Rating: 
Summary: Quite possibly the best horror movie ever.
Review: I stumbled upon this absolute gem of a film when navigating various reviews and favorite item lists and the overwhelming praise persuaded me to purchase this film before having seen it. I must say that I'm on the bandwagon; BLACK CHRISTMAS is, without a doubt, one of the best horror films I've ever seen.
Pre-dating HALLOWEEN by several years, that classic is now somewhat diminished in my estimation, as it is obvious that John Carpenter lifted many of BLACK CHRISTMAS' finest elements for HALLOWEEN. 1979's WHEN A STRANGER CALLS was another attempt at a clone, the opening of which, previously considered by this reviewer to be one of the finer moments in horror film history, seems like mere child's play compared to the terrifying phone calls received in BLACK CHRISTMAS.
A simple tale of a half-empty sorority house over the holidays, BLACK CHRISTMAS focuses on Olivia Hussey and housemates, including Margot Kidder and Andrea Martin, as they receive a series of sinister phone calls, starting as obscene and building towards terrifyingly unsettling, and those around them begin to disappear. The pacing is perfect and the performances are all top-notch. Well-written and expertly directed, the tension in BLACK CHRISTMAS is well-maintained, with no lulls in the story nor "fake" scares to cheat the audience.
With remarkably little gore or bloodshed, BLACK CHRISTMAS nonetheless culminates in one of the most intense climaxes ever experienced in horror films. You'll have to see it for yourself to understand completely, but what is scariest about BLACK CHRISTMAS are the things you never know. Who is Billy? What did he do to baby Agnes? When will anyone find what's waiting in the attic?
Currently available only as a Canadian import, this one is definitely worth the extra effort to add to your collection.
Rating:
Summary: Precursor to Halloween Set the Stage
Review: This 1974 Canadian flick is one of the creepiest you'll ever see. Bob Clark (Porky's) directed this early slasher with much skill and a bit of humor. The setting is a Canadian sorrority house, a couple of days before Christmas. Since everyone is going home for vacation, no one is suspicious when the students disappear. The stalker/obscene phone caller's voice is chilling. There is a lot of suspence and very little blood in the attack scenes. Many films "borrowed" from Black Christmas, most blatantly "When a Stranger Calls". But over the years, thanks to cable TV and video, this cult film is gaining popularity rather quickly. Fans of this film will want this edition of the DVD, which instantly outclasses all previous editions. It contains a lengthy new documentary, two commentaries (the first by Bob Clark), interviews, trailers, stills and posters. It also contains a reversable cover sleave that has the original 1974 movie poster on one side (containing the movie's most famous image of the first victim covered in plastic). Horror fans as well as fans of good solid thrillers will be pleased.
Rating:
Summary: Jingle Hell, Jingle Hell
Review: The first time I saw this movie was in the 80's. I had already been subjected to Freddy, Jason and Michael, and this scared me more than the three of them combined. Don't get me wrong, Nightmare, Friday and Halloween were, and still are, very scary movies. I went into it expecting the worst and came out of it wanting to go back to a time before I had witnessed it. It scared me soooo bad that I had to sleep with the lights on for weeks afterwards. Every time the phone rang I sank inside from fear.
Now I am older, wiser and more mature......... I am no longer a teen as I was when I watched this the first time. I have been subjected to things much worse and more horrifying over the past 20 years........... or so I thought......
I thought that the padding of time and the advancements of movies and cinema would cushion me.....
I was wrong.
I watched this movie again with some friends who had not seen it, yet alone even heard of it.
I watched in horror as every feeling came rushing back. I watched in amusement as my friends lost every ounce of cool. I watched in sheer delight as I witnessed, once again, one of the most terrifying movies ever made tear me and my friends to shreds of useless nothing. Even with all the camp that is now visible in the movie, it does not let loose of its horrifying grip. The premise is that there is a killer loose. It appears that he has chosen the attic of the sorrority house to hold up in. He uses the phone to do some of his or her terrorizing. One by one the sorrority sisters and housemother are picked off. And one by one the list of suspects grows until the climax at the end when everything is solved... or is it?
I could go on about the plot, but others have already done so.
If you watch this with the knowledge that this is one of the originals, not a knock off, then you will have more appreciation for it.
Sure, the acting is questionable, as is the directing, camera work and editing.
But, this is the real deal.. this is what other movies have molded themselves after. This is the movie that deserves all the credit that others get.
Watch this and see if you feel the same way about unicorns that you did before you saw it.
And I dare you to sleep with the lights out afterwards......
Rating:
Summary: Up In The Attic-Click-Click-Click Uh-Oh! It Ain't St. Nick!
Review: Olivia Hussey is Jess and Margot "Sisters / Superman" Kidder is the drunken, joyfully cynical Barb in this yuletide chiller. A creepy pervert keeps calling their sorority house, making threats and odd noises. The house is getting ready to empty out for the holidays with a big christmas bash. The phone-freak calls again, right after we see a man climb a trellis and slip into an attic window. Barb yells at him and says some choice words of her own. This offends one of the other girls present, who goes upstairs to pack. She is met with sudden death at the hands of the unknown psycho, who now has the run of the house! Bob Clark (Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things) has directed a tense, terrifying, should-be classic here! Keir Delea (2001: A Space Odyssey / Bunny Lake Is Missing) is excellent as the driven, possibly unbalanced boyfriend of Jess. They've just had a big fight over her desire to get an abortion. Has this got anything to do with the horrors that await our sorority sisters, or just another red herring? Margot Kidder steals every scene she's in. She's tough, obnoxious, and unafraid of anything. Barb, Jess, and Phyl (Andrea Martin) end up as the only ones staying in the house for christmas. Their house-mother has suffered an untimely demise in the attic. Of course, the girls just think she went home. John Saxon (A Nightmare On Elm Street) is a police detective investigating a local 13yo girl's abduction / murder, who is drawn into the unfolding mystery on sorority row. Was the little girl another victim of the attic man? Many things are left unresolved and irritatingly unexplained, like in real life. There's a haunting, building dread in BLACK CHRISTMAS that gets into your bloodstream. I wanted to see it again immediately after watching it! If horror is your bag, check this one out...
Rating:
Summary: A Horror CLASSIC in every sense of the word!
Review: Oh man, where do I start? This film is one of my favorite horror films. It has the right mixture of horror, suspense, and comedy. It also has small amounts of gore (well, by today's standards) which is a good thing to some viewers. The plot of the film is simple. It takes place at a sorority house/boarding school around Christmas time. A crazed killer finds his way into the attic of the house and starts making obscene phone calls from the second phone line. Then, he starts offing the inhabitants of the house one by one. Olivia Hussey stars as the film's heroine and Keir Dullea co-stars as her misunderstood love interest... but Margot Kidder steals the show as Hussey's drunken, foul mouthed friend. A very young Andrea Martin (of SCTV fame) is also in the film. This film inspired elements of the Scream movies, When A Stranger Calls, and countless others. I recommend it to anyone who loves a good scary movie.
Rating:
Summary: Black Christmas
Review: This movie was definetly one of the first slasher movies ever made!I thought this was a great horror film maybe even a classic!Olivia Hussey did a wonderful job.The plot is that it is Christmas time and these girls are disapearing one by one.No one knows who or what it could be doing this in a small New England town.The plot is great! The characters are memorable!I think that all equals a classic.The killer was extremely scary when he was killing that girl in her room sleeping.The whole movie is a phenomenom; a Canadian film being so popular in the U.S.A. is fascinating.I also enjoyed how the camera was always acting like the killer's eyes when he was shown or heard.It kind of reminded me of a little film called Halloween.I think Halloween owes a little of it's success.The only problem I had was the killer.He was very confusing, but I guess that added to the suspense!(SPOILERS)That one part when the killer's eye is seen through the door is so scary.The phone calls that they get also scared the crap out of me. I loved the ending to.Make sure to watch this one in the dark.Check it out!
Rating: 
Summary: Black Christmas (1974)
Review: Director: Bob Clark
Cast: Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, John Saxon.
Running Time: 98 minutes.
Rated R for violence and profanity, yet by today's horror standards would more likely fall into the PG-13 category. Seemingly a forgotten horror tale due to the over-publicized "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "The Exorcist", the brilliance of "Halloween", and the development of the summer blockbuster ("Jaws"), this thrill-a-minute chiller is just as original as any horror/slasher film ever made. The basic premise of the film revolves around a sorority house/college dormatory that is mysteriously being tormented by an obscene phone caller. At first, the girls think that the guy is just a prank caller and will eventually goes away, but dead bodies start to turn up. Olivia Hussey stars as the main female squeeze, who suspects that the killer may be her boyfriend Dullea, who has been acting stranger and stranger throughout the events. John Saxon is good as the police detective investigating the abnormal case, while Margot Kidder (who would later play Lois Lane in the 1978 action classic "Superman") is excellent as the profane, alcohlic college girl who is stricken with asthma. "Black Christmas" is shot brilliantly by director Bob Clark, using many elements of foreshadowing and using a fine musical score to add to the tension. The first half of the film slightly drags, but the finale is superb as Hussey confronts the evil stalker. A must-see for those who respect the horror genre and are fans of the "Halloween" and "Friday the 13th" series. Does not receive the praise or recognition it deserves; "Black Christmas" is a superb suspense piece.
Rating:
Summary: beats out all those other slasher flicks
Review: Black Christmas is a movie about a killer who hides in the attic of a sorority house on Christmas and kills people one by one in typical slasher horror movie style. Besides the fact that Black Christmas was one of the first slasher movies and set the standard for the rest, you might ask yourself why Black Christmas is even worth a viewing. There are two reasons in particular. First, everything that happens in the movie is completely realistic. The killer is not invincible like Freddy or Jason, he is just well-hidden. We are spared the usual "wait, he was shot, stabbed, and thrown from a window, how can he still be alive?". When sisters begin disappearing, there is a completely logical explanation ("she went to meet her father, remember?" or "she must have left for home a few hours earlier than she had told us"). Second, there is a large amount of mystery surrounding the events of the movie, which makes it seem that much more realistic. The killer is never revealed, and the baby of which the killer speaks in some of his obscene phone calls is never explained. Black Christmas comes highly reccommended, especially if you are sick of the typical slasher fare.
Rating:
Summary: One of the scariest films you will ever see!!
Review: This film, despite relative obscurity and several name changes, another being "Stranger In The House", is one of the scariest films you will ever see. It remains vastly underrated and little-known and is seldom praised, even today. It is a genuinely creepy film that will stay with you long after you see it. Margot Kidder steals the show as the foul-mouthed, lonely sorority sister "Barb". The rest of the Canadian cast all lend good support. Like "Halloween", it doesn't rely on blood and gore, but instead creates tension and suspense and a mounting sense of dread throughout the entire film. The violence is generally low-key and takes place mostly off-camera, but is nonetheless still quite jarring and effective. The surprise ending is somewhat improbable, but is chilling and will leave you feeling just a little bit uneasy when you are home alone late at night and the phone rings unexpectedly. It is a much more realistic horror film than most, in that it could really happen. It will also make you think twice about going alone into the attic!! Just one complaint, why the rather expensive price tag when compared to other films of this type??
Rating:
Summary: A Piece Of (Slasher) Cinematic History
Review: Ever wondered where films such as Friday the 13th, Scream, and all those obnoxious late night horrors got their ideas? Specifically the hidden, knife weilding psychos. Black Christmas is the correct 2-word answer.
It starts when a person (seen from his POV) sneaks into a sorority house. When I first heard this I thought of the slasher/cheerleader/sorority house movies (very bad) and cringed. But Black Christmas turned out to be anything but.
Black Christmas made no big splash when it first came out, but now a days its considered a significant part of horror cinematic history, because more than a few big time horror flicks have used some of the fear inducing elements of this film. When me and my boyfriend watched it we kept saying, "Oh I recognize that!" and it was very fun to see the untamed original form of some of these devices.
The film lets you get to know the characters though (unlike modern slasher flicks) - from the pregnant Jess who is considering abortion, to the foul mouthed, alcoholic sorority matron. Quite a few interesting characters live in this sorority house. And then BAMN, they begin to get killed off, with the viewer rarely expecting the next victim, A LIL SOILER ALERT Black Christmas is one of the first "mainstream" slasher films. "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" came out the same year, but awhile before both came Mario Brava's "Reazione A Catenea". This was (debatably) the first slasher movie, and the friday the 13th series was based upon it. Black Christmas adds a depth of mystery - you never do find out who the killer is, or what his motives are. For some viewers this adds freakiness. Unlike newer slasher movies, where at the end the killer is revealed (and usually) dealt with.
Remember those movies with the stranger calling and uttering obscene things into the phone with a dangerous altered voice? That part is a direct take off from Black Christmas - the first (horror) movie to use the phone as a method of terrorization. Part of the horror of the film is included in the strange phone calls. Just when you think everything is safe.... the phone rings. In the DVD version I've seen, some of the obscenities and lewdness of the calls are edited out (compared to the version I saw a long time ago). I've read on numerous websites that this was to make the film "less offending". Overall, it's an enjoyable watch. While it isn't superbly good and unsurpassable, its great to see the foundations of modern slashers. Be prepared for something a bit more serious and with a more refined style than your usual slasher. I only wish the ending had been more.... realistic. I never did understand why the police didn't search the attic....
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