Black Christmas

As someone who likes to think they know their way around the horror genre, it was a bit of a surprise to myself that I had never seen Black Christmas, despite it being very well regarded and seen by many as helping to give rise to the slasher movie. So this re-release, in it's original form with no 'Directors cut' to worry about, was a chance for me to put this right.

It's a set up that has been seen many times since, and is perfect in it's simplicity, a sorority house is terrorised over Christmas by first obscene phone calls and then violence as the girls are picked off one by one by the killer. It's a testament to Bob Clark that that the film is so engaging and chilling, despite the now familiar plot and the acting and visuals being dated and far from polished.

The camera is often the killer's first person perspective, and again, although this is a well worn trick, it feels innovative in this film which is I think because it is so raw. It is also used very subtly, not as an excuse for seeing extreme violence up close and personal, as is so often the case today. Instead, the camera stalks it's victims, it hides from them, it raises it's head briefly to look through a window then quickly ducks away. When it comes to the kills themselves, we only get to see the terror on the faces of the victims, no huge gushes of blood, no insertions of knives. It's what you don't see that scares you.

The phone calls themselves are equally disturbing. Strange sounds, weird voices, screams, perverted obscenities. You really aren't sure what you are being subjected to. The distorted voice of the Scream films has nothing on this.

Often with films of this genre, it's the ending which is important. And this is where Black Christmas really does excel. There is no massive fight, no flurry of bloodshed. it almost seems anti-climatic. Until the final few moments, which, through being brainwashed my modern horror, leaves you expecting one last fright, but it never materialises. Instead you are left with an eery, creepy and very disturbing silence that lingers in the conscious long after the final credits are finished.

After all this time, it still feels fresh.