Customer Reviews

Black Christmas [VHS]

5 star:		(178)
4 star:		(70)
3 star:		(26)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

There is no need to discuss what a classic the original Black Christmas is. That has been done at length by reviewers for other releases. This review is specifically for the Black Christmas [Blu-ray] edition.

The transfer and sound are great. There are still some traces of foreign matter visible from the print used, but this is the nicest copy you'll probably ever see on a home edition. I believe it is the same transfer used for the Special Edition in 2006.

The features are identical to the Special Edition release:
- 12 Days of Black Christmas featurette
- Midniht Q&A
- Interviews ( Olivia Hussey, Margot Kidder, and Art Hindle)
- 'Uncovered' Sound scenes


My only complaint is the lack of subtitles or commentaries, and for that reason I only give 4 stars. Apparently space limitations were the problem on the Special Edition. That would not be a problem on blu ray. It seems the rights to the commentaries from the 2002 Collector's Edition are owned by another company so those were not available, but it seems that new actor commentaries might have been obtained for this edition.

Sadly, Bob Clark was killed by a drunk driver in 2007. For fans wanting the director's commentary, the collector's edition is the only option and will become increasingly harder to obtain.

If you have the Special Edition and an upconvert dvd player you might give this one a miss, as there are no new features to speak of. If you have a blu ray player and don't already own the special edition, the Blu-ray edition is the way to go. Of course, you can hold out for a "Definitive Edition". There's always next Christmas...

We talked her into taking us to see this when it came out and she has never let us forget it. At the time, they even gave out little badges to the audience that said: It's Going to be a Black Christmas this Year. Wish I still had that!

Anyway one of the first, best slasher horror films ever. Halloween can say thanks. When a Stranger Calls can say thanks ... This is one scary flick. Sorority girls on campus over Christmas are, unknowingly, being slaughtered one at a time by a menancing stranger who will not stop calling their house.

Cast is fine re: suspects and gals in peril. Margot Kidder is very funny as the bad girl and the ending is, well, great! A classic.

I am 35 years old and I remember when this first came out on HBO back in the early 80's. I believe I was either ten or eleven when I first saw it. My parents went to sleep right before it came on and I stayed up to watch it (which they wouldn't have let me in any way if they knew this movie!). This was the movie that put a deep dread AND fascination in me for horror movies and suspense/thrillers. It terrified me beyond words, yet as good horror movies do they take you for a ride that thrills you to your core. Man, I remember the unbelievable dread at the end of the movie and after it was over I remember saying to myself "That was the most scared I've ever been".

There have been times as an adult that took me back to the horror that this movie implanted in me as a child....One night, sleeping in my apartment alone, I was suddenly awoken by my door opening. I slept in almost complete darkness at the time. I jumped into the "fight or flight" mode and the flight took control...I screamed and screamed like a little girl throwing my pillow at the unseen attacker! I was able to turn on the lights and I came to find out that the wind (during the summer with windows open) was responsible for pushing my door open when it wasn't shut all the way. I woke up my neighbors with the screams and commotion I made and they called the cops thinking I was being murdered! LOL Man was I embarrassed! But after it was over I remembered that that fear I felt was so similar to the fear I first felt when I watched Black Christmas all those years before.

Another instance when, I was a teen, I remember watching a news broadcast which told of a stranger living in the basement of a family's house for several months before the family found out. I believe the man was insane and would come upstairs in the dead of night to sneak food and use the bathroom. Apparently he would go upstairs while everyone slept and watch them. He didn't hurt them, but MAN! That gave me the same creeps that this movie did. It made me search every square inch of my house, during the day with a shotgun! I guess it just goes to show that a truly good scary movie like this one can really get under your skin!

Some folks give this movie a four, three and even two star rating, which amazes me. There really is no film that compares with this one for the creepiness and dread. I think that the younger folks who are more used to the modern horror movies just can't appreciate, I believe, the genius of the suspense, dread and insane-ness of this movie. We will see the same reaction with the new re-make of this movie coming out in theaters this Christmas (2006). I've seen the few teasers and trailers for the new movie and it looks awful compared to the original. They have to include such gore and what I call "flesh shock" to try to make something out of the new movie which tells me that the terror isn't there. Movies like Black Christmas, Halloween and TCM never relied on blood or gore for its horror, and I believe movies that do, generally speaking, just aren't good horror movies. Its the psychological horror that counts, not the blood or gore.

If you are twenty five and younger, try watching this movie by yourself, alone in the dark of night. You'll then understand that feeling of deep dread and "creepiness" that will make you stop the movie, turn on all the lights and re-check the windows and doors and the closets and under the bed...and maybe even the attic if you have the strength to do so!

Oh man, where do I start? This film is one of my favorite horror films. It has the right mixture of horror, suspense, and comedy. It also has small amounts of gore (well, by today's standards) which is a good thing to some viewers.

The plot of the film is simple. It takes place at a sorority house/boarding school around Christmas time. A crazed killer finds his way into the attic of the house and starts making obscene phone calls from the second phone line. Then, he starts offing the inhabitants of the house one by one. Olivia Hussey stars as the film's heroine and Keir Dullea co-stars as her misunderstood love interest... but Margot Kidder steals the show as Hussey's drunken, foul mouthed friend. A very young Andrea Martin (of SCTV fame) is also in the film.

This film inspired elements of the Scream movies, When A Stranger Calls, and countless others. I recommend it to anyone who loves a good scary movie.

I saw this film when it first came out years ago. I have never forgotten it. In fact, whenever I discuss horror films with horror film fans, I need only describe the plotline about "the guy in the attic movie with Olivia Hussey" - everyone knows exactly what film I am talking about. To a man or woman the response is the same - "it scared the hell out of me".

Its' hard to believe that Bob Clark made this film as well as the Porky's trilogy- but hey, comedy and horror both take talent.
Halloween, Friday the Thirteenth, Nightmare on Elmstreet,et al, all copy elements contained in this truly frightening film.

It takes place at a off-campus house over Christmas break. It involves a group of young college women who, unbeknownst to them, have a visitor. Thats all I'll say. I've never forgotten this film.

Even after buying the DVD (and its' great with lots of extras), and having Bob Clark explain exactly how he made this film, it still scares me. Hardly any blood or gore-just incredibly imaginative,intense, film making. Just try watching it alone.

As the saying goes "you won't sleep through it", in fact you might have a hard time ever sleeping again, at least in a house with a large attic in it.

The surprise ending still works. Oh yea, it still works-"Agnes, its' me, Billy"................................

BLACK CHRISTMAS is THE original classic mad killer on the loose film, predating the better known HALLOWEEN by four years. It's the only film that I feel can stand next to HALLOWEEN when it comes to pure suspense and atmosphere. The plot is simple: an unseen psycho sneaks into a college soroity house and makes obscene (they truly are!)phone calls to the women from an unused phone line. One by one, he picks them off over a two day period as the police (John Saxon) try to trace the calls and the unsuspecting women (Olivia Hussey, Margot Kidder, Andrea Martin) sit in the house with the killer above them, waiting to strike. Director Bob Clark does a wonderful job keeping the suspense at a high pitch and his handling of the camera is sure and clever. The film also benifits from extremely atmosphereic cinematography and ambiant music and sound effects, permeating the film with an eriee winter feel that adds much to the proceedings. The ending is absolutely creepy and unnerving. In this era of hip horror, ala'SCREAM, you could do no wrong checking out this underappreciated, well acted and crafted chiller. BLACK CHRISTMAS is an underrated masterpiece. END

I'm ashamed of myself. I'm a big horror/scary movie fan, but this is the first time I have ever seen the quiet little gem that is Black Christmas. Where have I been and what can I do to make up for the loss?. Watch it dozens of times this holiday season?. Okay!. Director Bob Clark's film is a beautiful movie. But more on that later. Widely reported that the film is similar in ways to Halloween, but Halloween came out 4 years later, is true. A few girls stalked by a maniacal killer in a big house on a holiday. Okay. POV shots of the killer's vision. Check. Nothing will overcome my undying love for Carpenter's film. Black Christmas is a great movie, but not as great as Halloween. But who cares. It's wonderful all on it's own. The movie takes places in Bedford(get it?), during the Christmas holiday. A few sorority girls are staying behind at their sorority house for the holidays. Jess(Olivia Hussey), Barb(Margot Kidder), and Phyl(Andrea Martin), are among those few. Unbeknownst to them, a strange sicko has climbed into the attic and plays his maniacal game with the young ladies. He harasses them with obscene calls, and then starts taking them out one by one. It seems simple, as it is, but is incredibly effective. Just like Halloween was. Bob Clark crafts a film that is obviously, and wonderfully, in the 70's, and that's what gives these older films character and ambiance. The film looks good, and Clark infuses the film with the right feel and tone of the season, while something dastardly is going on. Knowing what's going on(and what is to come)while hearing the haunting echos of "Silent Night" or any other Christmas tune in the background is haunting and eerie. Like Halloween, the movie is all about tone, fear, suspense, and utter terror. Light on the blood and overly photogrpahed death scenes, the movie builds on it's suspense as the minutes tick by. Just like...well, you know. I was surprised with how funny the film was too. The housemother, Ms. Mack, is a hoot!. The rest of the cast is good too. Olivia Hussey is engaging as Jess, our heroine. Lovely, sweet, but can take care of herself if need be. Margot Kidder played her character Barb wonderfully as well. John Saxon also appears in the film. And then there is our killer. But who is he?. Billy. We never really get to see the killer(part of the film's charm and one of their clever tricks), and we are left at the end not knowing anything more than when the film started. Bad ending?. No. It's great. It leaves you with unanswered questions, and sometimes leaving them unanswered is far more interesting and creepy than having everything explained. The extras here are okay, but nothing special. Some of the interviews(mainly the seperate ones with Hussey and Kidder)seem cheap and amateurish. You can't really hear the questions they are being asked either. In the end, Black Christmas is a tightly packaged scare ride with great atmosphere, mood, suspense, and scares. I may be years late in discovering this little gem, but it's better late than never. Black Christmas is a gem.

Before there was Friday the 13th, before there was Halloween, there was Black Christmas. This movie kind of layed out the groundwork or blueprint so to speak of those future horror movies.

The movie takes place in a sorority house, A killer has secretly entered the house and stays in the attick. The girls begin getting obscene phonecalls, these phonecalls are the freakiest part of the movie if you ask me, these calls are especially eerie and frightening. The girls then begin disappearing one by one. They go to the police about the missing girls and the obscene phonecalls. When the police are able to trace the calls they find out that the calls are coming from inside the house. Even though we never get to see the killer (except for his eyes) it's very obvious who the killer is. Or is it????????

This movie was very entertaining and suspensful. I liked the affect of the howling wind and the slamming of the piano keys in the backround. It greatly adds to the eerieness of the film. Also you can definitely see the difference between this movie (made in 1974) and a typical 80's slasher film. No T & A and not much gore but it takes nothing away from the movie at all. Make sure you see Black Christmas, it's well worth a look.

I am an extreme horror collector. I have been viewing, collecting, and building my 20 best horror films of all time. Well, after finally locating this masterpiece after many years I have finally found my number one. To all of you doubters, understand what this first and best slasher move has to offer...

1. The all-time scariest maniac, "Billy" -- Just because he is so freaky and unpredictable. He runs instead of walking, knocks stuff over, uses several weapons, talks to his prey, plays with his dead prey, tells his prey what he is going to do to them, has at least three personalities, goes into rages, and sings songs. Top that Jason or Freddy.

2. Now familiar settings that just seem fresh. I know that its hard to believe that a frat house could ever be fresh, but it is in this movie. Amazing!

3. Comedy! Yes, all great horror movies need to have at least a little comedy in them. And B.C. has it fair share. Not too much but enough for you to let your guard down.

4. Intensity. When the killer "Billy" stalks a victim, you feel like you are being chased also. You can see kills coming but they still make you jump.

5. Last but not least - One killer eye scene that will make you scream like a little girl!

I just can't go on enough about this film. It has everything. You have to see this movie to understand how many other films have ripped it off. It is so great that this masterpiece is finally getting some of the credit it deserves. Buy it Now!!!

Bob Clark's masterpiece horror film "BLACK CHRISTMAS" is one of my very favorite horror movies! This one is SCARY AS HELL! Truely one of the best & most underrated slasher films of all time! The killers point of view is groundbreaking camera work & done years before John Carpenter's "HALLOWEEN" came out.