Bob Clark’s “Black Christmas” (1974) is a petrifyingly scary movie, simply one of many all-time most unsettling to happen through the yuletide vacation season.
Whereas not successful upon launch (it left a really small impression), it was among the many first of the Canadian Tax Shelter movies made, so referred to as as a result of a finances was established to assist create a Canadian movie scene and permit budgets for movies with industrial potential.
“Black Christmas” and the early works of David Cronenberg had been among the many Canadian Tax Shelter movies; whereas Cronenberg finally broke via to widespread success and acclaim, neither his earliest works nor “Black Christmas” had been hits of their day.
The movie that wound up super-charging the Canadian movie trade was none apart from Ivan Reitman’s “Meatballs” (1979).
A long time later, not solely does “Black Christmas” stand out for being certainly one of Clark’s finest two Yuletide movies (extra on that later), however it additionally influenced dozens of subsequent horror movies.
Clark’s movie opens on a gorgeous shot of a cottage decked in Christmas lights on a snowy evening. It appears to be like like we’re in for a heartwarming household movie, till the title font reminds us: this can be a horror movie.
We meet the beautiful younger members of a sorority – the central characters who stand out are Jess, performed by Olivia Hussey (post- “Romeo & Juliet”) and Barb, performed by a pre-Lois Lane Margot Kidder. Whereas everybody within the bunch is buoyant and full of life, able to have a good time the vacations, a horrific telephone name brings everybody to a chilly silence.
Then a few of the sorority members begin to vanish.
Potential suspects come up, like Peter, performed by a mop-haired, unrecognizable Keir Dullea (Dave Bowman from “2001: A Area Odyssey”) who performs Jess’ moody, controlling boyfriend and…wait…did you hear that? Is there somebody up within the attic?
The perspective photographs that set up the fractured mindset of “Billy” aren’t regular and set up a distorted perspective of life. The shock reveals are extraordinarily efficient however don’t come on the lookout for gore and excess- regardless of the killer on the free angle, Clark’s movie is nearer to Hitchcock than “Friday the thirteenth” (1980).
Cinematographer Reginald H. Morris (who later lensed subsequent Clark motion pictures) shows some tour de power cinematography right here. Keep in mind, that is the early Nineteen Seventies, with huge, heavy cameras performing acrobatic feats, all to convey the visage of a damaged thoughts.
Black Christmas – Italian Theatrical Poster
1974 / Canada / Bob Clark pic.twitter.com/aazboRaXDV— psychotronica (@psychotronica_) December 15, 2023
“Black Christmas” performs on the overly acquainted angle of a sorority of potential victims, however exploiting them isn’t what Clark does right here, because the characters are lovely, in fact, but in addition strong-willed and clever. Along with Hussey, Kidder, a pre-“SCTV” Andrea Martin (who can be within the dreadful 2006 remake) and the terrific Lynne Griffin (who can be a standout within the underrated 1983 horror cult movie, “Curtains”).
Martin performed a task that after belonged to Gilda Radner, who left the movie to develop into part of the unique forged of “Saturday Evening Stay.”
Clark’s movie, which is savage in small doses, and refined and inventive most of the time, is a masterpiece of temper, rigidity and suspense. I didn’t meet up with it till I used to be in faculty, the place I watched it with a roommate (we had been each horror film aficionados), solely to be rendered in surprised silence by the ending credit.
A side of “Black Christmas” that makes it uncommon and classier than a lot of what adopted: it doesn’t fetishize any of the murders. What happens here’s a tragedy. That is the uncommon horror movie, then and now, that exudes a uncommon compassion for the victims.
John Saxon’s supporting position as a legislation determine would, oddly, develop into one thing of a horror film staple, although Saxon, as evidenced by this and “A Nightmare on Elm St.” (1984) does the involved cop higher than anybody else.
The moments of humor are welcome (and principally through a scene-stealing Kidder) however the tone is usually critical and dread-inducing. A chilling crossroad is offered for Jess: she both has a violent, unstable boyfriend in Peter or, far worse, Peter and “Billy” are the identical individual.
As a substitute of presenting a definitive reply to that thriller, Clark ends issues on a much more provocative, haunting word.
“Black Christmas” is, to state the apparent, a precursor to “Halloween” (1978), “When a Stranger Calls” (1979), “Silent Evening, Lethal Evening” (1984) and numerous extra. The alternate titles embrace “Silent Evening, Evil Evening” and “Stranger within the Home.”
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One other, way more provocative factoid is that Clark declared that John Carpenter’s “Halloween” copied the blueprint of this film (as said in Richard Nowell’s exhaustive and wonderful 2010 e-book, “Blood Cash: A Historical past of the First Teen Slasher Cycle”). Slightly than choose sides or declare one superior over the opposite, the simple factor is to notice how sturdy and trendy each are.
Noting the methods this influenced subsequent horror motion pictures makes watching this a sport for horror followers: with many scenes being from the angle of “Billy,” and just a few chilling photographs of his eye however his face coated, the mildew was set for everybody starting from Michael Myers to Jason Voorhees and on and on.
Whereas nearly each horror movie, Christmas-themed or in any other case, would sacrifice model and compassion for reasonable thrills and gratuitous, properly, every part, Clark’s movie continues to be petrifying but in addition elegant.
It is a grasp class that manages to get below your pores and skin.