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Directed by: Bob Clark Starring: Olivia Hussey, Kier Dullea, Margot Kidder In Black Christmas, a group of naive sorority girls (including pre-SCTV Andrea Martin and pre-insane Margot Kidder) begin to receive threatening phone calls during the holidays. This is a precursor to the girls being killed one by one. This movie is rather unique in that it first introduced the "killers-eye view" camera shot. Black Christmas was also made a few years before slashers made any serious headway into the mainstream, which made the plot rather novel for the time period. Surprisingly, it has aged quite well. Considering the time period and what I would estimate to be jack-poo poo for production values, the film is suprisingly slick. The blood and guts aren't overabundant (likely for budget reasons), and the score is understated. I don't apply the term 'panache' to much, but Bob Clark directed with just that. Having watched so many modern slasher flicks, swarming with nauseating jump-cuts and squealy action-markers, Black Christmas defines itself by being calm and collected. And in the same way old farts bitch about how CDs can't match the "sound" of LPs, grainy 70s film always succeeds in adding a distinct touch of creepiness that crisp modern film cannot. The performances are standard horror fare, with Marian Waldman probably putting in the best one as the drunk RA. Black Christmas is nothing mind-blowing, but certainly worth tracking down for horror buffs. RATING: 3 PROS: Decent chills for cheap CONS: Probably only of interest to horror fans ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071222/
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May 6, 2004 04:35
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| # ? Apr 17, 2024 00:13 |
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One of the best horror flicks to come out of Canada, period. Not perfect, but way ahead of it's time. 4/5
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May 6, 2004 05:24
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Pretty lame, and boring too. For a horror film, there's a severe lack of suspense or menace. 2/5
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Jan 22, 2005 20:27
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