'Black Christmas' arrived in 1974 and was directed by Bob Clark (A Christmas Story, Porky's). The film stars Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, and John Saxon in a take on an old urban legend in which a mysterious stranger invades and hides in the attic of a Sorority house during the Christmas break, terrorizing the young girls with various obscene phone calls. At first amused by the eerie calls, things soon turn sinister and deadly. Bob Clark is a very diverse director to say the least, with films ranging from college comedies, to brutal horror, to charming family films. He is talented in many ways and while 'Black Christmas' isn't the best film he worked on, it is still a solid watch that provides a very eerie atmosphere and some scares.
For a film with a small budget, it's strong performances from some A-list actors really elevate it up there from your usual slasher fare. Olivia Hussey had just recently starred in 'Romeo & Juliet' and Keir Dullea in '2001: A Space Odyssey' so you have some pretty great picks in what most would consider a cheap and lowbrow genre. The killer in the film, known as 'Billy' is one of the most disturbing I've seen in a horror film. His obscene phone calls are some of the scariest things I've ever heard and it is not for the easily bothered. The film's downsides mostly consist of the film's low budget, which results in a lot of technical and sound issues (which we'll discuss in a minute). The film also adds comedic scenes that do lighten the intensity of the film, but they feel quite out of place and really serve no purpose other than a chuckle or two. One minor nitpick that may be a clincher for some is that 'Black Christmas' has some very vulgar and lazy dialogue written throughout, particularly from Margot Kidder's character. While this usually doesn't phase me in the least, it seems pointless here, as if they felt the phone calls weren't horrible enough that everyone has to curse or scream vulgarities every few moments or so. 'Black Christmas' is a classic horror film despite all its warts and scars and would go on to influence the genre heavily in the years to come. If you're a big fan of horror, you likely already have 'Black Christmas' in your collection, but I do recommend checking out this newest release.
Video quality on this new SHOUT! Factory release is an improvement of the Critical Mass release a few years back, with sharper outlines and less of a blurry effect to the various lighting and brighter sequences. Unfortunately, the film has suffered for many years with a poor picture quality due to it's budget and lack of care since it's original release. Still, I commend and give SHOUT! praise for doing the best they possibly could and bringing a good-not-great picture for 2016's 'Black Christmas' Blu-Ray.
The controversial part of this release that has caused many fans issues is the sound quality. The film is presented with a new 5.1 digital remaster exclusive to this release that changes many sound effects and music cues and it sounds fine enough, however for those who have seen the film in its original format, the changes are quite noticeable and some are a little frustrating. The scene I personally have an issue with is the infamous 'Glass Unicorn' death scene that has many little changes to it, which I feel lessens it's impact somewhat. The main controversy here is the film's original Mono soundtrack is presented on the disc, which is plagued by strong hiss and various sound issues that SHOUT! has since repaired and sent out newly formatted discs to those who e-mail them with the issue. The sound is by far the worst aspect of this new release and hopefully the Mono track will be fixed when it arrives in the mail.
Special Features include 4 separate commentary tracks, including one from director Bob Clark and a commentary with the film's killer 'Billy' which is quite a fun listen. New features also include a couple new documentaries, new interviews with the various cast and crew, and promotional material including trailers and TV spots.
'Black Christmas' finally receives a decent Blu-Ray release in the US and through all of its issues, it's still a great SHOUT! Factory release and worth the empty space on your shelf.
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