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Black Christmas Movie Review

Posted on April 24, 2009
Filed Under Action / Adventure, Blu-Ray, Comedy, Comic book / Animation, Comic-Con, DVD's, Family, Genre, Horror, James Bond, Movie News, Now Playing, Romantic Comedy, Science Fiction, Uncategorized, Upcoming Releases, Video Games, box office | Leave a Comment

This festive fright-fest was a nice surprise from what I was originally expecting. This is another horror remake [ from the folks behind ‘Final Destination’ – great film ], but un-like so many others ; it did manage to come up trumps ; like ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.’ This is a remake of Bob Clarke’s 1974 classic slasher flick, ‘Black Christmas’ ; which essentially came 4 years before John Carpenter’s ‘Halloween’. Some fans lay claim that it was the original slasher flick. 

From the outside, this looks like just another of your basic ‘there’s a psycho hacking up some pretty girls, who are running up the stairs instead of out of the door,’ and to a certain extent that’s correct, it is the way this is conveyed which is fascinating and attracting to look at. 

The tale : demented killer, Billy Lenz, escapes his psychiatric ward and is out to make it to his childhood home, where he was abused, by Christmas. Problem is, it’s years after and the home is now a Sorority house. It’s Christmas Eve and a who’s who of teen/horror girl stars are there to welcome him, including Melissa [ Michelle Trachtenberg, 'Buffy the vampire slayer' celebrity ], Heather [ Mary Elizabeth Winstead, ‘Final Destination 3' ], Dana [ Lacey Chabert, 'Mean Girls' ] and Kelli [ Katie Cassidy, 'When a stranger calls' remake. ] This picture is actually pretty good, it’s got a consistent sense of being observed that runs right thru it and adds a sparkle to the shocks, and the stress is kept high. The actresses, although spouting some terrible lines at times, also say some good ones. The acting is good, and because the majority of the premiere women are stars, and a lot of them horror stars, the onlookers does not guess which one is going to make it to the rolling credits. 

The story-line builds well, and there is a mounting tension, as the killer first phones the girls, and then starts to get rid of them. An analogous story to the original ‘Halloween’, with a killer coming home for the vacations, there are many similar P.O.V shots of the killer, watching the girls throughout the house. The Xmas theme bleeds in nicely with the plot, and it comes across in places [ especially, the flash-backs to Billy Lenz's childhood ] like something, director, Tim Burton, would conjure up. The film gets darker and darker as we move through it, with some very violent scenes, and the music by Shirley Walker is great; capturing horror and Xmas all in one twisted melody. 

Also, the employment red and green lighting throughout [ owed to Yuletide ] is really cool, and creates a great atmosphere. Due to it being set in a Sorority house, and this no longer being 1974, some of the dialogue just doesn’t cut it. I will not imagine plenty of these girls’ staying in the house with a crazed serial killer, because they won’t find their ‘sorority sister,’ believable in 2007 unhappy, but true.

There is, sadly, the obligatory shower scene, but it is used for scares, not thrills, and so works. Right from the start you can tell, this isn’t your common run of the mill slasher, it actually has a back story, and we do find ourselves caring for some of the characters, for example, Kelli, played by Katie Cassidy is great ; and if you hated ‘Dawn’ in ‘Buffy the vampire slayer’ – you are gonna love this movie.

Do you enjoy watching movies? If yes, you may also visit cinemarv.com to watch movie trailers and read some reviews about the top movies in the world. Also, you might want to check out horror movies coming soon.

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