat silently through this film, at its conclusion: "That scared the hell out of me, and nothing scares the hell out of me."

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A great ending that gave me goosebumps!
Review: I really liked this movie. It was made years ago and it still gave me goosebumps, especially the ending. A sorority house is being terrorized by a madman, who's staying upstairs. He hides the bodies in the attic, so nobody can find them. What a great, suspenseful horror movie that leaves you breathless!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: one of the scariest movies ever made!
Review: BLACK CHRISTMAS is THE original classic mad killer on the loose film, predating the better known HALLOWEEN by four years. It's the only film that I feel can stand next to HALLOWEEN when it comes to pure suspense and atmosphere. The plot is simple: an unseen psycho sneaks into a college soroity house and makes obscene (they truly are!)phone calls to the women from an unused phone line. One by one, he picks them off over a two day period as the police (John Saxon) try to trace the calls and the unsuspecting women (Olivia Hussey, Margot Kidder, Andrea Martin) sit in the house with the killer above them, waiting to strike. Director Bob Clark does a wonderful job keeping the suspense at a high pitch and his handling of the camera is sure and clever. The film also benifits from extremely atmosphereic cinematography and ambiant music and sound effects, permeating the film with an eriee winter feel that adds much to the proceedings. The ending is absolutely creepy and unnerving. In this era of hip horror, ala'SCREAM, you could do no wrong checking out this underappreciated, well acted and crafted chiller. BLACK CHRISTMAS is an underrated masterpiece. END

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: You'll never think of Christmas the same way again...
Review: Bob Clark (III) who also directed the lighthearted family friendly, "A Christmas Story" takes us into the more darker, nightmarish setting of the familiar holiday season. This 1974 Canadian masterpiece in cinema history wasn't known as well around its time until today, where the more controversial slasher flicks exist. Setting the atmosphere with John Carpenter's "Halloween" franchise, "Black Christmas" stars Margot Kidder in one of her first roles, though in this she later finds herself as one of the killer's victims (in a very gruesome way indeed. Gore hounds rejoice!) But she is only one amoung the many other victims who fall prey to a psychotic monster living upstairs in a Sorority home attic that murders them in some of the most clever ways ever filmed in a horror movie. Meanwhile, the girls are getting scary phone calls, while the townsfolk discover the corpse of a young girl who was murdered in the park. Could this all have a connection with the beast? Or could it be something much more terrifying from out of the ordinary? All that is certain is that Christmas time is coming, and if something is not done, nobody will be left to celebrate.

This SPECIAL EDITION version of the DVD includes all theatrical trailers (Both English & French), and T.V./radio spots along with a behind the scenes BONUS feature to how the film came to be and the actors/actresses who helped bring the low-budget nightmare to life. The plot can be a little confusing and hard to follow at times, therefore giving the viewer the hint that this is one of those rare films that make you THINK, meaning that you may have to watch it more than once to understand! While not the best horror film, I believe that this helped spawn many other clones such as "Halloween" (as explained earlier) and "Scream". Not to worry though, for this carries enough of the suspense and thrills to scare the living daylights out of you! This is recommended viewing for a date-type movie or watching alone at night in the dark--IF YOU DARE!

If you're a diehard fan of the good ol' low-budget horror cult classics such as myself, this is the one to add in your collection! Whether you love it or hate it, it STILL packs enough punch for the hardcore of average horror film fanatic! There isn't as much blood to be found in this, and instead the film relies more on the originality and suspense in order to keep the viewer at the edge of his/her seat! Don't miss this very rare and hard to find classic, and remember:

"If this film doesn't make your skin crawl, it's on too tight!" >:)

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: the breather wants your blood...
Review: not the best slasher flick ever made, not the worst either.

i won't go over the plot here (it's already been covered by others) but it involves an obscene phone caller (to a serority house) doing lots of heavy breathing and making threats, etc. they could have toned down on the breathing some, etc.
flick contains a few surprises; a nice spooky, atmospheric touch here and there.
i wouldn't call it a classic, but not a bad scare flick at all. however, a director with a genuine interest in horror would have had the ability to punch up the gruesome jolts a bit (not necessarily by including more blood, either. see the first tcm, for example) and given the fans more bang for their buck.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: The Original Camera Stalking Horror
Review: Even though this film doesn't even come close to "Halloween", it was the original POV (point of view) hand-held camera stalker movie... you know.... where the camera acts like it is the eyes of the killer.

Anyway the plot is pretty much your run-of-the-mill deranged serial killer on the loose stalking girls in a university sorority house type horror movie, but it does boast some inventive camera shots, lighting and scares. Even though the film does not have the same kind of impact now, it was certainly a very frightening movie for its time.

A girl from the sorority house goes missing, a killer moves into the attic upstairs, strange phone calls are made to the house, a child is found murdered in the park and one of the girls has strange thoughts about an abortion as her boyfriend pianist begins to loose his mind.

The acting is pretty tacky but you will find actors like Keir Dullea (2001: A space Odyssey) playing a lead role in this movie. There are also a few other actors who went on to do better things - Margot Kidder (Superman) and John Saxon (Nightmare on Elm Street).

Overall there are a lot worse "slasher" movies out there but there are also a lot of better ones. Anyhow, you might as well see the original POV "slasher" movie if you haven't already. It is not that bad ... but it is not that good either. Sort of middle-ground horror hokum.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: VASTLY UNDERRATED CANADIAN HORROR FILM
Review: Before Halloween, Friday the 13th, and Nightmare on El Street, there was Black Christmas, also known as Silent Night Evil Night, a Canadian horror film directed by Bob Clark. The Same Bob Clark who would direct Porky's, as well as "A Christmas Story" This inventive, scary slasher flick came well before those better known siblings and did it as well if not better than all of them except perhaps the original Halloween.

Olivia Hussey and Margot Kidder star in this film that takes place within a sorority house at a Canadian college at Christmas time as a psychopathic killer is hiding out within the house, and making threatening calls to the various girls as he hunts them down. Of course calling from within the house would be a plot device used later in "When a Stranger Calls" as well as "Scream".

While it doesn't contain the blood and gore that would come in so many later slasher films, it has something those do not...suspense and actual chills. The phone calls are very strange and bizzare and just listening to them gives you the chills with the weird voice of the caller. There is also a bit of a who done it, you think you know who it is and then there is a twist. And it's downright creepy the way the killer plays with his victims after killing them.

The movie also has quite a lot of humor, most of it coming from the foul-mouthed sorority sister played by Margot Kidder. I especially liked the way she toys with a particularly stupid police officer who is seeking information about the missing girl.

So many popular slasher conventions were used first in this film such as watching through the killer's eyes and hearing his deep breathing as he stalks his victims. Bob Clark was well ahead of this time and this film rightfully should be credited with being the godfather of slasher films.

If you've never seen this film it's definitely one to check out. You'll be amazed that this came out way back in 1974.






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