Black Christmas didn’t quite grab me as it has others, but there is certain creepiness and combined with a fun cast and some genuine scary moments here and there, along with a twist that’s ingrained in most people’s minds, the film at least was entertaining.
Black Christmas
— Collector’s Edition —
(1974)
Genre(s): Horror
Shout Factory | R – 98 min. – $29.99 | December 13, 2016
Date Published: 12/05/2016 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE — 3.5/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: The college town of Bedford is receiving an unwelcome guest this Christmas. As the residents of sorority house Pi Kappa Sigma prepare for the festive season, a stranger begins to stalk the house. A series of obscene phone calls start to plague the residents of the sorority and it becomes clear that a psychopathic is homing in on the sisters with dubious intentions. And though the police try to trace the calls, they discover that nothing is as it seems during this Black Christmas.
Quick Hit Review: This was, I think, my first viewing of the original Black Christmas and although I didn’t feel scary, nor did it make my skin crawl (which I guess means it’s on too tight!), there were some genuine creepy moments and the cast, headlined by Olivia Hussey, all turn in good performances for a horror-thriller and seeing Margot Kidder playing a complete ass was a lot of fun, otherwise the film is short enough that it doesn’t overstay its welcome. Even though I wasn’t a fan, it is easy to see why the film has endured all these years and, as the features show, is a cult classic in Canada. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 5.0/5 |
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This “Collector’s Edition” release comes with a matted slip cover while the inner cover is reversible revealing the film’s original poster artwork. DISC 1:
DISC 2: Film and Furs: Remembering Black Christmas (26:11; HD) is an interview with actor Art Hindle and how he got the part. Victims and Virgins: Remember Black Christmas (26:35; HD) finds actress Lynne Griffin discussing her work on the film Black Christmas Legacy (40:22; HD) – This lengthy retrospective documentary looks back on the impact the film had and its fanbase it has garnered over the years. Includes interviews with various members of the cast and crew like Olivia Hussey and Margot Kidder. 40th Anniversary Panel at FanExpo 2014 (18:02; HD) – Panelists include John Saxon, Art Hindle, Lynne Griffin and Nick Mancuso as they recount their time working on the film. On Screen!: Black Christmas (48:41; SD) is another lengthy retrospective featurette on the making of the classic Canadian horror flick. 12 Days of Black Christmas (19:48; SD) – An older featurette, and narrated by John Saxon, this was made for a DVD release and looks at what made this horror film special. Black Christmas Revisited (36:25; HD) – This is a featurette where Lynne Griffin and Art Hindle host this special and includes some archive interviews with members of the cast and crew. Archival Interviews (1:41:30; SD) include Olivia Hussey, Art Hindle, Margot Kidder, Bob Clark, & John Saxon. Midnight Screening Q&A (20:21; SD) features John Saxon, Bob Clark and Carl Zittrer filmed December 2004. Two Scenes with a New Soundtrack (3:04; SD) is an earlier sound mix that included sounds not found in the final version. Also included are Theatrical Trailers (8:16; SD) in English and French; Original TV and Radio Spots (3:09; HD); Alternate Title Sequences (2:47; SD); and a Photo Gallery (4:33; HD). |
VIDEO – 4.25/5 |
| Shout Factory, via their Scream line, releases Black Christmas in its original 1.85 widescreen aspect ratio and a 1080p high-definition transfer culled from a new 2K scan from the negative and as noted before the film, no major restoration work was done keeping with how the film was originally shown. But as such, and though it’s not very sharp, detail isn’t half bad and colors appear to be fairly vibrant while there were no noticeable or major instances of dust marks, scratches or other flaws. |
AUDIO – 3.75/5 |
| The movie comes with three options: 5.1, 2.0 and the original 2.0 Mono DTS-HD Master Audio tracks, any of which would be more than serviceable for a movie like this, however I did watch the majority in 5.1 (default) but tested out the other two. Now, the 2.0 track is fine and more than satisfactory but testing out the 2.0 Mono, um, yikes. If anyone can sit through the entire movie with that track, I commend you as there are plenty of hisses and scratches can be heard, heck every time someone pronounces an “s” it blows out the speakers practically. Avoid at all cost. |
OVERALL – 4.5/5 |
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Overall, Black Christmas didn’t quite grab me as it has others, but there is certain creepiness and combined with a fun cast and some genuine scary moments here and there, along with a twist that’s ingrained in most people’s minds, the film at least was entertaining. This Blu-ray, though, is another homerun by Shout Factory: the video/audio transfers are both well done and the bonus features are packed. |
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.