Christmas Watchathon 2024: Black Christmas (1974)

  

    A very happy 50th anniversary to this movie (12/20)!!! This was a re-watch for me, but I was viewing with first-watchers Dirk and Kyle. A very enjoyable early slasher movie; probably one of the best in the sub-genre of Christmas-based horror! :-) The highlights of the movie are definitely the sound design-- I love the haunting little creepy piano stings throughout-- and BILLY! The phone calls are insanely chilling and you just have to imagine how scary it'd be on the receiving end. Additionally, I'm absolutely crazy about him always being shrouded in shadow.

SPOILERS BELOW!
 I really advise you stop reading here and watch this movie if you've yet to!

    On the twist of Peter not really being the killer, they certainly could have given the audience more to work with... besides the difference in eye color, even on re-watch I didn't see anything the viewer could have used to come to their own conclusions. This is definitely something that later slasher movies better handled. Either way, I rather loved it!

FAVORITE CHARACTERS:

Billy 

Don't misconstrue my meaning, hes horrible, but hes an incredible slasher! The scenes shot with a handheld camera from his P.O.V. are great, and the shots of a single eye being visible are chilling. Super duper cool!

 

Jess

She's not a particularly memorable final girl, but I really appreciated the plot line with her pregnancy and how strongly she stood on her desire to abort. Interesting character, and I appreciated her! Certainly no Sydney or Ripley though.

 

 

Entry #3 of my Christmas Watchathon

Black Christmas: 4/5

Arthur Christmas
Love Actually
A Year Without Santa Claus
The Muppet Christmas Carol
It's a Wonderful Life
Black Christmas
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Klaus
Gremlins