"That's a nice-a donut."

Monday, June 12, 2006

Black Christmas (1974)

Some nine years before director Bob Clark fashioned what is arguably the prototypical and ideal family Christmas movie, he actually created another important Christmas film. Black Christmas isn't remotely anything like A Christmas Story, however. Instead of being a rather wholesome family story that most everyone can relate to in one way or another, it is a gritty, violent and bloody horror movie. In fact, the groundbreaking movie bears little resemblance to a holiday movie other than its pre-Christmastime setting.

The setting is a small college; a group of sorority sisters at their house are gathering for a holiday reception prior to their break. But the fun and good times are interrupted when one of them disappears. Around the same time, the women (including Margot Kidder and Olivia Hussey) also begin receiving very strange unwanted phone calls - some just obscene and others strange and rather terrifying. After the opening party the movie alternates betweens scenes of fright inside the house, and trying to look for the missing friend and getting help outside. Clark smartly chooses to hide the identity of the killer for much of the film; the madman is only shown in shadows as well as a radical first-person viewpoint. Eventually it becomes quite obvious who the killer is, which could have had a dulling effect on the remainder of the movie, but instead we empathize with Jess (Hussey) and the real tension is with her. When will she find out, how soon will she find out, and will she even make it out alive?

There is some silliness early on in the film. Such as how the house mom is a lush who has hidden stashes of liquor throughout the house, or a Santa Claus who isn't quite family friendly in front of some kids, or the drunken lout (Kidder) who makes a fool of herself one evening. And the police department seems to made up by a staff of what might generously be called incompetence, though familiar face John Saxon provide relatable and very likeable police lieutenant.

But the movie never needed to be a very character driven story. It is probably most notable for the phone calls and the subsequent infamous reveal to the main character. But it also about its chilly atmosphere, and the finale is stunning in its simplicity and its truly scary climax. For whatever reason, it isn't given its due as other 70s horror classics. And, in fact, many people credit Halloween (which wouldn't arrive for four more years) as the standard bearer of slasher films. It's true, Halloween is better - but many horror pictures owe even more to Black Christmas.

The Verdict: B+.

Michael Bentley 2:17 PM

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