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Black Xmas is a rather nasty remake of the 1974 not-so-classic and not-so-good slasher movie 'Black Christmas'. We obviously knew how to spell Christmas back then!
What has this world come to? Isn't it bad enough that we destroy wonderful classics by remaking them... is it necessary ... Read review
It is Christmas time in the old Lenz residence - a grand old home with a tragic history. ... more
The newly renovated mansion is now home to a group of sorority sisters who are getting ready for the holidays. However their celebrations are interrupted by taunting anonymous phone calls and they begin disappearing one by one.
Postage & Packaging:£0.00 Availability:3-5 working days
Production Year: 2000 - Horror - Director: Keenen Ivory Wayans - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Carmen Electra, Anna Faris, Kurt Fuller, James Van Der Beek, Keenen Ivory Wayans
Black Xmas is a rather nasty remake of the 1974 not-so-classic and not-so-good slasher movie 'Black Christmas'. We obviously knew how to spell Christmas back then!
What has this world come to? Isn't it bad enough that we destroy wonderful classics by remaking them... is it necessary to now remake dreadful movies too? What genius thought that Black Christmas (1974) was actually worth remaking? The truth is... ... ...just short of being a disaster.
The acting is absolutely impassive, and the characters so incredibly stupid and shallow that the viewer begins to feel a kinship towards the killer... the only horror in this movie is the terrible script and bad directing by Glen Morgan (who also wrote the screenplay). Who would have thought that Glen Morgan, who also produced 'Final Destination 3', 'Willard', 'The One', and co-produced 37 episodes of ... more
Directed by: Glen Morgan Screenplay by: Glen Morgan - Roy Moore (1974) Genre: Horror - Thriller Country: Canada/USA Certification: 15+ Language: English Released: 22nd October, 2007 (DVD)
MAIN CAST: Katie Cassidy (Kelli) Michelle Trachtenberg (Melissa) Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Heather) Lacey Chabert (Dana) Kristen Cloke (Leigh) Andrea Martin (Ms. Mac) Crystal Lowe (Lauren) Oliver Hudson (Kyle) Karin Konoval (Billy's Mother) Dean Friss (Agnes) Robert Mann (Billy) Jessica Harmon (Megan) Leela Savasta (Clair) Kathleen Kole (Eve)
An escaped psychopathic killer returns to his home, which has since become a sorority house for a bunch of 'brainless and superficial' students, and decides to re-enact his happiest Christmas by killing the girls.
Black Xmas is a rather nasty remake of the 1974 not-so-classic and not-so-good slasher movie 'Black Christmas'. We obviously knew how to spell Christmas back then!
What has this world come to? Isn't it bad enough that we destroy wonderful classics by remaking them... is it necessary to now remake dreadful movies too? What genius thought that Black Christmas (1974) was actually worth remaking? The truth is... the first movie was a flop, and this one falls just short of being a disaster.
The acting is absolutely impassive, and the characters so incredibly stupid and shallow that the viewer begins to feel a kinship towards the killer... the only horror in this movie is the terrible script and bad directing by Glen Morgan (who also wrote the screenplay). Who would have thought that Glen Morgan, who also produced 'Final Destination 3', 'Willard', 'The One', and co-produced 37 episodes of 'The X-Files', would have been capable of such crap?
As for the special-effects... they're as good as the soundtrack. So, if 'Jingle Bells', 'Silent Night' and 'Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy' floats your boat, you'll love the special-effects.
This is a low-budget, crudely acted and insipid slasher movie that is about as entertaining as a visit to the dentist... Merry Christmas to you too!
Advantages: Tried to make it better by adding gore Disadvantages: Very bad storyline and special effects
This is a very badly made film because the story is so slow and boring. The special effects are rubbish and most of it is not that scarey. Whoever wrote the script obviously doesn't have a very wide range of vocabulary because the F word is used in almost every sentance.
From the trailer I thought this would be a very scary and interesting story but I was definately wrong. At times you think it is about to get better and more interesting but it ... ...way to sum it up is just some mental person escapes from a psychiatric hospital and tries to kill a lot of people.
There is quite a good cast in this film looks quite good with people like Michelle Trachtenberg (Buffy the vampire) and Elizabeth Winstead (Final Destination 3 and Die Hard 4.0) but their talent in this film was wasted becaus of the poor script and storyline.
The best part of the film is probably the gore. This film was rated 15 years ...
justinscartoons 31.01.2008
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Advantages: Scary as hell, with great comic bits, and a terrific cast Disadvantages: Not for those who are scared really easily
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TITLE: BlackChristmas (1974 Version)
RATING: ****
CAST: Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, John Saxon, Andrea Martin, Marian Waldman, James Edmond, Doug McGrath, Art Hindle, Lynne Griffin, Michael Rapport, Leslie Carlson.
DIRECTOR: Bob Clark
SCREENWRITER: Roy Moore
STUDIO: Warner Bros. Pictures / Film Funding of Canada
RUNNING TIME: 98 min.
RATED: R (US) & 18 (UK); for extreme intensity, and some raw language.
DVD AVAILABILITY: 6 GBP from Amazon; ASIN# B000KHYKHM
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INTRODUCTION: THE ROOTS OF CINEMA HORROR
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I have a confession to make: I?m not a big fan of horror films, and the primary ...
Advantages: will genuinely terrify; good plot; a cut above most horror films Disadvantages: the extras were not as good as the film itself
the extras all that interesting but the film itself makes up for this. Well-packaged and the quality is good value for the budget price.
I would say there is nothing gratuitous about this film in comparison to some of the stuff today but the violence towards the female victims will disturb some.
On a final note, horror movies do not usually have the desired effect on me but 'BlackChristmas' was very eerie and truly made me feel uneasy.
WORTH WATCHING.
**UPDATE** - The extras included on this version of the DVD include the original theatrical trailer, which provides a good flavour of what to expect. There are also two location documentaries which show the actual filming and interviews with the cast/crew. There are notable differences in picture quality between scenes on the documentaries as one would expect considering the footage has ...
Advantages: Most of them die horribly!! Disadvantages: Been done before, nothing new
probably steer well clear of this film, because it is very similar. BlackChristmas 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 ...
Contains strong gore and language and moderate sex
Video Category
Feature Film
Country Of Origin
United States of America
Plot
A handful of sorority girls remain at their house on campus after their school shuts down for Christmas break. An ominous snowstorm blows in, isolating them. At the same time, a killer breaks into the attic and begins making terrifying phone calls to the girls.
Remake Of
Black Christmas ( 1974 Canada ), Black Christmas ( 1974 Canada )
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
PATHE DISTRIBUTION; 20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Languages
Main Language
English
Technical information
Special Features
Alternate endings, Featurettes, Making of
Aspect Ratio
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1
Professional reviews
Review
Black Christmas has some smart ideas and gags (The Guardian, 17/10/2007)
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Listed on Ciao since
25/08/2007
DVD Description
Though it was only a mild success upon its release in 1974, the original BLACK CHRISTMAS (directed by Bob Clark, who would go on to direct A CHRISTMAS STORY in 1984) has become a cult favourite among horror buffs since the dawn of the home-video era. An early example of the 'body count' genre, the film also predates WHEN A STRANGER CALLS (1979) in its use of a killer making threatening phone calls that originate within his potential victims own house. In this remake, writer/director Glen Morgan takes the basics of Roy Moore's screenplay for the original to create an elaborate and almost comically disturbing back story for Billy, the killer who previously remained a mystery. A handful of sorority girls remain at their house on campus after the school shuts down for Christmas break. An ominous snowstorm blows in, isolating them. At the same time, a killer--who in this version escapes from a mental institution to return to his former family home--breaks into the attic and begins making terrifying phone calls to the girls. Stylistically, Moores remake avoids casting the film in the ironic post-SCREAM or streamlined, gore-free Japanese-horror-inspired fright films of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Instead he makes BLACK CHRISTMAS in the style of a 1980s slasher film. The plentiful blood and guts will please fans of that era, as will tributes to the HALLOWEEN films. This, along with a soundtrack that eschews holiday standards in favour of modern pop music, plus a dim lighting scheme that relies heavily on coloured Christmas bulbs, combine to create an atmosphere of holiday dread in this fun update of what has become a horror classic.
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