Black Christmas

School has finished for the winter and the residents of a sorority house are having a party and packing to return home for the holidays. Unbeknownst to them, someone has taken up residence in the attic and he's not just there to shelter from the cold. When Clare Harrison (Lynne Griffith) goes missing, the remaining women including Jessica Bradford (Olivia Hussey), Barbie Coard (Margot Kidder) and Phyllis Carlson (Andrea Martin) together with Clare's father (James Edmond) begin searching with the help of Lieutenant Fuller (John Saxon).

As audiences were being scared by such horror movies as The Exorcist, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Wicker Man and Don't Look Now in 1974, Bob Clark's low budget stalker/slasher film went relatively unnoticed and was a feature of the midnight movie and drive-in circuits.

Canadian director Bob Clark had only previously made four films, including Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things and Dead of Night, neither of which featured named actors or a budget to speak of. In Black Christmas however, whilst not working on a budget of millions, Clark still had a bigger budget than ever before and was able to employ known actors: Keir Dullea from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, Olivia Hussey from Romeo and Juliet, Margot Kidder was fresh from her first leading role in Brian De Palmas 1973 horror Sisters and John Saxon had come straight from the set of Bruce Lees final film Enter the Dragon. Due to the budget and this cast, Black Christmas was a far more serious and professional piece of work than Clarks previous offerings and this, together with actors that were known to a wider audience, led to his best film to that date.


Filmed on location in Toronto and using a real house (that is still standing today) for the sorority house gives Black Christmas an authenticity that would be impossible to replicate on a sound stage. Although the film is set in the U.S., most of the cast are Canadian and some have noticeable Canadian accents, this doesn't spoil the film, nor does the fact that most of the students are played by actors in their mid twenties!

Although not a blockbuster hit, Black Christmas made a huge return for the investors and has such a fan-base that it remains a staple in the horror genre, has been released several times on DVD and spawned a 2006 remake which only proves what a great job Bob Clark did 30 years earlier.


The Disc

The Picture
Presented in anamorphic widescreen transfer, Black Christmas doesn't look as crisp as the horrors from the same year, something that can only be attributed to the budget. The picture is clear of grain and other detritus but the contrast and clarity leave something to be desired but not to the extent that it spoils the film.


The Sound
With the original Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo and a new DD 5.1 mix available, I first watched the film with the 5.1 but found it to be badly mixed with inappropriate use of the rear speakers: when Jessica is standing at the front door listening to carol singers, the singing comes from all five surrounds! The stereo mix, in contrast, is much clearer and I found it to be a better soundtrack which led to a more enjoyable viewing experience than with the 5.1.


Extra Features
In the audio commentary, Bob Clark talks through the making of and his thoughts on the film. Unfortunately, he is a pretty dull speaker and his delivery leaves a lot to be desired yet the commentary contains some interesting tit-bits and insights.

The alternative opening sequences show the opening credits for the films alternative titles of Silent Night, Evil Night and Stranger in the House.

The 36 minute Black Christmas Revisited documentary is hosted by Lynne Griffin and Art Hindle who travel through the house in 2002 giving a guided tour. This feature also contains interviews with most of the crew, several of the cast members and is interspersed with film footage.

Dan Duffin narrates his 2002 footage of the Black Christmas house in the 7 minute All Through the House feature. Duffin is arguably the number one fan of the film and the person who designed and created the unofficial website: itsmebilly.com.

There is also an art and photo gallery that needs to be manually navigated.

There are also original radio and TV spots for the film as well as a Tartan Terror trailer reel.


Final Thoughts
Released in 1974, this is arguably the first stalker/slasher film that paved the way for When a Stranger Calls and the Friday the 13th and Halloween franchises. Directed with real tension by Bob Clark and with a brilliantly discordant and unsettling piano-based by Carl Zittrer, Black Christmas proves that less is more and that terror can be achieved without showing much in the way of graphic violence or gore and the result is a must-see for any horror fan. This is a pretty good disc with a very good AV package and array of extra features which provides you with a great deal of information about the film and how it was made.