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zingy
College Boy Z
Joined: Mon Oct 11, 2004 8:40 pm
Posts: 36662
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 Black Christmas (1974) Black Christmas Quote: Black Christmas is a 1974 Canadian slasher film directed by Bob Clark and written by A. Roy Moore, and largely based on a series of murders that took place in Quebec, Canada around Christmas time. The film's score is by Carl Zittrer. It was distributed by Ambassador Film Distributors in Canada and Warner Bros. in the United States. It follows a group of college students who must face a deranged serial killer lurking in their sorority house. It stars Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, Andrea Martin, Marian Waldman, and John Saxon. A remake of the same name directed by Glen Morgan was released on December 25, 2006. The movie is supposed to be loosely based on the Urban Legend called The Baby-Sitter. An excellent horror film. I liked it better than Halloween, actually. A-
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| Fri Mar 31, 2006 11:44 pm |
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STEVE ROGERS
The Greatest Avenger EVER
Joined: Fri Oct 29, 2004 4:02 am
Posts: 18501
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Re: Black Christmas Zingaling wrote: An excellent horror film. I liked it better than Halloween, actually.
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| Tue Apr 11, 2006 11:01 pm |
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makeshift
Teenage Dream
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 12:20 am
Posts: 9247
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A+
Arguably one of the greatest horror films of all time, and easily one of the most influential horror films of all time (the supposed "Godfather" of slashers, Halloween, stole from it). Still effective thirty years later, with one of the best twist endings in horror history. A truly frightening film.
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| Tue Apr 11, 2006 11:10 pm |
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coolmoviedude999
Indiana Jones IV
Joined: Sat Mar 12, 2005 3:20 pm
Posts: 1108
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I like to place movies in their time period. What would I think if I saw this the year it was made in that kind of environment?
This movie is well made. Unfortunately, this movie never earned the reputation that TCM and Halloween did. That's a shame. Because, in same ways it works better than those. Halloween in ways seems like a ripoff set on a different holiday. Both are slashers. Both have three main girls. Both follow a slashery storyline. Both have heroines who carry the story. Secondary female characters we follow both die around an hour into the film. It's obvious Halloween was influenced by this film. Not that I don't enjoy Halloween. It just wasn't as original as some want to make it out to be.
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So, I agree with Makeshift.
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| Wed Apr 12, 2006 12:53 am |
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Dr. Lecter
You must have big rats
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 4:28 pm
Posts: 92093
Location: Bonn, Germany
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B
Unlike the poster above me, I usually judge movies by today's standards at least as much as by the time period it was released in. I aknowledge the influence the movie has had on horror movies. I now realize where Wes Craven and John Carpenter got some of their inspiration from. I recognized several distinct camera shots and plot devices that were endlessly recycled later on. I appreaciate the movie for that.
But as it is, I don't experience the movie as very suspenseful or scary at all. Indeed, it does have an interesting cinematography, good editing and a very effective ending, but other than that this movie really doesn't seem outstanding to me. I do not perceive the killer in the film as particulary menacing (even though that one shot with his eyes in the darkness was relatively creepy). The female heroine doesn't do anything to me either as her performance is mediocre at best.
It is a decent movie and I agree that it is a must-see for horror movie fans. I actually liked it more than Halloween which I consider to be one of the more overrated horror movies ever, but it still doesn't strike me as a horror masterpiece.
_________________The greatest thing on earth is to love and to be loved in return!
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| Wed Apr 12, 2006 6:58 am |
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The Dark Shape
Extraordinary
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2004 3:56 am
Posts: 12119
Location: Adrift in L.A.
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Fantastic. I don't like it quite as much as Halloween (Carpenter's simply a better director than Bob Clark), but it's incredibly atmospheric and creepy. Plus, y'know, it's got John Saxon, which automatically makes it good.
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| Wed Apr 12, 2006 12:22 pm |
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trixster
loyalfromlondon
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 6:31 pm
Posts: 19697
Location: ville-marie
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Re: Black Christmas (1974) Clark's obviously got a terrific eye, and the roaming, POV camera only adds to the scares and unsettling feeling, but I feel like it never really takes off like it should; indeed, it seems rather short and abbreviated considering its runtime. Billy is creepy, but underused, and Peter simply isn't in it enough to be a convincing decoy. There's no Michael Myers, to be sure.
Still, it's much better-acted than Halloween, and makes better use of its limited budget, even if I don't think it's quite as effective.
_________________Magic Mike wrote: zwackerm wrote: If John Wick 2 even makes 30 million I will eat 1,000 shoes. Same. Algren wrote: I don't think. I predict. 
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| Mon Dec 26, 2011 10:12 pm |
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