Black Christmas (Unrated Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Katie Cassidy, Michelle Trachtenberg, Kristen Cloke, Crystal Lowe, Lacey ChabertDirector: Glen Morgan
Studio: Dimension Films
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Running Time: 95 minutes
DVD Release: April 3rd 2007
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DVD Review
Needless and unnecessary are two words that have little meaning in Hollywood, especially when you're talking sequels or remakes. Case in point: Black Christmas, the revisionist version of the 1974 horror thriller largely thought to be the proto-slasher movie (this was four years before the first Halloween installment). The original, from director Bob Clark, is still considered a masterpiece of tension, understatement, innovative camera perspective, economic efficiency (a polite way of saying "ultra-low budget"), and killing off pretty young girls in grisly ways without any cumbersome exposition regarding the psychopath's motives. This, by the way, from the same Bob Clark who would soon bring us the beloved Porky's franchise as well as Black Christmas's polar opposite, the sweetly nostalgic classic A Christmas Story. Anyway, as needless and unnecessary as this remake is, it certainly delivers the goods on 21st-century slasher conventions as the sorority sisters of Alpha Kappa are picked off during Christmas break in ever more gruesome fashion. There's nothing wrong with all of this, particularly for fans of impalements, crushed skulls, ripped-out eyeballs, and some good old-fashioned Christmas cookie cannibalism. Writer-director Glen Morgan, who earned his own credibility as co-creator of the Final Destination series and the interesting 2003 remake of Willard adds a few clever visual homages to the original along with the amped-up extreme gore. Clark's device (was he the first to use it?) of creepy, mouth-breathing phone calls from killer to victim remains intact and creepy. He also resurrects Andrea Martin, one of the then-unknown actor victims who, now famous, plays the prim housemother. Another addition, which may not be so welcome to purists of the genre, is a load of exposition and backstory for the killer. Disturbing as these flashback set pieces are, they're also somewhat distracting to the foreboding tone. But you get what you pay for, and lots of people are going to pay dearly to dream of the shocking frights another Black Christmas will bring. --Ted Fry
User Reviews
What a gore fest!!! - Rating: 5/5
I liked this movie for the gore and the fear factor. I didn't see the orginal movie, so I am not going to judge it with the orginal. I don't tend to do this anyway because a movie should be judged for itself only. There is one thing that I did take from the orginal though, when I was a kid I do remember that the original was ban in many cities in this area because of the content of the movie. That is what drew me to watch this one. I thought that this movie was a very scarey movie and with alot of gore. It did remind me of Friday the 13th with all of the people being killed. There was a suprise ending that wasn't really expected. This movie is a must for all horror/gore fans. I do highly recommend it.
Christmas in Black - Rating: 3/5
The original "Black Christmas" is considered a cult classic, but unlike other horror cult classics that have been subject to Hollywood's remake craze ("Texas Chainsaw Massacre", "Dawn Of The Dead", "The Hills Have Eyes", "Halloween"), it's not known outside of horror circles. Few have seen the original, but then again, as this was a box-office bust, few have seen the remake, either. In the original, an unknown and unseen psychopath breaks into a sorority house at Christmas break, hides in the attic, makes some of the lewdest, most demented obscene phone calls ever, and picks the house's occupants off one by one. It's only at the end that the "Final Girl" realizes that something is wrong.
The remake takes a different approach. The killers (there are 2 in this movie) are known immediately. The sorority sisters realize something is wrong right away. The audience is treated to a whole back story on the house and killers' connection to it. The problem is that most of this barely works, if it works at all. Admittedly, the killers are a bit creepy, but the whole back story is completely ludacris and non-sensical. Actually, I think if they had written that better and did away with the dumbest parts (the incest element is the worst part; a mother completely despises her son's very existence, and yet has sex with him? oh please...) the film could have been much better. The obscene calls are treated as an after-thought and aren't very disturbing at all. The sorority sisters are faceless. Honestly, I couldn't even keep their names straight. Katie Cassidy emerges as the film's heroine only because she's the last one left. Early on, there is nothing that stands out about her, unlike Olivia Hussey's character in the original. Crystal Lowe, the sorority's drunken cynic, sounds unconvincing as she rattles off reasons why Christmas is a farce. The other girls range from bland to utterly forgettable. Also, anyone expecting a movie about sorority sisters to contain a lot of T&A will also be disappointed. In short, the viewer will not be emotionally invested in any of the characters. To the contrary, you might be cheering on their deaths.
So what's to like? Well, remember that this is a slasher flick. The basic point of slasher films is to feed victims to a killer. And the movie accomplishes that fairly well. There's a lot of violence, which is what fans of these types of movie really want, so maybe they overlook most of the film's flaws. Think about it, are the "Friday the 13th" movies that much more well-made? I don't think so, but people love them (myself included). So, if you are looking for a cheesy dumb horror flick to rent one weekend, this might be one you enjoy.
A Great Gorefest For All Horror Fans - Rating: 5/5
Blood, Guts, Sex And An Insane Psychopathic Killer..What More Could You Ask For? This Movie Was Great. The Original Was Better But This One Is Definitely Worth The Money To Buy And Or Rent As Well...As Big Fan Of Slasher Flicks I Wish I Could Give This One AT Least A Nine But We Only Get 5..So..Yeah..If Your The Type That Likes A Good Slasher In The Spirit Of Freddy And Jason And Chucky And All Of The Above Masters Than This Is IT!
She's My Famliy Now - Rating: 5/5
this movie was pretty disturbing, it was a very good movie. it was pretty disgusting, espicaily when billy made cookie cut outs of his moms flesh, nasty. well if you like these sort of films then check it out.
Dear God why? - Rating: 1/5
I won't say the original was a classic but this, geeze, is the equivalent of a cinematic abortion. It never truly develops, is never given the chance too, and is so stunted in every way (dialogue, acting, directing, storyline) that I feel justified in being pro choice. One can only imagine how much worse this could have gotten if it had actually run a full two hours.
