Black Christmas (DVD)

...because it is very similar. Black Christmas is a re-make of a 1974 film of the same name, although I don't know how similar the re-make is to the original. The story is incredibly unoriginal; so much so that it is possible to guess what is going to happen before it happens. It could perhaps have been saved by the characters, but unfortunately, the girls all look quite similar, speak in a similar way, and generally merge into one big pile of killer ...
...stand out - and that isn't entirely for honorable reasons.


Katie Cassidy plays Kelli Presley, the sister who probably has the most screen-time. There really is very little of merit to say about her though. She isn't a bad actress - I'm sure she did exactly what was expected of her - but she doesn't stand out in any way at all. And this is one of the reasons this film fails so miserably - it really is impossible to care what happens ... more

A group of girls and their sorority mother are spending Christmas in their sorority house - some of them very reluctantly, but as it is customary, they have no choice. Clair, who is particularly miserable, is in her room when she is attacked and murdered. Then there are a number of threatening phone calls, which terrify the girls, a couple of whom decide to head home. None of them are to reach home that evening though, as a killer seems intent on wiping them out one by one. The killer, called Billy, used to live in the house, where he was tortured by his parents until he snapped. Then his sister, who he once tried to murder, turns up at the house - can she help to reign in her brother? Or will she join in the madness? Will any of the girls manage to escape?

If anyone has recently seen The House on Sorority Row, then you should probably steer well clear of this film, because it is very similar. Black Christmas is a re-make of a 1974 film of the same name, although I don't know how similar the re-make is to the original. The story is incredibly unoriginal; so much so that it is possible to guess what is going to happen before it happens. It could perhaps have been saved by the characters, but unfortunately, the girls all look quite similar, speak in a similar way, and generally merge into one big pile of killer fodder. There are just two (out of eight) characters that stand out - and that isn't entirely for honorable reasons.

Katie Cassidy plays Kelli Presley, the sister who probably has the most screen-time. There really is very little of merit to say about her though. She isn't a bad actress - I'm sure she did exactly what was expected of her - but she doesn't stand out in any way at all. And this is one of the reasons this film fails so miserably - it really is impossible to care what happens to any of the characters, not even the main ones, so ultimately, the entire film becomes pointless. The only other character of note is Leigh, played by Kristen Cloke. She is Clair's sister and doesn't come into the film for a while, but when she does, it is an explosive entry. Unlike the sorority sisters, who merge into one, she does stand out a little, partly because she has a strong-featured face and partly because she talks too much. Of all the characters, she was my favourite, but I still wasn't overly concerned whether she survived or not.

The story is told primarily in the present, but there are a series of flashbacks throughout the film to show how Billy was brought up and how he was mistreated. These flashbacks are probably the best part of the film. One scene near the beginning that shows how Billy escapes from the asylum he is locked up in is really good and did give me a flash of hope for the rest of the film. Unfortunately, the flashbacks are a very small part of the film, so although watchable, they aren't enough to have an impact on the overall movie. Once the action returned to the sorority house and the screaming selfish little madams within, I lost interest again - I actually had to watch the film twice just to get a grip on what was going on, because it really was hard to concentrate the first time around.

The special effects are good. There is nothing particularly original about them, but on the whole they are realistic. Billy has a habit of pulling people's eyes out, holding them out in front of him and chewing them - the eyes look nastily real and there is a horrible popping sound as he bites down on them! Towards the end, there are bodies with their eyes gouged out and bodies burned to a crisp - the latter didn't look all that realistic to me, but then I've never seen a burned body (and hope I never do), so perhaps they were well done.

The film is based around Christmas, so there is lots of Christmas lights, Father Christmases, presents and Christmas music. Obviously, however, if you're looking for a comforting Christmas film, this isn't going to be for you - much of it is turned into something creepy and very far from being comforting. Even a poor Santa Claus face mask is made to look horribly creepy, and some of the Christmas music becomes ring tones that warn when the killer is making a call. There is a rating of 15 on the film and I think that is definitely called for - I'm actually quite surprised it isn't higher. This is certainly not a film you want to entertain your kids with over Christmas - not if you don't want to give them nightmares anyway!

It really is hard to find much to praise about this film. It is completely unoriginal and the characters are all so dull that they deserved to die! There is just one advantage that I can think of - the film only lasts for 84 minutes. It feels like it is much longer though.

There are no extras with the DVD - I am therefore reviewing the film only. Frankly, I wouldn't have wanted to watch any extras anyway.

I don't really think I can recommend this film to anyone, even the biggest fans of horror. It is too similar to a whole host of other films and there is no attempt by director Glen Morgan to make it seem different. I don't know how closely it follows the original because I haven't seen it - it may be that Morgan didn't want to change it too much. In that case, however, I don't know why the re-make exists at all. This film is a waste of time. Watch at your peril, and even then, don't spend any money to watch it. Not recommended.

The DVD is available from play.com for £4.99.

Classification: 15

Running time: 84 minutes. 

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