Black Christmas (1974)
Plot: During Christmas break, a sorority house is receiving sexually obscene phone calls. They start getting very weird, but they are just prank calls right? That’s what the girls think until one of the sorority girls goes missing, and is nowhere to be found. Soon a little girl is found murdered in town, and the police realize they have a killer on the loose that could be tied to the obscene phone calls.
My Review: I first saw this back in the late 90s I think, and I didn’t enjoy it at all. I was at a totally different place in my life – a teenager that didn’t want to even look at an “old” movie. I decided since it was December and my tastes had changed I should really give it another viewing. I’m glad I did. I enjoyed it a lot more then I remembered, and the best part was that it was like watching it for the first time cause I didn’t remember anything.
The movie quickly gets to the point with the obscene phone calls. I was watching on Netflix online, and cranked the volume to hear what was being said over the phone, and it was still hard to hear. So I recommend using subtitles if possible, I’m sure I missed a lot because I couldn’t make stuff out. The first phone call is the only one that seems “normal” if you can call it that. Its actually somewhat funny how he goes on about how he wants to lick their cunts. All the other calls are random chatter, and very strange noises, with many different voices. It can be assumed that the killer is supposed to be schizophrenic, but that doesn’t explain the different voices at the same time.
There were two points to the movie that I didn’t like. The main thing is that it starts out strong and fast, only to take its precious time getting to the next kill. So, its slightly boring from time to time. The second thing is that the killer is never really explored. He keeps mentioning names over the phone, and he obviously has some sort of backstory, but its never told….since its never told, perhaps it just should never have been mentioned.
I really enjoyed the ending. Even though the girl at the end makes a stupid choice. Also, those of you who have seen When A Stranger Calls (1979) will notice that they completely stole – almost word for word – an entire scene from this movie (as well as the plot!) There is also a very nice shot to the final scene as the camera pulls away from the house.
Gore: There really isn’t too much, a lot is to be left to your imagination. Sometimes a kill will just begin and it cuts off.
Sexual Content: Talk of sex, and abortions. But no nudity.
Acting: Margot Kidder from Superman fame is in this one. Her character is funny, I wish she had a little more screen time. Olivia Hussy is from IT and Romeo and Juliet (which I LOVE), so it was interesting to see her in this movie. But she overacts a lot in the film. The housemother is a complete drunk but she’s pretty funny, and plays it well. John Saxon from A Nightmare on Elm Street fame plays a cop in this one.
Overall: If you like slasher films, give it a watch. Remember, its an older movie, not a whole hell of a lot is shown, its all left up to your imagination for the most part. But it is a decent film, especially for its time.
[rating:3.5/5]
View The Trailer
