Black Christmas

[Rick]

If you haven't heard of this film, I'm not suprised. It's a little known horrow film made in 1974 made by the same guy who headed A Christmas Story, Bob Clark. Yes, with Ralphie and the BB Gun, that same movie. With John Carpenter's now classic Halloween not made until 1978, I think it's only fair to officially call Black Christmas the original slasher flick, one of the best, too.

I decided to rent it today on a whim, and my god was I suprised. I was expecting ultra-cheese, and while it may have been cheesy to some, I found the movie genuinely scary and disturbing. The story basically goes that a sororirty house during the Christmas season encounters mysterious dissapearances of its members, accompanied by strange and bizzare phone calls. As time goes on and the phone calls become increasingly frightening, the plot thickens and the ladies of the sorority are engaged in a struggle to survive.

Featuring great performances by Olivia Hussey, John Saxon, and Keir Dullea, this is sure to delight and frighten. With a clever mix of comedy in between the killings, you're sure to crack a smile here and there when you're not pondering whats going to happen next. Perhaps the best thing about this movie is how genuinely psychotic and frightening the killer makes himself, the performance is indeed excellent. Another great thing about this movie is that, unlike horror movies of today which always seem to need some kind of damn nu-metal band blaring or cheesy build-up music, director Bob Clark obviously understood the importance of ambience. All of the most tense and creepy moments are accompanied by silence in the background, which accomplishes in getting your heart racing in anticipation for what might be around the next corner.

Overall, this movie is quite a delight. Black Christmas is such a genuinely stylish and nerve-racking horror film (not to mention one of the best endings, ever) I'm suprised it's not appreciated more these days. If you manage to find it at your local video store by chance, I highly reccomend giving it a chance. You may be pleasantly suprised.

[2D4EVER]

It's the best christmas movie ever. It truely is a classic horror movie. I've recently been to Best Buy and they had a few copies for about $18. Well worth that price imo.

Later all...