Review: Black Christmas (1974)

Black Christmas is unsettling right out of the gate. As the film opens to the sounds of Silent Night you get the sense that there is a lot of dread on the horizon. Bob Clark then allows the camera to be the point of view of the killer. This would be done to death later on in the horror genre (Even Halloween effectively did it during the opening scene) but Bob Clark is one of the first to really allow the camera to be a character. A lot of what's going on is seen through the killer's eyes so it makes for a  very creepy experience.  The camera shakes and stumbles as if someone is approaching the house, so from point A we are right inside of the impending dread. It's very surreal to feel like you know what's going to happen while the characters in the film are completely clueless.  It's interesting that When A Stranger Calls, which was released a few years later, gets all the credit for the stranger in the house scenario when Black Christmas was the first to do this.

Then there is the use of the phone which is also another "character" in the film.  The phone calls are grossly obscene and even today's audience seem to find them extremely uncomfortable. This isn't the confident and assured killer on the phone like in Scream, but this is someone who is clearly deranged and talking in circles. He's acting out some obscene scenario that seems to involve many people and he's even providing the voices for all involved.  It's interesting that we don't get to know much about his motives but through these phone calls we get the impression that something truly horrible happened to "Billy". The final phone call is worth mentioning because the scenario is played out in graphic detail and your mind lets you imagine what could have happened, which is all the more frightening.

Bob Clark also successfully crafts a horror film in which you don't really even see the killer. In the film he's merely a voice and a shadow. I'm not sure if this could work now because audiences don't seem to like to use their imaginations (the remake exposed Billy in graphic detail unfortunately) but it worked effectively back then. The two times that we do get a decent shot of him really are frightening moments. The first is as he stands over the bed, preparing to kill one of the girls. His face is covered in shadown while his eye is creepily exposed.  The second is another shot as he peers through a crack in the door at one of his victims. This shot still gives me the chills because it really does catch you off guard. Who thought an eye could look so creepy?

The acting is appropriate for the material. Olivia Hussey is likable enough to play the lead. You can tell she's more comfortable in pieces like Romeo & Juliet but she's quite effective here. Also, she can scream with the best of them which pays off later in the film. Margot Kidder and Andrea Martin have supporting roles as the other sorority sisters. Kidder is a joy to watch especially since this foul-mouthed boozy character would become a staple in many other horror films. Andrea Martin is suitably sweet and motherly as Phil.  On the male front we have the creepy Keir Dullea who plays Hussey's boyfriend who may or may not be the killer.  John Saxon is basically playing a character he has grown comfortable playing: A cop.  He did the same thing in 1984's A Nightmare on Elm Street but he's reliable and he plays the part well.

Despite the decent performances, Black Christmas stumbles in comparison to Halloween because John Carpenter simply crafted better characters for his film. I cared more about Laurie than Jess. I even cared more about the supporting characters in Halloween than in this film The other sorority girls are a bit one dimensional and while we get a lot of time to set them up, we don't really learn much about them. For instance, one of the girls is a killed a scene after we are first introduced her. I would say that Bob Clark was probably more concerned with crafting the role of the killer but in his attempts to do so, he sacrifices time for the victims. 

The ending is another issue for me. It's effective in the moment but it really ruins a lot of credibility for the film, which was on a fairly realistic level at that point. The ending is done to throw in one final surprise and it does work in the moment, but after giving it more thought, I wished they would've gone in another direction. 

• Keir Dullea worked only for a week on this film, never meeting Margot Kidder and barely meeting John Saxon, but the film is edited in such a way that he appears to be present throughout.
  
  
• The role of Mrs. Mac was offered to Bette Davis
  

• The role of Peter was originally offered to Malcom McDowell, but he turned it down.
  
  
• The role of Lieutenant Fuller was originally supposed to be played by Edmond O' Brien, but due to failing health he had to be replaced. John Saxon was brought in at the last minute.
  
  
• Gilda Radner was offered the role of Phyllis Carlson. She was attached, but dropped out one month before filming began owing to Saturday Night Live (1975) commitments.
  
  
• When NBC showed the film during prime time (under the title "Stranger in the House"), it was deemed 'too scary' for network television and was pulled off the air.
  
  
• Around 1986, Olivia Hussey met producers for the film Roxanne (1987), who were interested in casting her for the title role, co-star Steve Martin met her and said "Oh my God Olivia, you were in one of my all time favorite films", thinking it was her classical performance in the phenomenal Romeo and Juliet (1968/I), Olivia was surprised to find out it was indeed Black Christmas(1974), Martin claimed he had seen it over 20 times.
  
  
• According to director Bob Clark about five people were responsible for voicing the frightening phone calls, including Clark, actor Nick Mancusso and an unnamed actress.
  
  
• During an interview with director Bob Clark, Clark said Olivia Hussey's decision to take the role of Jess was based upon advice given to her by a psychic. According to Clark, Hussey said her psychic believed that the film would be successful and a wise career choice for her. She took the role.
  
  
• Art Hindle, in an interview included with the DVD, reveals that the fur coat he wore in this film was in fact his own. It still hangs in his closet to this day.
  
  
• The original title of the films script was "Stop Me". It was director Clark who came up with the title "Black Christmas" saying that he liked the irony of something dark occurring during such a festive holiday.
  
  
• Regarded among horror fans as the first film to come up with the popular convention of a killer calling from inside the house.
  
  
• Actress Lynne Griffin revealed that for the scenes where she's wrapped in the plastic bag she would rip a hole in the bag, stuffing the opening into her open mouth so she could breath during filming.
  
  
• Composer Carl Zittrer said in an interview that he created the bizarre music score for the film by tying forks, combs, and knives to the strings of his piano so the sound would warp as he struck the keys. Zittrer also said he would distort the sound further by recording audio tape while putting pressure on the reels of the machine to make it turn slower.
  
  
• Upon initial release in the US the films title was changed to "Silent Night, Evil Night" because the American distributor feared the title "Black Christmas" might cause the film to be mistaken for a 'blaxploitation' flick. However the film didn't do well under the new title and it was changed back to the original "Black Christmas" title, which it was a success under.
  
  
• Reportedly the story was inspired to writer Roy Moore by an actual series of murders that took place in Montreal, Quebec around the Christmas season.
  
  
• Star Margot Kidder admitted in an interview that she never thought that the film would become a hit and was surprised to learn that it had gained such a large cult following over the years.
  
  
• The audio for the demented phones calls was edited into the film during post-production. While shooting the footage for the phone call scenes the actresses were actually just reacting to threatening dialog being spoken from director Bob Clark from off-camera.
  
  
• The snow seen outside of the sorority house was actually fake, because there had been surprisingly little snow fall during the filming. A foam material that was provided by the local fire department was used for snow on the lawn and according to cinematographer Albert J. Dunk the substance actually caused the grass on the lawn to grow greener than ever the following Spring.
  
  
• Shooting the search party scenes in the park proved to be quite difficult as the temperature was a freezing 10 degrees during the night of filming.
  
  
• Cinematographer Albert J. Dunk created Billy's POV shots by rigging up a camera harness that would mount the camera on his shoulder as he walked about the house and climbed the trellis and attic ladder himself.
  
  
• It was composer Carl Zittrer who contacted star John Saxon, who he met on a previous film, about filling in for the role of Lt. Fuller at the last minute.
  
  
• The film was shot in 40 days.
  
  
• Co-producer Gerry Arbeid cameos in the film as the cab driver that arrives to pick up Mrs. Mac.
  
  
• According to director Bob Clark the original script for the film featured murder scenes that were more graphic. Clark however felt that it would be more effective if the murders were toned down and made more subtle on screen. Writer Roy Moore liked the idea as well.
  

• "Billy" is mainly embodied by camera operator Albert J. Dunk, who not only did the POV shots from the killer's perspective, but also played him during a few of the murders. Nick Mancuso, the main voice actor as "Billy", was not on set. Both director Bob Clark and Keir Dullea confirmed that Dullea at no point contributed to "Billy".
  

• Bob Clark stated in an interview that he couldn't recall whose eye was used for that infamous shock scene where Jess sees "Billy" staring at her from behind the door. It was possibly Albert J. Dunk, the camera operator who played Billy during some of the murder scenes, but it has never been confirmed just whose staring eye has given countless viewers nightmares for all these years.
  

• Upon its original release, the film did well in comparison to its budget (which was $620,000) grossing $4,053,000 in the USA alone (18 months after its original CDN release). The film has since become a huge cult classic and a favorite among horror fans