Black Christmas [IMPORT]

Rating:
Summary: A superb horror film
Review: I first saw "Black Christmas" in the cinema in England, and it is one of the few horror films that always makes me think. By the end of the film you are still not quite sure if Peter, the boyfriend, is really the killer. The camera pans through the interior of the house showing you the results of the carnage that has taken place, but the final, haunting moment is when you are back outside the house, peering into the attic, seeing the eerie candle glow, hearing the murderer's voice and watching the body of the first victim, still wrapped in plastic, be rocked back and forth. Has the mystery been solved? You're not quite sure. The film has a wonderful feel to it-the cold, the snow, the sorority house that seems full of dark, narrow corridors (but which is covered with Xmas lights on the outside), the telephone calls from the person that can seem to speak with three voices at the same time and the feeling that by the end you still don't really know what has happened, and why. Who was baby Agnes? Who was Billy? This film is a gem, and one that I can watch again and again.

Rating:
Summary: A Lost Horror Classic
Review: During the Christmas season of 1978, my uncle and aunt took me to a movie theater to see a double-bill of two holiday-based horror films: John Carpenter's "Halloween" and Bob Clark's "Black Christmas." We absolutely loved "Halloween," but found "Black Christmas" to be so dull that we walked out in the middle of the picture. Twenty-two years later, I reviewed the WHOLE movie on video and now have a different impression of this film.

During the Christmas season, sorority girl Olivia Hussey is pregnant and wants to have an abortion but her boyfriend Keir Dullea doesn't want her to have the procedure. Meanwhile, Hussey and her sorority sisters(Including a pre-"Superman" Margot Kidder) are also receiving obscene phone calls from a cackling pervert. The obscene phone caller later sneaks into the attic of the sorority house and starts killing the girls one by one.

"Black Christmas" has some major weak points. The film is slow-moving and monotonous at times. The movie also lacks the thrills and suspense of Carpenter's "Halloween." John Saxon is given a thankless role as a police detective.

Nevertheless, every horror fan should sit through all of "Black Christmas" at least once. Kidder is great as Barb, a drunken and foul-mouthed sorority sister. We also develop a great concern for the characters in this film. If anything, Bob Clark's film definitely succeeds in one area where John Carpenter largely failed in "Halloween": Realism. The forever unidentified villain of "Black Christmas" is much more frightening than the Michael Myers character of "Halloween." The Michael Myers character is so superhuman that viewers know they would never actually encounter such a character in real life. The hysterically shrieking and giggling obscene phone caller in "Black Christmas," however, is VERY real. Such psychotics and perverts exist in the real world. In this respect, "Black Christmas" is far creepier than "Halloween." Today, in an era of DNA-based criminal evidence as well as Caller ID and other efficient phone number-tracing systems, this movie is probably not quite as scary, but definitely SHOULD HAVE sent a chill up the spine of any 1970s-viewer who received an obscene phone call at some point in their lives.

Despite its weaknesses, every horror fan should see "Black Christmas" in its entirety at least once. This film is a lost horror classic. Well-recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A Lost Horror Classic
Review: During the Christmas season of 1978, my uncle and aunt took me to a movie theater to see a double-bill of two holiday-based horror films: John Carpenter's "Halloween" and Bob Clark's "Black Christmas." We absolutely loved "Halloween," but found "Black Christmas" to be so dull that we walked out in the middle of the picture. Twenty-two years later, I reviewed the WHOLE movie on video and now have a different impression of this film.

During the Christmas season, sorority girl Olivia Hussey is pregnant and wants to have an abortion but her boyfriend Keir Dullea doesn't want her to have the procedure. Meanwhile, Hussey and her sorority sisters(Including a pre-"Superman" Margot Kidder) are also receiving obscene phone calls from a cackling pervert. The obscene phone caller later sneaks into the attic of the sorority house and starts killing the girls one by one.

"Black Christmas" has some major weak points. The film is slow-moving and monotonous at times. The movie also lacks the thrills and suspense of Carpenter's "Halloween." John Saxon is given a thankless role as a police detective.

Nevertheless, every horror fan should sit through all of "Black Christmas" at least once. Kidder is great as Barb, a drunken and foul-mouthed sorority sister. We also develop a great concern for the characters in this film. If anything, Bob Clark's film definitely succeeds in one area where John Carpenter largely failed in "Halloween": Realism. The forever unidentified villain of "Black Christmas" is much more frightening than the Michael Myers character of "Halloween." The Michael Myers character is so superhuman that viewers know they would never actually encounter such a character in real life. The hysterically shrieking and giggling obscene phone caller in "Black Christmas," however, is VERY real. Such psychotics exist in the real world.In this respect, "Black Christmas" is far creepier than "Halloween." Today, in an era of DNA-based criminal evidence as well as Caller ID and other efficient phone number-tracing systems, this movie is probably not quite as scary, but definitely SHOULD HAVE sent a chill up the spine of any 1970s-viewer who received an obscene phone call at some point in their lives.

Despite its weaknesses, every horror fan should see "Black Christmas" in its entirety at least once. This film is a lost horror classic. Well-recommended.

Rating:
Summary: What's your favorite scary movie? THIS ONE!
Review: Read all the reviews here, and you will find an ongoing theme - this is one helluva scary movie. And I've seen just about all of them. What I believe really sets this one apart from all the rest is the true "psychotic" nature of the killer. Yes, I'm a Halloween fan of major proportions, but the killer in Black Christmas (aka Stranger in the House, Silent Night Deadly Night) has got Michael Myers beat by a mile. While Michael Myers' silence and calm demeanor during his brutal acts is one of his scariest features, it is the shear psychoses and spoken fits of rage of our Black Christmas killer that will make you turn on every light in the house. Did Linda Blair's changing voices in The Exorcist set you over the edge? Then DEFINITELY don't miss the bizarre and terrifying phone calls to the frightened coeds. The change from man to woman to child, the screaming immediately followed by whispering. While some folks are obviously disappointed at not knowing the identity of the killer, to me this is what makes it truly frightening. Who exactly is he? Where did he come from? I think the scare comes in the NOT knowing anything about the killer. Not knowing what makes his mind work (or NOT work as the case may be!) I find it fascinating to imagine what must have happened to this tortured man, making guesses based on his mentions of "where's the baby" and the names he uses ~ Agnes..Billy..When Olivia Hussey manages to knock him down after the SCARIEST scene in the film (the frightening "eye behind the crack of the door") his scream of rage will raise the hair on your arms.

Another fine feature of this film is the character development. In the horror films following this one, do you really give a rat's butt about what happens to these "murdered teens?" They are generally spoiled brats, doing things they're not supposed to, and all you know about them is they want to party and get laid. I've actually rooted for the killer in some of today's horror flicks. Not so here. From Hussey's struggle with her "a bit unhinged" boyfriend and her unwanted pregnancy, to Margot Kidder's drinking binges and hilarious nasty mouth, spurred by a mother who is more interested in men than her, to the "new girl" in the sorority trying to fit in, this one makes you care and want to SHOUT to these gals to get out of the house.

But take these reviews for what they are ~ opinions ~ and do yourself a favor and buy or rent this one. Halloween is a good time, but if it's about December 23 and you've just about had it with crowded malls and spending time with all those "fun" family members ~ try this non-traditional holiday film. If you're looking for a good scare (and aren't scared easily) and have seen just about every horror movie ever made ~ I don't think you'll be disappointed. Then come back here and let us know what you thought! Just don't go in the attic first...

Rating:
Summary: Eeriest movie of all time
Review: I first saw Black Christmas in 1984. I was a fan of horror movies but had no idea that they came as good as this. the atmosphere it creates is overwhelming. It is as much horrifying as it is eeeeeeerie. It is without a doubt in my mind the most brillaint horror film I have seen. Sure, Halloween has special moments too, but this movie is so much more - why? It doesnt contain those stereo-type boogie men. Sure there is a killer but he isn't wlaking around with a mask on. Black Christmas succeeds in that it makes the viewer hang on to the edge of the seat. All you want to do is yell at those people to get out of the house. I promise you, you will love this movie. I have had no luck locating it in video hire shops (out of print), so will buy my own copy. Watch it in the dark!

Rating:
Summary: Don't Pass This One By.....
Review: This is a great horror movie. When watching it remember it was done before Halloween and the slasher films of the 80's. I am 38 and remember this movie and was thrilled to see it on DVD. The story(original at the time) still holds up, the atmosphere is creepy as hell and the acting is pretty good, especially Margot Kidder. Has some slow spots but the last part is really well paced and the ending is disturbing,if not predictable. Overall a very good movie,watch it with When A Stranger Calls for a decent theme night.

Rating:
Summary: Jon from Nowhere Land is CRAZY!!!!!!!
Review: This has to be the scariest movie I've ever seen. And DO NOT LISTEN TO JON FROM NOWHERE LAND!!! because the director fools you end the end. The person you think was the killer wasn't him. The very last couple of minutes of the movie is when you realize that. JON FROM NOWHERE LAND, did you even watch the ending?!?!?!?! This is the original stalker/slasher/babysitter horror/ and all out psycho movie ever made with the exception of the pioneer suspense classic, Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. I can't believe this is considered a "flop". It set the groundwork for Halloween, When A Stranger Calls, Scream, and others. Go buy this right now!!!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Bob Clark's forgotten classic ...
Review: I have searched 15 years for a decent print of this great movie. It is absolutely astonishing how Bob Clark's truly terrifying masterpiece Black Christmas - a pioneering horror flick - has faded from the minds of moviegoers. A suspense sensation on its initial release in the early 1970s, Black Christmas is without doubt a must-have for all horror movie collectors. Starring cutie pie Olivia Hussey - fresh from her success in Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet - and a groovy Margot Kidder - fresh from her horror success in De Palma's Sisters, Black Christmas is the forgotten forerunner of the slasher genre that would spawn later classics like Halloween and Scream...But the staple conventions of the slasher movie: virginal heroine; promiscuous victims; psychopathic stalker; subjective camera; ambiguous ending are all established in THIS movie...And as for the "harassment by phone / caller is in the house" scenario that everyone thinks comes from When a Stranger Calls - it all started here. As a fan of all these movies, I can tell you Black Christmas is definitely the scariest of the lot. The story of a demented madman stalking the sisters of a college sorority house, the movie quickly ratchets up to 10 on the suspense-o-meter and sustains it to the end with a series of truly evil murders and unforgettable horror images. From the eye in the door crack; the plastic-bagged corpse; the rocking chair; the house mother yanked off her feet into the ceiling; Bob Clarke hits all the right notes to seal his place as a one-hit wonder of the genre. But what a hit it is. Pure, efficient terror at its most extreme. A great, scary date movie you will not watch alone, I rate it as one of the five scariest movies of all time...I guarantee you'll be watching it over and over to share it terrors with friends and family out for a real scare. Suspense brilliance that has rarely been equalled. Respect!

Rating:
Summary: well-done, but falls apart in the last act
Review: Director Bob Clark, who made the definitive Xmas comedy "A Christmas Story" used the same holiday as a backdrop for this early slasher film, which is competently made and well-acted but unfortunately turns predictable at the end. The story is about a handful of sorority girls who are menaced by an obscene phone-caller who is living in the attic of their house. For what it's worth, the acting is mostly good (Margot Kidder is great) and the scenes that take the POV of the killer are effective. But even if you take into account that "Black Christmas" was a precursor to "Halloween," the ending is still a major disappointment, because the identity of the killer is made far too obvious in a few central scenes. I'm giving this 2.5 stars, but I'll round it up to 3 for here.

Rating:
Summary: most horrifying movie of all time
Review: black christmas is a timeless intelligent slasher movie that i believe is the scariest movie of all time. i took a chance and got a copy right before it went out of print. i had never heard of it before and when i watched it i couldnt believe how underrated it was. i have seen every slasher movie known to man and "black christmas" is the only one i can't watch by myself. the acting is superb, the directing is top-notch, and the suspense concepts cant be beat. the movie has a vibe that will never leave you. currently out of print, this movie deserves a dvd release...john carpenter should be ashamed of himself for taking credit for being groundbreaking with "halloween"...bob clark's "black christmas" is still the first and still has not been topped.