Black Christmas (2006)

User Rating:

4.3/10   

Director:

Glen Morgan

Writers (WGA):

Glen Morgan (screenplay)
Roy Moore (1974 screenplay)

Release Date:

25 December 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

This holiday season, the slay ride begins.

Plot:

An escaped maniac returns to his childhood home on Christmas Eve, which is now a sorority house, and begins to murder the sorority sisters one by one.

Plot Keywords:

Christmas | House | Attic | Sorority | Sorority House

Cast

Katie Cassidy	...	Kelli Presley
Michelle Trachtenberg	...	Melissa
Kristen Cloke	...	Leigh Colvin
Mary Elizabeth Winstead	...	Heather Fitzgerald
Lacey Chabert	...	Dana
Andrea Martin	...	Barbara 'Ms. Mac' MacHenry
Crystal Lowe	...	Lauren Hannon
Oliver Hudson	...	Kyle Autry
Karin Konoval	...	Billy's Mother
Dean Friss	...	Agnes - 16 & 22 Years
Robert Mann	...	Billy Lenz - 20 & 35 Years
Jessica Harmon	...	Megan Helms
Leela Savasta	...	Clair Crosby
Kathleen Kole	...	Eve Agnew
Cainan Wiebe	...	Billy Lenz - 5 & 12 Years

Also Known As:

Black X-Mas (USA) (promotional abbreviation)
Noël noir (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong horror violence and gore, sexuality, nudity and language.

Runtime:

84 min | 94 min (unrated version)

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:15 | Ireland:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Canada:18A (British Columbia/Manitoba) | USA:R (certificate #42313) | Germany:18 (unrated version) | Portugal:M/18 | Australia:R | Finland:K-18 | Italy:VM14 | Singapore:R21 | Peru:18 | Argentina:18 | Chile:18 | Netherlands:16 | Sweden:15 | Australia:MA (Cable TV rating) | New Zealand:R16 | New Zealand:R16 (theatrical rating) | New Zealand:R18 (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Dimension Films

Trivia:

Andrea Martin, who played Phyllis in Black Christmas (1974), said in an interview that she hadn't thought about Black Christmas for 32 years and it "came out of the blue" when Glen Morgan offered her the role as the house mother in the movie.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: You can not see anyone's breath when they go outside, even though it is supposed to be really cold.

Quotes:

[from trailer]
Dana Mathis: Can't we just get on with this thing?
Ms. Barbara MacHenry: We have to open Billy's present first!
Heather: I'm really not okay with this. Buying a present for a serial killer?
Ms. Barbara MacHenry: Billy lived here.
[all but Heather laugh]

Movie Connections:

References Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)

Soundtrack:

Silent Night

Another awful remake

Well, call me old school, but to say that this movie was as good or better than the original is confounding and appalling. Scanning some of the comments, I find it interesting that some folks downgrade the original 1974 version because it leaves loose ends, and the new one explains things. I will say that the remake does provide a back story on the killer lacking in the original, but that doesn't make it any better. Quite the contrary. Another slash and gore bore.

The subtle atmospheric dread and suspense BC 1974 in the old version, while not great, is vastly superior. It is hard to improve on one of the best of the genre, and the original Black Christmas certainly belongs near the top. It did influence Halloween, When A Stranger Calls, Friday the 13th I and other classics of a few years later and is as good or better than all of them.

The 2006 version belongs near the back of the rental area at your local DVD store. Watch it on cable some night, but for those who have seen neither, ignore the new version and find a copy of the old one to buy or rent. You'll be better served for your DVD dollar.

A final editorial comment: I have yet to see a 200X horror film remake that came close to the original in spite of all the FX technology.....e.g. The Haunting. No, the Thirteen Ghosts remake was better, but only because the old Castle version was so cheap and campy. One man's opinion is that the Black Christmas remake would have been better not made. Final Destination I (at least) was quite unusual and quality in this genre.