Black Christmas (1974 film)
Encyclopedia
Black Christmas is a 1974 Canadian slasher film
directed by Bob Clark
and written by A. Roy Moore, and largely based on a series of murders that took place in Quebec, Canada around Christmas
time. The film's score is by Carl Zittrer. It was distributed by Ambassador Film Distributors in Canada
and Warner Bros.
in the United States
. It follows a group of college students who must face a deranged serial killer lurking in their sorority house. It stars Olivia Hussey
, Keir Dullea
, Margot Kidder
, Andrea Martin
, Marian Waldman
, and John Saxon
. A remake of the same name
directed by Glen Morgan
was released on December 25, 2006. The movie was inspired by an urban legend
called "The Baby-Sitter."
) receives an obscene phone call from a recurrent caller the house has named "the moaner". After Barbara "Barb" Coard (Margot Kidder
) jokingly provokes the caller, he replies, "I'm going to kill you," then hangs up. Soon after, Clare Harrison (Lynne Griffin
) is offended by Barb and goes upstairs to finish packing for her trip home. In her room, she finds Claude the cat on the bed. She tells him to move as he's got some things to do. While she's packing, she hears the cat's cries and goes to investigate. Clare is attacked by the disoriented man and asphyxiated with plastic sheeting over her head. He carries her dead body to the attic and places it in a rocking chair next to the attic window and puts a doll in her lap.
The next day, Mr. Harrison (James Edmond Jr.), Clare's father, arrives to take Clare home for the holidays. When Clare is not at their agreed-upon meeting place, he goes to the sorority house. Meanwhile, Jess meets her boyfriend, Peter Smythe (Keir Dullea
), a neurotic aspiring pianist, and informs him that she is pregnant and wants to have an abortion
. Peter is upset by her decision and orders her to discuss the situation with him later. Mr. Harrison and sorority sisters Barb and Phyllis "Phyl" Carlson (Andrea Martin
) arrive at the police station to report Clare's disappearance. Sgt. Nash dismisses the report and says that Clare is probably "hiding with a lover". After Jess informs Clare's boyfriend, Chris (Art Hindle
), about Clare's disappearance and Sgt. Nash's dismissive attitude, they rush back to the police station to discuss the disappearance with Lt. Kenneth Fuller (John Saxon
). A local mother reports that her daughter, Janice, is missing as well.
That evening, Mr. Harrison, Chris, and the sorority sisters join a search party aiming to find Janice or Clare. Back at the house, Mrs. MacHenry (Marian Waldman
), the sorority's housemother, hears Claude's meows in the attic and investigates. She discovers Clare's body, but the killer launches a crane hook into Mrs. MacHenry's head and hangs her. After the search party finds Janice's dead body near the park, Jess returns home and receives another obscene phone call. Jess phones the police about the caller. Later, Peter arrives and argues with Jess about her decision to have an abortion. Peter becomes frustrated and leaves after Lt. Fuller arrives to discuss the phone calls with Jess. A technician places a tap "bug tracer" onto the sorority house phone to trace the phone calls. An officer is also stationed outside the house.
After Barb is sent to bed for being "too drunk", the killer appears in her room and stabs her to death with a unicorn ornament. Door-to-door Christmas carolers drown out the noise of the attack. Jess receives another obscene phone call that quotes a part of the argument she had with Peter. Jess suspects Peter of being the caller, but she and Phyl decide that it cannot be him, since Peter was present during one of the earlier calls. Phyl goes upstairs to bed, but decides to check on Barb first. As Phyl goes into the room to check on Barb, the door closes suddenly.
The calls continue to come in. Jess manages to keep the caller on the phone for a minute, allowing the police to trace the location of the call to inside the house (from Mrs. MacHenry's separate phone line). Jess is ordered to leave the house immediately, but she puts down the phone to call up to Barb and Phyl. Lt. Fuller is informed of the situation and leaves for the house. Jess arms herself with a fire poker and ventures upstairs, finding both Barb and Phyl dead. The unseen caller attacks her and chases her through the house, resulting in Jess locking herself in the basement. As she hides in the basement, Peter appears outside one of the windows, telling her he heard screaming. He breaks the glass and enters the room as Jess, believing him to be the attacker, backs into a corner. Lt. Fuller and the police arrive at the house and find the officer stationed outside dead in his car. Jess's scream is heard from the house, and they find her in the basement with Peter dead, having been bludgeoned to death by Jess's fire poker in self-defense. Later, Jess is asleep in her bed as Fuller and the officers discuss how Peter must have been the killer. They also discuss the fact that Clare's body still hasn't been found, revealing that they neglected to look in the attic. The officers leave Jess to sleep in her bed, stating that a man will be right outside the front door. Once the house is quiet, the phone starts to ring. The audience is shown the attic, with Clare and Mrs. MacHenry's bodies still undisturbed as the killer whispers, "Agnes? it's me, Billy." The camera pulls back on the outside of the house, and then the telephone starts to ring.
Co-producer Gerry Arbeid cameos in the film as the cab driver who arrives to pick up Mrs. Mac.
. The films budget of $620,000 was shot in 35mm format by utilizing Panavision cameras. Cameraman, Albert J. Dunk, created the POV camera shot by mounting a camera onto his back and creeping around the house. He crawled up the housing trellis in the beginning of the film as well. According to Bob Clark
, due to the surprisingly light snowfall, most of the snow scenes outside of the sorority house were made of foam material provided by a local fire department.
The role of Mrs. Mac was offered to Bette Davis. The role of Peter was originally offered to Malcolm 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
commitments.
During preparation in 1975 for the films American
release, Warner Bros.
studio executives asked Clark to change the concluding scene to show Clare's boyfriend, Chris, appear in front of Jess and say, "Agnes, don't tell them what we did," before killing her, however, Clark insisted on keeping the ending ambiguous. The original title of the film was initially planned to be Stop Me. Clark has stated in an interview that he came up with the film's official title, saying that he enjoyed the irony of a dark event occurring during a festive holiday. According to Clark as well, Warner Bros.
changed the title to Silent Night, Evil Night, for the U.S. theatrical release. During later television broadcasting, the film's title was changed to Stranger in the House, however, it was cancelled due to broadcasters deeming it "too scary" for television broadcast.
The composer of the film's score, Carl Zittrer, claimed in an interview that he created the film's mysterious music by tying forks, combs, and knives onto the strings of the piano in order to warp the sound of the keys. Zittrer also stated that he would distort the sound further by recording its sound onto an audio tape and make the sound slower.
through Ambassador Film Distributors, and in the United States
on December 20, 1974, through Warner Bros.
, where it grossed $4,053,000. It was released in October 1975 in New York City and Chicago, and previously played under the title Silent Night, Evil Night in Virginia, in July 1975. and grossed over $4,053,00 internationally, managing to earn more than the film's budget of $620,000. When released in the UK
, the BBFC had the word "cunt" removed, as well as several other crude and sexual references during the obscene phone call scenes.
on Christmas
day, containing extra and similar bonus content to the previous collector's edition. A Blu-ray edition of the film was released on November 11, 2008.
, the film ranked a 63% "fresh" of 15 positive reviews out of 22, with an average rating of 6.2 out of 10.
Bill Chambers of Film Freak Festival awarded the film a perfect score of 4 out of 4 stars, calling it a "one of a kind" film. Clint Morris of Moviehole also gave a positive review, calling it "the horror film that started it all," referring to the film's notability as being one of the first slasher films today. Heidi Martinuzzi of Film Threat praised the film's leading actresses, Olivia Hussey
and Margot Kidder
. Keith H. Brown of Eye for Film gave the film a positive review, stating that, "Like Carpenter, Clark avoids graphic gore, focusing instead on suggestion and using careful mise-en-scene, editing and use of music to build suspense." Rob Gonsalves of eFilmCritic gave the film a generally mixed review, saying that, "Frightening in 1974, it really doesn't hold up today unless you can forget the 12,000 films exactly like it, which is difficult." Ryan Cracknell of Movie Reviews gave a generally mixed review as well, saying, "Black Christmas does have some tension, but not as much as you might expect from a thriller. As much as anything else, it's likely due to age and moderately low production values."
The only professional reviews of the film were by The New York Times
, who highly criticized the film and awarded a 1 out of 5, calling it "a whodunit that begs the question of why it was made." Variety
also gave the film a negative review, stating that the film was heavily clichéd and that "Black Christmas, a bloody, senseless kill-for-kicks feature, exploits unnecessary violence in a university sorority house operated by an implausibly alcoholic ex-hoofer. Its slow-paced, murky tale involves an obscene telephone caller who apparently delights in killing the girls off one by one, even the hapless house-mother." However, Varietys only praise of the film was Marian Waldman
's role as the secretly alcoholic
sorority house mother, saying that, "Only Marian Waldman
as the house-mother comes across with any life."
Canadian Film Awards
Edgar Allan Poe Awards
throughout the years after its release. The Black Christmas fan site considerably increased the film's modern popularity. The film is notable for being one of the first slasher films and inspiring films such as Friday the 13th and John Carpenter
's Halloween
. The film ranked #87 on Bravos The 100 Scariest Movie Moments. Steve Martin
met Olivia Hussey
at the premier of his movie Roxanne
and he said she was in one of his favourite movies of all time. Hussey initially thought he was referring to Romeo and Juliet
, but was surprised when Martin said it was Black Christmas, and that he had seen the film 27 times.
directed by Glen Morgan
was released on December 25, 2006. The film is loosely based on the original film, containing more graphic content and a focus into the past of Billy. Andrea Martin
was the only original cast member to appear in the film. Bob Clark
served as an executive producer
.
Slasher film
A slasher film is a type of horror film typically involving a psychopathic killer stalking and killing a sequence of victims in a graphically violent manner, often with a cutting tool such as a knife or axe...
directed by Bob Clark
Bob Clark
Benjamin "Bob" Clark was an American actor, director, screenwriter and producer best known for directing and writing the script with Jean Shepherd to the 1983 Christmas film A Christmas Story...
and written by A. Roy Moore, and largely based on a series of murders that took place in Quebec, Canada around Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
time. The film's score is by Carl Zittrer. It was distributed by Ambassador Film Distributors in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It follows a group of college students who must face a deranged serial killer lurking in their sorority house. It stars Olivia Hussey
Olivia Hussey
Olivia Hussey is an Argentinian actress who became famous for her role as Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli's Academy Award-winning 1968 film version of Romeo and Juliet. For this role she won the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year - Actress as well as the David di Donatello for best actress...
, Keir Dullea
Keir Dullea
Keir Dullea is an American actor best known for the character of astronaut David Bowman, whom he portrayed in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey and in 1984's 2010: The Year We Make Contact...
, Margot Kidder
Margot Kidder
Margaret Ruth "Margot" Kidder is a Canadian-born American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing Lois Lane in the four Superman movies opposite Christopher Reeve, a role that brought her to widespread recognition....
, Andrea Martin
Andrea Martin
Andrea Louise Martin is an American and Canadian actress and comedienne. She has appeared in films such as My Big Fat Greek Wedding, on stage in productions such as My Favorite Year, Fiddler on the Roof and Candide, and in the television series, SCTV.-Personal life:Martin, the oldest of three...
, Marian Waldman
Marian Waldman
Marian Ann Waldman was a Canadian actress. She was also a veteran stage actress for Toronto for many decades of her career.- Biography :...
, and John Saxon
John Saxon (actor)
John Saxon is an American actor who has worked on over 200 projects during the span of sixty years. Saxon is most known for his work in horror films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street and Black Christmas, both of which feature Saxon as a policeman in search of the killer...
. A remake of the same name
Black Christmas (2006 film)
Black Christmas is 2006 American Slasher film and a remake of the 1974 horror slasher film of the same name. It was written and directed by Glen Morgan and stars Katie Cassidy, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Lacey Chabert, Crystal Lowe, Michelle Trachtenberg , Oliver Hudson, Kristen Cloke, and Andrea...
directed by Glen Morgan
Glen Morgan
Glen Morgan is an American television producer, writer, and director.-Biography:Morgan is best known for his screen work with long-time writing partner James Wong, including The X-Files, Millennium, Space: Above and Beyond, the Final Destination series, The One, Willard, and the 2006 remake of...
was released on December 25, 2006. The movie was inspired by an urban legend
Urban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
called "The Baby-Sitter."
Plot
A sorority house is hosting a Christmas party late into the night. A seemingly disoriented man climbs up the house's trellis and through an open attic window. During the party, sorority sister Jess Bradford (Olivia HusseyOlivia Hussey
Olivia Hussey is an Argentinian actress who became famous for her role as Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli's Academy Award-winning 1968 film version of Romeo and Juliet. For this role she won the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year - Actress as well as the David di Donatello for best actress...
) receives an obscene phone call from a recurrent caller the house has named "the moaner". After Barbara "Barb" Coard (Margot Kidder
Margot Kidder
Margaret Ruth "Margot" Kidder is a Canadian-born American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing Lois Lane in the four Superman movies opposite Christopher Reeve, a role that brought her to widespread recognition....
) jokingly provokes the caller, he replies, "I'm going to kill you," then hangs up. Soon after, Clare Harrison (Lynne Griffin
Lynne Griffin
Lynne Griffin is a Canadian actress. She is known for her work in film, television and stage.Griffin was born in Toronto, Ontario, the daughter of Kay, an actress, and James Joseph Griffin, a fashion photographer and soccer player. Currently, she is married to fellow actor Sean Gregory Sullivan.-...
) is offended by Barb and goes upstairs to finish packing for her trip home. In her room, she finds Claude the cat on the bed. She tells him to move as he's got some things to do. While she's packing, she hears the cat's cries and goes to investigate. Clare is attacked by the disoriented man and asphyxiated with plastic sheeting over her head. He carries her dead body to the attic and places it in a rocking chair next to the attic window and puts a doll in her lap.
The next day, Mr. Harrison (James Edmond Jr.), Clare's father, arrives to take Clare home for the holidays. When Clare is not at their agreed-upon meeting place, he goes to the sorority house. Meanwhile, Jess meets her boyfriend, Peter Smythe (Keir Dullea
Keir Dullea
Keir Dullea is an American actor best known for the character of astronaut David Bowman, whom he portrayed in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey and in 1984's 2010: The Year We Make Contact...
), a neurotic aspiring pianist, and informs him that she is pregnant and wants to have an abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
. Peter is upset by her decision and orders her to discuss the situation with him later. Mr. Harrison and sorority sisters Barb and Phyllis "Phyl" Carlson (Andrea Martin
Andrea Martin
Andrea Louise Martin is an American and Canadian actress and comedienne. She has appeared in films such as My Big Fat Greek Wedding, on stage in productions such as My Favorite Year, Fiddler on the Roof and Candide, and in the television series, SCTV.-Personal life:Martin, the oldest of three...
) arrive at the police station to report Clare's disappearance. Sgt. Nash dismisses the report and says that Clare is probably "hiding with a lover". After Jess informs Clare's boyfriend, Chris (Art Hindle
Art Hindle
Arthur Hindle is a Canadian actor and director.Hindle was born in Halifax. His family moved to Toronto while he was a child. Although shy as a youngster, he grew to be a rebellious and independent teenager...
), about Clare's disappearance and Sgt. Nash's dismissive attitude, they rush back to the police station to discuss the disappearance with Lt. Kenneth Fuller (John Saxon
John Saxon
John Saxon may refer to:* John Saxon , motion picture actor, specializing in action films* John Saxon , known for developing a new system of mathematics education...
). A local mother reports that her daughter, Janice, is missing as well.
That evening, Mr. Harrison, Chris, and the sorority sisters join a search party aiming to find Janice or Clare. Back at the house, Mrs. MacHenry (Marian Waldman
Marian Waldman
Marian Ann Waldman was a Canadian actress. She was also a veteran stage actress for Toronto for many decades of her career.- Biography :...
), the sorority's housemother, hears Claude's meows in the attic and investigates. She discovers Clare's body, but the killer launches a crane hook into Mrs. MacHenry's head and hangs her. After the search party finds Janice's dead body near the park, Jess returns home and receives another obscene phone call. Jess phones the police about the caller. Later, Peter arrives and argues with Jess about her decision to have an abortion. Peter becomes frustrated and leaves after Lt. Fuller arrives to discuss the phone calls with Jess. A technician places a tap "bug tracer" onto the sorority house phone to trace the phone calls. An officer is also stationed outside the house.
After Barb is sent to bed for being "too drunk", the killer appears in her room and stabs her to death with a unicorn ornament. Door-to-door Christmas carolers drown out the noise of the attack. Jess receives another obscene phone call that quotes a part of the argument she had with Peter. Jess suspects Peter of being the caller, but she and Phyl decide that it cannot be him, since Peter was present during one of the earlier calls. Phyl goes upstairs to bed, but decides to check on Barb first. As Phyl goes into the room to check on Barb, the door closes suddenly.
The calls continue to come in. Jess manages to keep the caller on the phone for a minute, allowing the police to trace the location of the call to inside the house (from Mrs. MacHenry's separate phone line). Jess is ordered to leave the house immediately, but she puts down the phone to call up to Barb and Phyl. Lt. Fuller is informed of the situation and leaves for the house. Jess arms herself with a fire poker and ventures upstairs, finding both Barb and Phyl dead. The unseen caller attacks her and chases her through the house, resulting in Jess locking herself in the basement. As she hides in the basement, Peter appears outside one of the windows, telling her he heard screaming. He breaks the glass and enters the room as Jess, believing him to be the attacker, backs into a corner. Lt. Fuller and the police arrive at the house and find the officer stationed outside dead in his car. Jess's scream is heard from the house, and they find her in the basement with Peter dead, having been bludgeoned to death by Jess's fire poker in self-defense. Later, Jess is asleep in her bed as Fuller and the officers discuss how Peter must have been the killer. They also discuss the fact that Clare's body still hasn't been found, revealing that they neglected to look in the attic. The officers leave Jess to sleep in her bed, stating that a man will be right outside the front door. Once the house is quiet, the phone starts to ring. The audience is shown the attic, with Clare and Mrs. MacHenry's bodies still undisturbed as the killer whispers, "Agnes? it's me, Billy." The camera pulls back on the outside of the house, and then the telephone starts to ring.
Cast
- Olivia HusseyOlivia HusseyOlivia Hussey is an Argentinian actress who became famous for her role as Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli's Academy Award-winning 1968 film version of Romeo and Juliet. For this role she won the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year - Actress as well as the David di Donatello for best actress...
as Jess Bradford - Keir DulleaKeir DulleaKeir Dullea is an American actor best known for the character of astronaut David Bowman, whom he portrayed in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey and in 1984's 2010: The Year We Make Contact...
as Peter Smythe - Margot KidderMargot KidderMargaret Ruth "Margot" Kidder is a Canadian-born American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing Lois Lane in the four Superman movies opposite Christopher Reeve, a role that brought her to widespread recognition....
as Barbara "Barb" Coard - John SaxonJohn Saxon (actor)John Saxon is an American actor who has worked on over 200 projects during the span of sixty years. Saxon is most known for his work in horror films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street and Black Christmas, both of which feature Saxon as a policeman in search of the killer...
as Lt. Kenneth Fuller - Marian WaldmanMarian WaldmanMarian Ann Waldman was a Canadian actress. She was also a veteran stage actress for Toronto for many decades of her career.- Biography :...
as Mrs. MacHenry - Andrea MartinAndrea MartinAndrea Louise Martin is an American and Canadian actress and comedienne. She has appeared in films such as My Big Fat Greek Wedding, on stage in productions such as My Favorite Year, Fiddler on the Roof and Candide, and in the television series, SCTV.-Personal life:Martin, the oldest of three...
as Phyllis "Phyl" Carlson - James Edmond Jr. as Mr. Harrison
- Doug McGrathDoug McGrathDoug McGrath, born in Nova Scotia, Canada on Aug 21,1939 is a Canadian actor whose most notable role was of "Peter" in the acclaimed Canadian film Goin' Down the Road. He also played in acclaimed Canadian films Wedding in White, The Hard Part Begins and Black Christmas...
as Sgt. Nash - Art HindleArt HindleArthur Hindle is a Canadian actor and director.Hindle was born in Halifax. His family moved to Toronto while he was a child. Although shy as a youngster, he grew to be a rebellious and independent teenager...
as Chris Hayden - Lynne GriffinLynne GriffinLynne Griffin is a Canadian actress. She is known for her work in film, television and stage.Griffin was born in Toronto, Ontario, the daughter of Kay, an actress, and James Joseph Griffin, a fashion photographer and soccer player. Currently, she is married to fellow actor Sean Gregory Sullivan.-...
as Clare Harrison - Michael RapaportMichael RapaportMichael David Rapaport is an American, actor, director and a comedian. He has acted in more than forty films since the early 1990s...
as Patrick Cornell - Bob ClarkBob ClarkBenjamin "Bob" Clark was an American actor, director, screenwriter and producer best known for directing and writing the script with Jean Shepherd to the 1983 Christmas film A Christmas Story...
and Nick MancusoNick MancusoNicodemo Antonio Massimo "Nick" Mancuso is a Canadian cinema and stage actor.-Career:Mancuso was born in Mammola, Calabria, Italy and immigrated to Canada in 1956...
as Billy
Co-producer Gerry Arbeid cameos in the film as the cab driver who arrives to pick up Mrs. Mac.
Production
Filming of Black Christmas began in early 1974 over an 8-week time schedule in Toronto, Canada, and several scenes were shot around Annesley Hall National Historic SiteAnnesley Hall
Annesley Hall is the all-female residence at Victoria College, University of Toronto campus. The residence is a National Historic Site located across from the Royal Ontario Museum....
. The films budget of $620,000 was shot in 35mm format by utilizing Panavision cameras. Cameraman, Albert J. Dunk, created the POV camera shot by mounting a camera onto his back and creeping around the house. He crawled up the housing trellis in the beginning of the film as well. According to Bob Clark
Bob Clark
Benjamin "Bob" Clark was an American actor, director, screenwriter and producer best known for directing and writing the script with Jean Shepherd to the 1983 Christmas film A Christmas Story...
, due to the surprisingly light snowfall, most of the snow scenes outside of the sorority house were made of foam material provided by a local fire department.
The role of Mrs. Mac was offered to Bette Davis. The role of Peter was originally offered to Malcolm 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
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
commitments.
During preparation in 1975 for the films American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
release, Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
studio executives asked Clark to change the concluding scene to show Clare's boyfriend, Chris, appear in front of Jess and say, "Agnes, don't tell them what we did," before killing her, however, Clark insisted on keeping the ending ambiguous. The original title of the film was initially planned to be Stop Me. Clark has stated in an interview that he came up with the film's official title, saying that he enjoyed the irony of a dark event occurring during a festive holiday. According to Clark as well, Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
changed the title to Silent Night, Evil Night, for the U.S. theatrical release. During later television broadcasting, the film's title was changed to Stranger in the House, however, it was cancelled due to broadcasters deeming it "too scary" for television broadcast.
The composer of the film's score, Carl Zittrer, claimed in an interview that he created the film's mysterious music by tying forks, combs, and knives onto the strings of the piano in order to warp the sound of the keys. Zittrer also stated that he would distort the sound further by recording its sound onto an audio tape and make the sound slower.
Release
Black Christmas was officially released on October 11, 1974, in CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
through Ambassador Film Distributors, and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on December 20, 1974, through Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
, where it grossed $4,053,000. It was released in October 1975 in New York City and Chicago, and previously played under the title Silent Night, Evil Night in Virginia, in July 1975. and grossed over $4,053,00 internationally, managing to earn more than the film's budget of $620,000. When released in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the BBFC had the word "cunt" removed, as well as several other crude and sexual references during the obscene phone call scenes.
Home media release
Two editions of the DVD release of the film have been specially designed. A bare-bones release was released on November 6, 2001. The release was followed by a collector's edition that was released on December 3, 2002, containing a making-of documentary, behind-the-scenes footage, and several more bonus content. Critical Mass and Alliance Atlantis released a special edition on December 5, 2006, before the theatrical release of the remake of the filmBlack Christmas (2006 film)
Black Christmas is 2006 American Slasher film and a remake of the 1974 horror slasher film of the same name. It was written and directed by Glen Morgan and stars Katie Cassidy, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Lacey Chabert, Crystal Lowe, Michelle Trachtenberg , Oliver Hudson, Kristen Cloke, and Andrea...
on Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
day, containing extra and similar bonus content to the previous collector's edition. A Blu-ray edition of the film was released on November 11, 2008.
Critical reception
The film received generally positive reviews from contemporary critics. According to the review aggregator site Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, the film ranked a 63% "fresh" of 15 positive reviews out of 22, with an average rating of 6.2 out of 10.
Bill Chambers of Film Freak Festival awarded the film a perfect score of 4 out of 4 stars, calling it a "one of a kind" film. Clint Morris of Moviehole also gave a positive review, calling it "the horror film that started it all," referring to the film's notability as being one of the first slasher films today. Heidi Martinuzzi of Film Threat praised the film's leading actresses, Olivia Hussey
Olivia Hussey
Olivia Hussey is an Argentinian actress who became famous for her role as Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli's Academy Award-winning 1968 film version of Romeo and Juliet. For this role she won the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year - Actress as well as the David di Donatello for best actress...
and Margot Kidder
Margot Kidder
Margaret Ruth "Margot" Kidder is a Canadian-born American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing Lois Lane in the four Superman movies opposite Christopher Reeve, a role that brought her to widespread recognition....
. Keith H. Brown of Eye for Film gave the film a positive review, stating that, "Like Carpenter, Clark avoids graphic gore, focusing instead on suggestion and using careful mise-en-scene, editing and use of music to build suspense." Rob Gonsalves of eFilmCritic gave the film a generally mixed review, saying that, "Frightening in 1974, it really doesn't hold up today unless you can forget the 12,000 films exactly like it, which is difficult." Ryan Cracknell of Movie Reviews gave a generally mixed review as well, saying, "Black Christmas does have some tension, but not as much as you might expect from a thriller. As much as anything else, it's likely due to age and moderately low production values."
The only professional reviews of the film were by The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, who highly criticized the film and awarded a 1 out of 5, calling it "a whodunit that begs the question of why it was made." Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
also gave the film a negative review, stating that the film was heavily clichéd and that "Black Christmas, a bloody, senseless kill-for-kicks feature, exploits unnecessary violence in a university sorority house operated by an implausibly alcoholic ex-hoofer. Its slow-paced, murky tale involves an obscene telephone caller who apparently delights in killing the girls off one by one, even the hapless house-mother." However, Varietys only praise of the film was Marian Waldman
Marian Waldman
Marian Ann Waldman was a Canadian actress. She was also a veteran stage actress for Toronto for many decades of her career.- Biography :...
's role as the secretly alcoholic
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
sorority house mother, saying that, "Only Marian Waldman
Marian Waldman
Marian Ann Waldman was a Canadian actress. She was also a veteran stage actress for Toronto for many decades of her career.- Biography :...
as the house-mother comes across with any life."
Awards and nominations
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror FilmsSaturn Award
The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
- 1976: Nominated, "Best Horror Film"
Canadian Film Awards
- 1975: Won, "Best Sound Editing in a Feature" - Kenneth Heeley-Ray
- 1975: Won, "Best Performance by a Lead Actress" - Margot KidderMargot KidderMargaret Ruth "Margot" Kidder is a Canadian-born American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing Lois Lane in the four Superman movies opposite Christopher Reeve, a role that brought her to widespread recognition....
Edgar Allan Poe Awards
- 1976: Nominated, "Best Motion Picture" - A. Roy Moore
Cult status
The film gained a fairly decent cult followingCult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
throughout the years after its release. The Black Christmas fan site considerably increased the film's modern popularity. The film is notable for being one of the first slasher films and inspiring films such as Friday the 13th and John Carpenter
John Carpenter
John Howard Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, composer, and occasional actor. Although Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres in his four-decade career, his name is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction.- Early life :Carpenter was born...
's Halloween
Halloween (1978 film)
Halloween is a 1978 American independent horror film directed, produced, and scored by John Carpenter, co-written with Debra Hill, and starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis in her film debut and the first installment in the Halloween franchise. The film is set in the fictional midwestern...
. The film ranked #87 on Bravos The 100 Scariest Movie Moments. Steve Martin
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer....
met Olivia Hussey
Olivia Hussey
Olivia Hussey is an Argentinian actress who became famous for her role as Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli's Academy Award-winning 1968 film version of Romeo and Juliet. For this role she won the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year - Actress as well as the David di Donatello for best actress...
at the premier of his movie Roxanne
Roxanne (film)
Roxanne is a 1987 comedy film directed by Fred Schepisi. It is a modern retelling of the 1897 verse play Cyrano de Bergerac, written by French author Edmond Rostand, and stars Steve Martin and Daryl Hannah.-Plot summary:...
and he said she was in one of his favourite movies of all time. Hussey initially thought he was referring to Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet (1968 film)
Romeo and Juliet is a 1968 British-Italian cinematic adaptation of the William Shakespeare play of the same name.The film was directed and co-written by Franco Zeffirelli, and stars Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey. It won Academy Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design; it was also...
, but was surprised when Martin said it was Black Christmas, and that he had seen the film 27 times.
Remake
A remake of the filmBlack Christmas (2006 film)
Black Christmas is 2006 American Slasher film and a remake of the 1974 horror slasher film of the same name. It was written and directed by Glen Morgan and stars Katie Cassidy, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Lacey Chabert, Crystal Lowe, Michelle Trachtenberg , Oliver Hudson, Kristen Cloke, and Andrea...
directed by Glen Morgan
Glen Morgan
Glen Morgan is an American television producer, writer, and director.-Biography:Morgan is best known for his screen work with long-time writing partner James Wong, including The X-Files, Millennium, Space: Above and Beyond, the Final Destination series, The One, Willard, and the 2006 remake of...
was released on December 25, 2006. The film is loosely based on the original film, containing more graphic content and a focus into the past of Billy. Andrea Martin
Andrea Martin
Andrea Louise Martin is an American and Canadian actress and comedienne. She has appeared in films such as My Big Fat Greek Wedding, on stage in productions such as My Favorite Year, Fiddler on the Roof and Candide, and in the television series, SCTV.-Personal life:Martin, the oldest of three...
was the only original cast member to appear in the film. Bob Clark
Bob Clark
Benjamin "Bob" Clark was an American actor, director, screenwriter and producer best known for directing and writing the script with Jean Shepherd to the 1983 Christmas film A Christmas Story...
served as an executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
.