Black Christmas (1974)

[JimSmith]

Originally Posted by Todd Tomorrow

I like Black Christmas a lot, but I think Halloween is a far more accomplished film. In the end it was Halloween which spawned a thousand imitators and the slasher genre, not Black Christmas.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is held in the same esteem as Halloween, one of the classics of the new wave of low budget horror of the 60s and 70s, which started with Night of the Living Dead

Like the AVGN James Rolfe said Halloween is an accidental masterpiece.

[Blu Myers]

Originally Posted by JimSmith

Halloween had more memorable characters? Aside from Donald Pleasance who else exactly was memorable? If it wasn't for the William Shatner mask, Donald Pleasance as Dr. Loomis talking about how evil Michael Myers is and the music score Halloween would've been a complete dud! Black Christmas really didn't need any music to make it scary!

I thought Black Christmas' music was a huge part of it's creepiness...Love the battered organ sounds. Both movies are executed flawlessly imo...just in different ways. It's hard for me to pick a favorite.

[redrunner97]

Originally Posted by Blu Myers

I thought Black Christmas' music was a huge part of it's creepiness...Love the battered organ sounds. Both movies are executed flawlessly imo...just in different ways. It's hard for me to pick a favorite.

I thought the music in Black Christmas really set the tone of the film. It's got a lot of dark humor that's played fairly straight at times, but the music offsets it enough to tell you "everything is not alright here".

That being said, I prefer Halloween in every way. But there's no denying Black Christmas' influence on the film, be that direct or indirect considering they both kinda draw from giallo cinema. I just find Halloween more suspenseful and thus more terrifying. That combined with the music, the killer with whom you could project your own fears onto, and all the other subtle things that make it a classic have cemented it as my favorite horror film. But I really adore Black Christmas too.

[Blu Myers]

Originally Posted by redrunner97

I thought the music in Black Christmas really set the tone of the film. It's got a lot of dark humor that's played fairly straight at times, but the music offsets it enough to tell you "everything is not alright here".

That being said, I prefer Halloween in every way. But there's no denying Black Christmas' influence on the film, be that direct or indirect considering they both kinda draw from giallo cinema. I just find Halloween more suspenseful and thus more terrifying. That combined with the music, the killer with whom you could project your own fears onto, and all the other subtle things that make it a classic have cemented it as my favorite horror film. But I really adore Black Christmas too.

Well we all know Halloween is my all-time favorite film, but I had to show some love for Black Christmas. Since first seeing it a few years ago, it has quickly become one of my favorite horror films.

[Monroville]

Originally Posted by JimSmith

john carpenter and his Halloween movie owes EVERYTHING to Black Christmas!!

Actually, Carpenter owes quite a lot of his career to Dario Argento. You should try watching DEEP RED and then HALLOWEEN directly afterwards (it's not so much the story so much as the style). There are scenes Carpenter lifts for HALLOWEEN and HALLOWEEN 2 (the death by boiling water scene).

Which is not a problem for me. In fact, I think it's fun watching a Lucas, Spielberg or Carpenter movie and notice the little bits and pieces they lifted, molded and shaped into their own from movies they no doubt watched as kids and teenagers.

[GeoffOliver]

Originally Posted by JimSmith

Halloween had more memorable characters? Aside from Donald Pleasance who else exactly was memorable? If it wasn't for the William Shatner mask, Donald Pleasance as Dr. Loomis talking about how evil Michael Myers is and the music score Halloween would've been a complete dud! Black Christmas really didn't need any music to make it scary!

Like I said, I don't dislike Black Christmas at all. I like the movie a lot, but it just simply could not top Halloween for me. I thought the teenagers in Halloween were far more memorable with more distinct personalities. The ones in Black Christmas were also pretty memorable for a slasher, but Barb was pretty much the only one with a distinct personality (even more than Olivia Hussey's character Jess), although Mrs. Mac was a great character that I enjoyed (just wish she lasted longer). Also, after viewing Halloween only once, I knew who each and every character was, major or minor. I knew the story inside out, I could already quote countless lines of dialogue, while the film itself was extremely tense, and that sticks with you throughout each and every viewing. Much of the same can be said for Black Christmas, but it's the simplicity of Halloween that makes it stick out. Black Christmas' more involved and complicated plot was smartly written and worked perfectly for the film, but it doesn't leave that big of a footprint in your brain (at least mine) and it unfortunately doesn't stick out quite as much with later slashers, while Halloween is still here and just as terrifying as it was in 1978.

Just my opinion.

[travisbickle]

I watched the Blu last night and noticed that in some of the dark scenes (and some light) there are a few lines mostly on the right side of the screen. Anyone else notice this? I'm hoping it's not burn in on my tv...pretty sure it's not.

You can really notice it in the scene where Billy goes apeshit in the attic and starts knocking stuff over and making a mess.

[Dylan34]

Originally Posted by travisbickle

I watched the Blu last night and noticed that in some of the dark scenes (and some light) there are a few lines mostly on the right side of the screen. Anyone else notice this? I'm hoping it's not burn in on my tv...pretty sure it's not.

You can really notice it in the scene where Billy goes apeshit in the attic and starts knocking stuff over and making a mess.

I'll have to check my copy but the blu-ray transfer is crap!! It needs a remaster bad! a terrible transfer for such a pretty decent horror flick.

[malakaheso]

Originally Posted by GeoffOliver

Like I said, I don't dislike Black Christmas at all. I like the movie a lot, but it just simply could not top Halloween for me. I thought the teenagers in Halloween were far more memorable with more distinct personalities. The ones in Black Christmas were also pretty memorable for a slasher, but Barb was pretty much the only one with a distinct personality (even more than Olivia Hussey's character Jess), although Mrs. Mac was a great character that I enjoyed (just wish she lasted longer). Also, after viewing Halloween only once, I knew who each and every character was, major or minor. I knew the story inside out, I could already quote countless lines of dialogue, while the film itself was extremely tense, and that sticks with you throughout each and every viewing. Much of the same can be said for Black Christmas, but it's the simplicity of Halloween that makes it stick out. Black Christmas' more involved and complicated plot was smartly written and worked perfectly for the film, but it doesn't leave that big of a footprint in your brain (at least mine) and it unfortunately doesn't stick out quite as much with later slashers, while Halloween is still here and just as terrifying as it was in 1978.

Just my opinion.

What?l The Halloween script is pretty much rubbish. There is barely any real character development at all and most of the dialogue is functional. Sure the 'TOTALLY!!' girl is memorable, but she is also idiotic and annoying ;-)

I prefer Halloween to Black Christmas as well but that is mostly due to the cinematic qualities of it; although B.C does leave me feeling uneasy, that's for damn sure.

[balthazar_bee]

Originally Posted by Dylan34

a terrible transfer for such a pretty decent horror flick.

I know it's pretty rough around the edges -- okay, rough all over -- but I remember it looking reasonably faithful. Admittedly, I haven't seen it in a few years.

I do recall that the fellow who oversaw the transfer took a lot of flak on another message board for the quality of the blu-ray. A lot of fans were angry at its ragged appearance, and his rebuttal was something like, "Next time I'll remember to liberally smooth out all that pesky grain and detail."

Now, that was some time ago, so this guy (sorry I can't recall his name) was certainly ahead of the curve as far as treating older films with a modicum of respect. And again, I haven't seen it in ages, so grain of salt.

Originally Posted by malakaheso

I prefer Halloween to Black Christmas as well but that is mostly due to the cinematic qualities of it; although B.C does leave me feeling uneasy, that's for damn sure.

Yeah, it's odd. I certainly think Halloween is a better movie in most respects, but Black Christmas is far more unsettling. Beyond the initial "jumps" that the former provides, the latter actually has me turning on more lights and scrutinizing shadows once the credits roll.

[Scoot79]

Originally Posted by balthazar_bee

I know it's pretty rough around the edges -- okay, rough all over -- but I remember it looking reasonably faithful. Admittedly, I haven't seen it in a few years.

I do recall that the fellow who oversaw the transfer took a lot of flak on another message board for the quality of the blu-ray. A lot of fans were angry at its ragged appearance, and his rebuttal was something like, "Next time I'll remember to liberally smooth out all that pesky grain and detail."

Now, that was some time ago, so this guy (sorry I can't recall his name) was certainly ahead of the curve as far as treating older films with a modicum of respect. And again, I haven't seen it in ages, so grain of salt.

Dan Duffin of itsmebilly.com

I sent a message to Don May, Jr. over at Synapse Films several months ago asking if he would be interested in remastering Black Christmas (1974) like he had done with The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and he said he most certainly would. I pointed him in the direction of Dan Duffin, but haven't heard a word from either of them since.

[Todd Tomorrow]

Originally Posted by malakaheso

What?l The Halloween script is pretty much rubbish. There is barely any real character development at all and most of the dialogue is functional. Sure the 'TOTALLY!!' girl is memorable, but she is also idiotic and annoying ;-)

I prefer Halloween to Black Christmas as well but that is mostly due to the cinematic qualities of it; although B.C does leave me feeling uneasy, that's for damn sure.

The screenplay of Halloween is perfect for the type of film it is, a horror film pared down to its essentials. I always found the three central girls very likeable and Laurie is a memorable heroine who goes from bookish wallflower to fighter. There is as much character development as is needed.

It's true that Halloween is a directors film first but the sparce screenplay facilitates that. Considering how often Halloween has been imitated its hard to appreciate now original its minimalism was at the time. Black Christmas for all its virtues lacks the economy, sleekness and elegance of Halloween.

[themadbutcher]

I know there is a listing here for a new upcoming release of Black Christmas, but so far, no info has been added.

But, I did find this article on a screening in Toronto last week:
http://torontoist.com/2014/12/40-yea...ack-christmas/

If you read until the end, you will see a link to a gorgeous 40th Anniversary poster created by Ghoulish Gary Pullin:


And the mention that "The art will also be used for an upcoming steelbook Blu Ray release in 2015."

[MechaGodzilla]

Originally Posted by themadbutcher

I know there is a listing here for a new upcoming release of Black Christmas, but so far, no info has been added.

But, I did find this article on a screening in Toronto last week:
http://torontoist.com/2014/12/40-yea...ack-christmas/

If you read until the end, you will see a link to a gorgeous 40th Anniversary poster created by Ghoulish Gary Pullin:

[Show spoiler]

And the mention that "The art will also be used for an upcoming steelbook Blu Ray release in 2015."

Of course, just because I finally ordered it after waiting the whole year to see if a 40th anniversary edition would be announced.

[malakaheso]

Originally Posted by Todd Tomorrow

The screenplay of Halloween is perfect for the type of film it is, a horror film pared down to its essentials. I always found the three central girls very likeable and Laurie is a memorable heroine who goes from bookish wallflower to fighter. There is as much character development as is needed.

It's true that Halloween is a directors film first but the sparce screenplay facilitates that. Considering how often Halloween has been imitated its hard to appreciate now original its minimalism was at the time. Black Christmas for all its virtues lacks the economy, sleekness and elegance of Halloween.

The screenplay for Halloween was written very quickly for money from what I've gathered. I would be careful in assigning too much value to it, especially in terms of where it fits into the overall scheme of the vision itself.

Many horror films have minimal screenplays. Horror, however, is a director's medium. That's why to me the Scream films have not really stood the test of time. Too much talk. They feel like soap operas with a serial killer.

As for Black Christmas, it's a film that was caught somewhere in the transitional phase of the genre. I like that the screenplay generally treats its characters as people rather than 'types', which was all too common a feature of the genre after Halloween.

As for the formal qualities, Halloween is the superior film, obviously, but Black Christmas use of form is a little more subtle I think and less noticeable. Carpenter creates very obvious stagey shots, but Clark builds a real sense of claustrophobia through tight framing techniques.

[demonknight]

Sound like Synapse territory, what with the steelbook. I would say it's the mystery title if I didn't know better about Mr. Clark's tragic fate. R.I.P.

[themadbutcher]

Originally Posted by demonknight

Sound like Synapse territory, what with the steelbook. I would say it's the mystery title if I didn't know better about Mr. Clark's tragic fate. R.I.P.

According to the article, the screening was organized by Anchor Bay (Canada), so the Blu-ray might be released through them.

[GeoffOliver]

I'm contempt with the current Blu-ray, but it would be awesome for the fans to see a new release. I love that poster art.

Originally Posted by malakaheso

What?l The Halloween script is pretty much rubbish. There is barely any real character development at all and most of the dialogue is functional. Sure the 'TOTALLY!!' girl is memorable, but she is also idiotic and annoying ;-)

I prefer Halloween to Black Christmas as well but that is mostly due to the cinematic qualities of it; although B.C does leave me feeling uneasy, that's for damn sure.

I appreciate the cinematic qualities of Halloween, and it IS the film's strongest point, but I also feel it also had very memorable characters and entertaining writing. It's not Citizen Kane, but for a horror movie, it's pretty smartly written. I enjoy the scenes of Laurie, Lynda, and Annie chatting as much as I do the horror scenes. I thought most of the teenager dialogue had a weird, but interesting style to it that really sticks out. Annie especially got great lines ("Hey jerk! Speed kills!", "Poor Laurie. Scared another one away...") and so did Lynda ("See anything you like?"). Also, Dr. Loomis' speech about Michael Myers ("The blackest eyes. The devil's eyes") and the final lines of the movie ("Was that the boogieman?" "As a matter of fact... it was."). There were other things as well, like the graveyard caretaker's story, and even what Laurie's teacher was saying that seemed to tie into the themes of the film ("Fate never changes").

Of course, I've only seen Black Christmas once and Halloween countless times, so guess which one I'm more familiar with? To be fair, I would still place Black Christmas among my top 70s/80s slashers, along with guilty pleasures like Prom Night and The Burning. Halloween just happens to be #1.

Margot Kidder had all the best lines in BC, especially when she was talking about the turtles. Her, Ms. Mac and Jess's boyfriend were the most memorable characters to me. Jess was pretty bland (though Olivia Hussey has quite a presence), as well as Phyl. My favorite scene in the film was probably when Margot Kidder was being murdered while Jess was distracted by the carolers. I just thought it was well-filmed and well-edited, and pretty suspenseful too. There was also great contrast between the cheerful carolers and the violent murder. The open-endness of the film was a good-thing too, and pretty scary.

Originally Posted by malakaheso

Many horror films have minimal screenplays. Horror, however, is a director's medium. That's why to me the Scream films have not really stood the test of time. Too much talk. They feel like soap operas with a serial killer.

The third Scream film is really forgettable, and to some extent, the second one is too (though I love the scene with Sidney and Hallie sneaking out of the car), but I think the first one holds up very well (not that it's been out THAT long). There's really nothing else like it. It's a horror-black comedy, but it succeeds equally in both departments, IMO, and it does so smartly. Halloween and Scream are my two all-time favorite horror films, in part because I can appreciate different elements to them.

[Blu2u]

Originally Posted by GeoffOliver

I'm contempt with the current Blu-ray, but it would be awesome for the fans to see a new release. I love that poster art.

A lot of people have contempt for the Blu-ray transfer.

[AlexIlDottore]

Originally Posted by blu2u

a lot of people have contempt for the blu-ray transfer.

:d