This is way better than I thought it was going to be. A solid slasher full of Christmas spirit.

I LOVE this movie. A stoned cold classic through and through. Olivia is criminally underrated, same with the director, Bob Clark. He's got two horror classics (this and Deathdream), a seminal teen comedy (Porky's) and one of the most lasting Christmas classics of all time, A Christmas Story. That's four classics over 3 genres. That's impressive. Also......he apparently gave John Carpenter the idea for Halloween. Give this guy more love! Hey also....John Saxon!!!! Another icon!!

Black Christmas is what happens when a director decides to make a slasher but also decides to make a good movie.

Each character has a purpose. By that, I don't mean simply to drive the plot along. Each character is a person, and they each have their own unique personalities and motivations. Barb isn't just the drunk and morally abrasive stereotype; she's driven by her jealousy and likely by issues from her childhood. Each character feels about as deep as her, at the least.

The only character who isn't fully explained is Billy, and that's for the best. Billy isn't a character we want explained, and it only drives the horror deeper that he isn't.

This should be on every horror fan's Christmas playlist.

This is a tame movie given the mercilessly gory films we've seen since it was released in 1974. But the fact that we see what the slasher sees, we hear his breathing and grunting, and the fact that we are given his point-of-view makes this slasher flick interesting.

Not much happens throughout the entire run time. Most of today's Horror fans will probably be bored stiff. The kills are light on violence and even lighter on blood. That's okay though, because despite some unbelievably incompetent detective work and unintentionally funny moments, the last 15 minutes of the movie bring some chills.

Many say that this, and not John Carpenter's "Halloween", is the original slasher flick. That's fine, but to say it's better than "Halloween" is dead wrong. It's an inferior film in every way.

Despite the fact that "Black Christmas" is regarded as a forerunner of the 1980s slasher wave, I had never seen this cult classic before. But I already know that this will not be the last time I watch it. The influences on films such as "Halloween" are clear. Above all, it isn't the gorefest that later slashers have become known for. Instead, there's a dense atmosphere, a lot of suspense, and a truly intriguing ending. The acting in the movie is also respectable; I especially liked Margot Kidder, but also lead actress Olivia Hussey. Then there's the great John Saxon, whom I mainly knew from "A Nightmare on Elm Street". As the ending is quite open, I'm a little surprised that "Black Christmas" didn't lead to any direct sequels, just two remakes. But that's not a bad thing, as the movie really stands on its own.

**For how much this film is adored, I expected more. While I respect what it did for horror film, but it just wasn’t an enjoyable experience. Tiresome characters constantly jabbering on about nothing far too often. I found the most compelling sequences to be those that caused an eerie dread, like the near silent scenes with lingering shots of the recently deceased victims. Worth watching for yourself though.**

t served as inspiration for several slasher films. The way the murders are told, the fact that no murderer is seen is good, the ending did not convince us.

Wow, Scream ripped off this movie big time.
The pace will be off for young people that grew up on modern horror movies.
Some really great direction work.
Very creepy ending.

dunno where the slasher part is happening. but overall not so bad, some nice shots and good ideas for the time but not really timeless i would say.

[spoiler] You pig c**t. Let me lick it. Lick it! Lick it! Let me lick your pretty piggy c**t. Pretty pig c**t. I'll lick it. I'm like a tuning fork, baby. Suck on my juicy c**k. I'll come over. I'll come over, & you can suck it. [/spoiler]


Merry Christmas!!!!!

3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Black Christmas’:

1. Strong beginning. Super strong ending. Everything in between kinda dragged, which was detrimental to the story’s suspense and momentum. I was gonna rate it lower, until the ending legit creeped me out and had me paying wayyy too much attention to every single creak in the house.

2. The crude phone calls, and the fact that [spoiler]just some random crazy dude[/spoiler] was the killer, were effectively chilling.

3. The fact that this film came before the classic slasher films we all know and love is very impressive. Wes Craven was clearly a fan. John Saxon would later appear in ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ and there were some solid ‘Scream’ vibes here.

Like a dynamite party, _Black Christmas_ is a blast.

Yes, it has a 70s horror vibe (and yet is a precursor to 80s slasher franchises) and, yes, it is far better than the 2019 remake, but what really sets this apart from the bajillion other movies better than _Black Christmas_ (2019) is its cast.

Not only do we have a stellar showing by a young Margot Kidder (who would go on to be Lois Lane to Christopher Reeves' _Superman_ (1978)), _Black Christmas_'s early iteration of a final girl is none other than the stunning Olivia Hussey. Having hit the big time at 16 with an award winning performance as the titular character in Franco Zeffirelli's _Romeo and Juliet_ (1968), Ms Hussey brings depth, talent and class to what would have otherwise been a run of the kill scream queen.

An above average horror flick for its time, some might say _Black Christmas_ is gifted.

From director Bob Clark comes the classic horror film Black Christmas. The story follows a college sorority that’s preyed upon by a mysterious killer who makes bizarre, disturbing phone calls to the house and murders the residents one by one during the Christmas break. Starring Olivia Hussey, Margot Kidder, and John Saxon, the casting isn’t too bad. And, Clark’s directing style gives a creepy and atmospheric tone to the film that’s quite effective. Still, the storytelling is a little weak, providing few answers as to who the killer is or his motives. Yet despite its problems, Black Christmas is a gritty and frightful slasher film.

I was avoiding it, in case it was some cheesy Christmas horror. I was instantly relieved from the introduction atmosphere. It was using sound mixing and visuals in a way that still holds up.
Margate does a good job, but I did get annoyed at her character. Maybe I was supposed to.
It was pretty good overall, but I'm not a massive slasher fan. I'd recommend it for slasher fans. When the horror appears it's really effective.

One of the best slashers, my favorite X-mas horror and the best attic horror it would scare me to live in a house with an attic after watching this. The Christmas spirit is palpable which is why I usually watch it on Christmas day. The characters are all likable and distinctly unique, the kills match that and they're all satisfying. The creepy phone calls and the killer screaming and doing weird noizes like a deranged psychopath in the attic is equally scary and funny at the same time. So iconic! The eye peeking through the door is my favorite moment. The suspence doesn't let go until the very end and I love the creepy score and the coloring/lighting. So many unanswered questions at the end it's a bit frustrating and unsatisfying.

When it comes to Christmas, Bob Clark is bigger than Jesus.

For all the praise this film gets as a kind of proto-slasher movie, i couldn't quite warm up to it. It's such a mess full of weird editing choices and most of all, huge problems in regards to overall tone - like the film can't decide if it wants to be a serious drama or a comedy, to the extent that it feels like the actors are performing in different movies altogether. So it's up to lead actress Olivia Hussey to hold everything together which is easier said than done because although her role is pretty much the only one not comically exaggerated, absurdly overacted or painfully clichéd, there ain't all that much psychological depth to her character to work with either. She makes the very best of it though and despite her performance being easily the best thing about this movie, it can't make up for the aforementioned failings. An interesting film for sure. A great one... not so much.

Invented the slasher troupes of the 80s and 90s especially the wild and unique kills, it might be the first to do that and popularize it. Same director who made Porky's and A Christmas Story but this is his highest rated. Jess is so cute too but has a weird British accent bc she's British in real life. Thank this movie for all the B-movie horror that you know and love.

Interesting take. Starts out slow, but is unique. Only things I didn't understand were:

[spoiler]
1. How did Peter know Jess was down there?
2. How could Jess not hear Billy shouting from within the house, during his last phone call?
3. Why did the police not investigate all the rooms, including the attic, after Jess's survival?
4. Why was the head mistress, or whoever she was, hide her drinking problem, while the sorority sisters had no issue with their drinking?
5. Why bother telling us about the murdered kid, if they're not going to show us?[/spoiler]