Black Christmas

For the month of December I want to do a series of holiday themed movie reviews. What better way to start this off with Bob Clarks 1974 classic. This movie follows girls in a sorority house being harassed with mysterious phone calls. Soon one of the girls goes missing as the phone calls intensify. As more and more disappearances occur, Jessica (played by Olivia Hussey) with the help of local police must help with capturing the suspect.

Black Christmas is an excellent holiday horror mystery movie. I think the strongest part is the killer. He was never really shown in the movie and even in the end you are not told who it is. I believe that adds to the suspense and terror of it. The phone calls he makes to the girls are relatively disturbing as well. The reactions of the girls turn from classic responses to prank calls to genuine fear as the movie develops. The phone calls were an exceptional way to set up the killer. Even though the characters and the audience can't see him, we can hear his derangement and uneasiness in his voice. At the very beginning of the movie we are shown him entering the house where he remains for the remainder of the film. Being shown at the start sets up a strong stage for the rest of the movie, as every action taken, every conversation could be seen by the unseen killer. I was not a fan of most of the characters' personalities as they all seemed one dimensional. With that being said it did not draw away from the overall enjoyment of the movie. Secondly I felt the movie was a little slow at times. It would spend lots of time on some pretty insignificant and lackluster characters just for them to die. I get that is the point of slasher movies but their deaths didn't make me feel one way or another so that was the problem I had with it. Lastly I felt the kills were a little underdeveloped. They had set ups for some fun and creative kills but they would happen off screen which was a little disappointing.

I know I went on there with things I did not like about Black Christmas, but it is definitely worth checking out, especially if you are in a Christmas movie mood. It has a solid story which has stood the test of time, and is definitely a classic for a reason. It has elements that we don't see often in horror movies and made bold choices that make it stand out. I will give this one a 7/10. It will definitely be one to add to the seasonal watching list.