Starring: Olivia Hussey, Margot Kidder, Keir Dullea, John Saxon, Andrea Martin, Marian Waldman, Doug McGrath.
Director: Bob Clark.
It's Christmas Eve. I had my Christmas Dinner, put up my Christmas Lights, and am ready to begin my own personal solo holiday tradition: Black Christmas. And later Scrooged but first Black Christmas. Not only is this my second favorite Holiday Movie(after Scrooged) but is generally one of my favorite horror films ever. It's remarkably influential but criminally underrated: it basically inspired big bits of Halloween and When A Stranger Calls. Those later movies get all the credit, but Bob Clark's Black Christmas got to a lot of those themes and scary bits first.
Bob Clark gets things rolling with some wonderfully voyeuristic photography: first a still steady cam pushing in on the house(brightly lit against what is basically a pure dark landscape), then moving with a creeping stillness from window to window as we see the shapes of the Women inside. Then we cut to a harsh, shaky low angle shot-a shot from the point-of-view of the creepy, murderous Billy-moving quickly through the yard and up some siding into the attic. These two juxtaposed styles make up almost all of the shots: a still steadicam and shaky POV, and both give off the creepy feeling of voyeurism.
Margot Kidder is pure dynamite in this. Oliva Hussey may be the star, and is pretty and british, but Kidder as the vulgar, alcoholic Barb is simply to die for. Out of all the ladies living at this sorority, Barb would be the one I'd choose above all. Beyond simply being awesome, she's really cute.
The creepy phone calls Billy makes are...well, jesus, they're some of the scariest things I've ever witnessed in film. As the camera moves over the faces of the creeped out girls(well, save Barb, who finds it all very amusing), with Billy's hissing, moaning and obscene comments...well, it's freaky. The creepiest part is, of course, when Barb takes the phone and begins insulting Billy, who then calmly states "I'm going to kill you" and hangs up. Even the unshakable Barbs' face falls when he says that. It's one of the creepiest moments in film, hands down. One of my absolute favorite scenes.
The plastic wrap scene gets a lot of credit(it's not as good as the phone call scene but to each their own) as the best sequence in the film: nervous, sweet Clare gets choked out with plastic wrap(in a blurry and intense burst of violence that is over as quick as it begins...not a lot of wasted moments in Black Christmas) and is taken to the attic where she is propped up and goes undiscovered the entire film. It is one of the most shocking moments in the film, for sure, but it doesn't quite get to me the way the phone call does.
Lots of great comedy in this film, too, which is something that I don't hear talked about that often. It might be a little dated, but watching Mrs.Mac flit through the house grabbing all of the bottles of brandy she has stashed throughout the place...it's very funny. It's hardly the funniest part of the whole film (we'll totally get to that, though) but it is very funny.
"Ho ho ho,shit." "Ho ho ho,fuck." Classic stuff. I say that a lot this time of year and nobody gets me. It always makes me laugh. Phyl's boyfriend doesn't get a lot of air time, but he makes it count wearing that ill-fitting Santa suit and cursing in front of small children.
Poor Mr.Harrison. Comes to the campus to find his Daughter only to find her missing. James Edmond gives a really good performance throughout the film-very sympathetic-as a man desperate to find his Daughter. He's a support player and doesn't get a lot to do, but he also gives a lot with very little. I always found him quietly charming, even though we get to know very little about him (other than that he's a bit uptight, but that goes out the window when things get serious).
An abortion subplot in a movie made in 1974. That's pretty incredible, really. Jess is pregnant with Peter's Baby and has decided outright that she does not want to have that baby. Peter, as a guy in a seventies movie, is not happy or supportive of Jess' decision. "I don't want it" Jess says. "You can't make a decision like that, you haven't even asked me yet!" Peter protests. You're a heel, Peter. The creepy part, though, is that obscene phone caller Billy seems to know that Jess is pregnant.
Black Christmas is probably one of the most honest films I've ever seen, too. Every character, no matter how minor, takes all the information with the seriousness that a real individual would: When Jess informs Clare's Hockey-Player boyfriend Chris about Clare's disappearance, he is ready to drop absolutely everything. There are some nice moments between Chris and Mr.Harrison, too. Chris also supercedes dipshit Sargeant Nash and goes straight to Detective Fuller(the amazing John Saxon)...and then he and Mr.Harrison(along with Jess and Phyl) join a group search for both Clare and a missing girl. Interestingly enough, there's nothing to directly connect Clare and the missing little girl. Like, they never pin it on Billy(not that we're ever sure of Billy's actual identity). The movie points at Peter as a potential suspect for SOME sort of criminal activity...even though it's pretty clear that he and Billy are not one and the same. I sometimes wonder if Peter killed the missing little girl?
My favorite part of the film is getting to the part where you realize Margot Kidder isn't doing an awful lot of acting. Like, she isn't drinking the usual movie-booze Iced Tea. It's probably between the Fellatio scene(a very funny bit) and her recounting of the Monkey's having sex for three days. She starts looking kinda rough in those scenes and seems to be in the film less and less after that.
Great moment when the little girl(Janice) is found. Mr.Harrison runs to see if it's Clare, sees that it isn't, and then looks guilty and lost when Janice's Mother runs to see what's there...it's a beautiful little moment from a character that really has no business getting that kind of moment. Beautifully handled little scene.
Peter is such a dick. Like, seriously. I don't know what Jess ever saw in him. Nash fails to notice that Jess's crank call complaint is from the same address as one of the missing girls the department is looking for: Mr.Harrison doesn't miss it whatsoever and takes it right to my main man Fuller. Man, I love Mr.Harrison! But seriously: Peter. Such an ass. "I'm leaving the conservatory and we're getting married." Well, good of you to ask Jess about it, you jerk. Jess informs Peter she doesn't want to drop her whole life "just because his plans have changed." Peter further his proves his doucheyness by calling Jess "a selfish bitch" and yelling about her "killing his baby." What an ass.
Cut to the funniest scene in the film: Fuller looks at Nash's report and sees the "Fellatio" stuff he wrote down earlier. He does a spectacular double take, and the other Detective bursts into hysterial laughter and KEEPS LAUGHING during the entire scene. Fuller finds it very funny, too. Then Nash, giving a wonderful straight performance, says "I know...it's something dirty, ain't it?!" The Detective laughs even harder. Makes me crack up every single time.
Fuller and the phone company are complete professionals. If I ever need police protection, I hope they send me John Saxon. I don't even care if he isn't a real cop. Just send Saxon.
Nice juxtaposition of the carolers outside and Billy sneaking into Barb's room and killing her with a really pretty crystal unicorn. It's the only shot we get of Billy in full, but all we see is a shadow and a single eye. His whispering: "It's me. Billy. Won't tell what we did" is just so super creepy...and all those voices he can duplicate on the phone...man, creepy, creepy stuff. "Just like having a wart removed." Sends shivers up the spine.
Actually, there is only one time where I find I don't like the comedy cutting into things: after Barb's death and Billy calls again, there's a bit where one of the cops come in with buckshot in his ass. It's cute, but it does cut right into the tension of the film-especially considering it casts shade at Peter-and it's kinda disappointing.
Peter then calls to weep and beg Jess not to have an abortion. Man up, Pete, you jackass. Fuller suspects the douche. As he should. There's another tension killer right after with a couple of local yahoos with the neighborhood watch. It's a little late in the game to throw more comedy in, and really is probably the only flaw in the proceedings.
The calls are coming from inside the house! Y'know, if I should ever become a cop, I don't want to be the guy who is put on house detail. Those guys never make it. Seriously, every single time cops are put on a stakeout to watch a house, they get murdered. Nash, of course, screws up the call to Jess...Fuller specifically told him not to tell her the truth about the calls coming from inside the house so of course he does. Jess should just get out but, hell, I'd probably go back for my friends, too. It would have helped in Nash had told her Fuller would be there in a few minutes...I might just wait for back-up under those circumstances.
Jess takes down Peter, who seems like he was definitely Billy. Jess is surrounded by Fuller, Chris and Mr.Harrison...and then they all leave a comatose Jess alone when Harrison faints. And then the camera pans upstairs...
Final Thoughts: It's a simple, honest and direct film by all accounts. There's nothing flashy about it, it's not gory or particularly scandalous: it's just a dark story about people being vicitimized on Christmas. The comedy is often very funny but does get a little irritating before the credits roll. Everyone is good in it, though, and it's one of the few films I genuinely do get creeped out by. Extraordinary film.
Final Rating: Four Stars.
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| Happy Holidays, Ya Bums. From your friendly neighborhood film critic and his Minions of Evil. |
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