Black Christmas

Black Christmas

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Movie Reviews of Black Christmas

Movie Review: Chills Aplenty
Summary: 5 Stars

"Black Christmas" takes place, predictably, around the Christmas season in a sorority house at a large university. The girls at the house all have their own nasty little secrets, little vices both major and minor that eventually emerge as the evening's madness progresses. The only hint of potential trouble at the start is a weird phone call the girls get from some guy screeching and squawking like a madman, which doesn't really concern them all that much because this guy has called before. The phone call did disturb me because it is as eerie as you could possibly imagine. Subsequent phone calls, where this guy screeches out a woman's name that the film never elaborates on adds additional chills. Who is this guy and what does he want from these young women? Sorority sister Claire is the first girl to go missing, causing her father to arrive on the scene and setting into motion a chain of events that rapidly claims the lives of several principal characters. The cops enter into the picture, and soon place a tap on that pesky phone in an effort to understand what's going on at the house. You can take it from here, but I will say the best thing about watching this movie on a DVD is that it lays to rest once and for all who it is making those crazy phone calls. If you have a pause or slow button on your remote, you can see the murderer's face. Moreover, the disc provides information about an alternate ending that leaves no doubt as to the killer's identity. The sound of a ringing phone over the closing credits was a nice touch.

"Black Christmas" does an excellent job establishing its characters. The primary sorority girl is Jessica Bradford, played by the delightfully beautiful Olivia Hussey, who soon reveals an unfortunate secret involving her temperamental yet musically gifted boyfriend Peter Smythe (Keir Dullea). Jessica's sorority sisters consist of Barb, a wonderfully foul-mouthed alcoholic played by Margot Kidder at the height of her beauty and SCTV member Andrea Martin as the homely looking Phyllis, a no nonsense young lady who can put even the obnoxious Barb in her place with a mere word. The sorority house also has a landlady of sorts, Mrs. MacHenry, a closet drinker with a flip attitude. John Saxon makes an eventual appearance as a cop, and Art Hindle appears as the boyfriend of quickly disappearing sorority sister Claire. There are quite a few recognizable faces in this film, which gives the movie a sort of instant familiarity. All of the actors do a great job here, with Kidder and the lady who plays MacHenry turning in the best performances. Clark works wonders with this stellar cast, often illuminating a specific character trait by relying upon a quick look or a single word. Watch the scene where a drunken Barb receives a brow beating from Phyllis as proof of the director's ability to sketch out his characters.

What I appreciated most about "Black Christmas" was the pervasive atmosphere of impending doom wending its way through the film. Six years before Stanley Kubrick used extended camera shots of the creepy interior of the Overlook Hotel in "The Shining," Clark accomplished the same effect in "Black Christmas." Those lingering shots of the empty hallways and staircases inside the sorority house instill a deeply disturbing sense that something ominous is just around the corner. Moreover, Clark made his film about as bloodless as possible, a rare occurrence in what is essentially a stalk and slash picture. Murders rarely appear in gory detail, but instead show up through quick editing cuts and by implication. Perhaps a rather tame film in terms of gore and an effort to slow down the pace in order to increase the suspense might not appeal to many modern horror fans, but I will take a film like "Black Christmas" over your typical slasher movie any day.

There are two DVD versions of this film floating around on the market right now, and unfortunately I watched the one with little in the way of extras. Make sure to look for the one with commentary tracks from Clark and Saxon on it. "Black Christmas" is a classic, although generally forgotten, horror film that belongs in the collection of every serious fan of the cinematic macabre. Besides, even if you don't appreciate the film, you can still learn the proper way to give a cop your new telephone area code!

Summary of Black Christmas