DVD Review: Black Christmas (B+)

Black Christmas (1974)
Directed by Bob Clark
Starring Olivia Hussey, Margot Kidder, Andrea Martin and John Saxon
MPAA: R
Grade: B+

Review by Bobby Nashville

Before John Carpenter's Halloween kick started the slasher genre, this little movie laid the groundwork. Directed by Bob Clark, the director of A Christmas Story and Porky's, Black Christmas is an evenly paced horror flick that does just about everything right. Quirky characters and lots of tension propel this forgotten classic forward, and with the lights down low it might make you jump out of your seat a couple times.

Its Christmas time but the holidays are spoiled at this Canadian sorority house by a psycho killer who has targeted the lovely young ladies for terror. His trademark is calling the house and making sicko prank calls either while murdering someone or immediately after. One at a time the ladies of the house find themselves at the mercy of the sicko, while the camera deftly obscures the identity of the killer.

The casting for Black Christmas was right on target. You've got Olivia Hussey as the main target, a beautiful young gal with long 1970s hair. She has a weirdo boyfriend with lots of issues, so he clearly becomes the top suspect right off the bat. But is he really the guy? You also have Margot Kidder as the rebel of the Black Christmas sorority. Kidder's character likes to booze it up and mouth off to everybody (nice!). Speaking of booze, the house's maid, Mrs. Mack, likes to booze it up as well. She likes to hide liquor bottles all over the house and making silly comments to herself about how much fun it is to drink.

I recommend taking a shot along with Mrs. Mack and Margot Kidder whenever they do the same onscreen, it makes for a fun drinking game. Andrea Martin (yes the SCTV alumn) makes an early appearance here as a mousy sorority gal that seems a tad off.

Packed with frights and delights, Black Christmas is a forgotten horror classic that horror fans need to dust off and take a fresh look at.

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