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Special Features
- Two newly-discovered original scenes with a new vocal soundtrack
- "The 12 Days of Black Christmas" featurette
- Interview segments with Olivia Hussey and Margot Kidder
- Midnight screening Q&A with John Saxon, Bob Clark, and Carl Zittrer
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
You may never have heard of this neglected 1974 gem, but you've probably seen one of its many imitators. Olivia Hussey and Margot Kidder (also look for Andrea Martin of SCTV fame) star as two residents of a sorority house that is emptying out as Christmas approaches. The atmosphere is jolly and carefree, except for an ongoing series of menacing telephone calls, and, oh yes, we've just seen someone climb into the attic with apparent ill intent. Kidder does some scene-stealing as the bad girl, Hussey illustrates one of the downsides to having beautiful long '70s hair, and Keir Dullea does a nice turn as the creepy boyfriend. Director Robert Clark knows that the unseen is far scarier than what can be seen and he ratchets up the tension beautifully, making good use of ominous shadows, and putting in nice touches like replacing the sound of a distraught woman's scream with the piercing ring of yet another ominous phone call. This is a terrific, well-made little movie that is genuinely sleep-with-the-lights-on scary. Don't miss it. --Ali Davis
Product Description
It's not a lot of fun when you have to spend Christmas Eve stuck in your sorority house. It's even worse when a bloodthirsty psycho slides down your chimney. It's Ho, Ho, Horror with Margot Kidder, Olivia Hussey and Keir Dullea in a cult favorite from Bob Clark ("A Christmas Story"). AKA: "Silent Night, Deadly Night," "Stranger in the House." 98 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital 5.1; bonus footage; documentary; interviews.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 30 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
The real Black Christmas in HD, but still not a definitive edition.
December 22, 2008
Format:Blu-ray
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...
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...
58 of 69 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
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.
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.
22 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By John
Format:DVD
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!
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!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Descent slasher.
This was an okay slasher predating the classic Halloween. I thought the phone calls were creepy. And there was kind of a dread throughout. Not the best but enjoyable. Read more
Published 11 hours ago by joshua showers
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome, Scary Movie
This movie is worth owning, it is truly scary to this day. What I like about it is they don't show a bunch of gore. They rely on acting to make it suspenseful.
Published 1 month ago by April U. Gault
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the Greatest Horror Movies of All Time
Black Christmas is one of my top five Horror movies of all time. I am a big slasher movie fan. Black Christmas predates Halloween four years. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Cagneyfan67
3.0 out of 5 stars
Black Christmas
I liked it. Not as Much as I Liked The Remake. It Was Descent Enough To Own It. Ending Could Have Been Better.
Published 1 month ago by Rick Charter
1.0 out of 5 stars
Blu: picture is beyond grainy and audio sync is off
I love Black Christmas, and it was thrilled to find that Critical Mass had given it a HD makeover. Or so the press materials claimed. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Justin
5.0 out of 5 stars
black christmas
Classic 1970s movie packed with great acting and terrifying plot(in a world before cell phones!) Loved it! Arrived on time,perfect condition and enjoyed immensely :-)
Published 2 months ago by shari
5.0 out of 5 stars
ILHM Reviews Black Christmas
The girls of the Pi Kappa Sigma sorority are receiving threatening phone calls on Christmas Eve, but little do they know that they are coming from a killer that is hiding inside... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Carl Manes
4.0 out of 5 stars
Comedy, and horror, Bob Clark can do both....
Before Porky's 1 and 2, before A Christmas Story, director Bob Clark created this introduction to the infamous slasher film called Black Christmas. Read more
Published 3 months ago by P or T's reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Agnes? It's me, Billy." Creepy, Unsettling, and Atmospheric...
Black Christmas tells the story of a psychotic serial killer stalking and disturbing a group of college students at a sorority house. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Jonathan
2.0 out of 5 stars
BLACK CHRISTMAS: Good concept, Bad Execution
Black Christmas is a 1974 slasher film (widely regarded as the first slasher film). You may never have heard of this neglected horror film, and if so it is definitely worth a... Read more
Published 5 months ago by GSD
