Black Christmas
(Tartan U.K.  Region 0 PAL DVD)
(1974)
review by Suspiriorium

It’s almost impossible to start a review of Black Christmas without noting how tragically overlooked by the movie-going public. Over the years the film has built itself up a devoted & loyal following of genre fans, but it has never received the kind of widespread fame of the later classics (such as Halloween or Friday the 13th), which borrow so heavily from it. Despite this under-exposure, Black Christmas remains a powerful exercise in sustained tension, which can easily withstand comparison with the very best the slasher genre has to offer.

A girl’s Sorority House is breaking up for the Christmas holidays, but is being pestered by weird perverse telephone calls. One of the girls fails to show up to meet her father, and a search of the nearby park reveals more surprises. There’s a maniac on the loose, & the calls continue, but he may be closer than they suspect.

Whilst this basic outline makes it sound like any generic eighties slasher film, Black Christmas actually has more depth & complexity than most of the films which followed it. No simple virginal heroine characterisation here, and the simple drama of the girls would make for a compelling enough film without the serial killer plot. The main thrust is the tensions between Jess (Olivia Hussey) & her boyfriend Pete (Keir Dullea), as she discovers she is pregnant but wants an abortion, which he is dead against. The film refuses to judge Jess, she is no innocent victim, but nor is she portrayed as being in the wrong for wanting to lose the baby & retain he ambitions. It also manages to be surprisingly funny, with a number of laugh out loud moments, most of which revolve around Margot Kidder’s character, who gets all the best lines.

On a technical level, the film is pretty astonishing for it’s budget with some very impressive stylised camera movements, particularly the use of a wide-angle lens to signify the large amount of p.o.v. shots. There is a palpable sense of dread & tension running through the film, helped by an impressive sound design. The phone calls are still genuinely shocking & creepy, whilst elsewhere there is a startling amount of underlying darkness beneath the superficial joy of the Christmas Carols – the central “Come All Ye Faithful” murder is a particular stand-out moment. Particular mention must be made of the weird, fiercely modern, unmelodic & atonal score by Carl Zittrer, which must rank as one of the most genuinely creepy & unnerving in the genre.

Despite all this, it’s perhaps not quite as original as it’s claimed to be, with particular borrowing from Bava’s Black Sabbath, & the mix of suspense, p.o.v., & character humour is reminiscent of Argento’s Animal trilogy amongst others. Nevertheless, it’s an intriguing mix of the familiar & unfamiliar that does pay off. The biggest problem modern viewers will have with the film is more that it’s scenario’s have been replayed (or ripped off) by so many later films that it now seems rather clichéd. Personally, I have no problems with overlooking it’s over-familiarity because the sense of dread & tension is maintained so expertly, right up to the unnerving & ambiguous conclusion ringing out across the cold winter night.

Recently issued as a R1 special edition from Critical Mass, Black Christmas comes to the UK from Tartan, with a souped-up, streamlined version of that release. It’s presented in Region 0, so is playable worldwide – though you need to be able to support the PAL format. I believe this is the first release of the film to be anamorphic, & Tartan’s 1.77:1 16x9 transfer is good stuff. Inevitably for a film of this budget & age the picture is pretty soft & grainy, but I was generally very pleased with the quality. The original stereo audio is carried over from the Critical Mass release, but Tartan go one better with a Dolby 5.1 remix. Inevitably the surrounds are used fairly sparingly, but the moments when the score creeps across the soundstage towards you are genuinely unnerving & really add to the impact of the film.

In terms of extras, present from the CM release are Bob Clark’s excellent audio commentary, the 36-minute “Black Christmas Re-visited” documentary, 2 alternate opening sequences (basically the same only with different titles), French & English trailers, 4 US TV spots, 2 Radio Spots, & an art/photo gallery. We lose the second commentary by Dullea & Saxon (though this is reputedly not the finest ever recorded), the interviews, & the episode of Dark Dreamers. There is a UK exclusive with “And All Through the House”, running around 8 minutes the creator of the Black Christmas website takes us on a tour of the house as it is today. Whilst this is an entertaining diversion, much of the material is similar to the “re-visited” docu, & you’ll likely only watch it once.

So, if extras are you thing, you’ll want to plump for the more generous Critical Mass release. However, I feel that the film is the most important thing when buying a DVD, & as such (particularly taking into account the generous RRP meaning it shouldn’t cost you more than £10) the higher spec A/V on this Tartan release must be my personal choice. Whichever version you choose, Black Christmas is a great little film which is well worth adding to any collection.