Feline Films | November-December 2023

Greetings, my fellow Cougars! The conclusion of the fall semester is finally upon us, and with that comes the holiday season. What better way to bridge the gap between Halloween and Christmas than with a Christmas-themed horror movie? Let’s dig our claws into the 1974 slasher film Black Christmas and its subsequent remake of the same name from 2019. These spooky holiday films will certainly leave you shaking in your seats like a scaredy cat.

Black Christmas (1974) [R]

The 1974 Canadian film Black Christmas, directed by Bob Clark, was a pioneer in the slasher film genre. In fact, many people consider it the first of its kind, and despite being a lesser-known movie, its influence can be seen in many of today’s most iconic slasher films. The film stars Olivia Hussey, Kier Duella, and Margot Kidder in leading roles, and it centers around a group of sorority sisters on their Christmas break who begin to receive obscene and threatening phone calls. The girls start to go missing one by one as an unknown maniacal killer stalks them.

From the beginning, the unsettling tone is set with a creepy point-of-view shot and ominous heavy breathing in the background. A person, who we later assume to be the killer, stalks the girls from outside their sorority house and climbs into their attic. Several years later, in 1978, writer-director John Carpenter would pay homage to this scene in the iconic opening sequence of his film Halloween. Black Christmas was inspired by a folk legend originated in the 1960s called “the babysitter and the man upstairs” in which a babysitter receives threatening phone calls which end up coming from inside the house. A similar plotline was also used in the 1979 horror film When a Stranger Calls.

What sets Black Christmas apart from similar horror films is that the characters do not fall into typical superficial archetypes of slasher movies. Rather, the well-rounded characters face serious real-world problems such as unplanned pregnancy and alcoholism. The characters are also backed up with top-notch acting performances. Hussey is excellent as the lead sorority girl, Jess, who is the primary target of the killer’s harassing phone calls as she deals with the emotional turmoil of an unplanned pregnancy. Duella misleads the audience with an unsettling performance as Jess’s boyfriend, an unhinged musician who insists that Jess should keep their baby so they can start a family together, despite her wishes. Kidder is the film’s true star as the drunk and foul-mouthed comic relief. Her comedic timing is impeccable and necessary for a change of tone amid such an otherwise chilling film.

The cinematography, representative of the gritty 1970s films of its time, is subtly beautiful with its shadowy, dark, and grainy appearance that does not allow the viewer to always see everything in frame, adding an element of mystery. Shot on location in Toronto, you feel the cold, Canadian winter through the screen as it almost takes on a character of its own, and the haunting Christmas carols that play in the background throughout the film are essential to creating the overall spooky atmosphere that looms over the picture.

Overall, Black Christmas (1974) is an underappreciated horror film worth watching this holiday season. The movie constantly keeps you on your toes. Every scene is another moment of suspense, and just when you think you know who the killer is, the film takes another turn. So, if you’re sick of unoriginal and uninspired horror films, give this one a try! However, you may be hesitant to join a sorority after watching it.

9 paws out of 10

 

Black Christmas (2019) [PG-13]

The 2019 remake of Black Christmas, directed by Sophia Takal, is the second remake of the 1974 movie and the first movie of the franchise that original director Bob Clark was not involved in. Tragically, Clark was killed by drunk driver in 2007. Imogen Poots, Aleyse Shannon, and Lily Donoghue feature in starring roles with a surprise appearance by The Princess Bride star Cary Elwes. This movie unfortunately experiences many of the pitfalls of most remakes. The only similarity to the original film is that this films also takes place at a sororityplace and follows a group of girls who are being stalked and harassed by an anonymous killer. However, this remake follows a trend prevalent in recent horror movies; it adds an unnecessary supernatural twist which was not present in the first film.  

The plot does not retain the originality or character of the 1974 film. Instead, this remake comes across as a generic, cookie-cutter horror movie. The storyline is predictable and over-the-top, taking on the characteristics of many lackluster horror films of the past decade. The subtlety of the original film is completely lost in this 2019 version. The acting is exaggerated, and the characters continually spell out exactly what is happening in the plot throughout the movie because the screenplay does a terrible job of storytelling.

This remake takes the understated feminist narrative from the first movie and cranks it up to 11. While there is meaningful social and political commentary, as a viewer, you feel as if you are being beaten over the head by the film’s agenda every few minutes. The film is more of an overt feminist criticism of alpha-male culture and gender roles than it is an actual horror movie. There is a time and place for discussion on social and political issues in movies, but it feels far too heavy-handed, forced, and inauthentic in this case.  

For a film that puts so much emphasis on female empowerment, the predominantly female cast of characters are shockingly underdeveloped, which undoubtedly hurts the film’s supposedly feminist message. Unlike the original film, the female characters exclusively exist to be killed off and have no personality of their own. The movie also does not take the time to allow the audience to form an attachment to the characters prior to them being killed. The male characters, however, might be even more poorly written as all of them are portrayed simply as villainous misogynistic idiots.

To conclude, the 2019 remake pales in comparison to the original 1974 film. If you want to watch a genuinely scary and unique horror flick, stick with the original. But if you are craving a good laugh with your friends at a “so bad it’s good” movie, then the 2019 remake may be worth a shot.

2 paws out of 10

 

Happy Holidays Cougars, and I hope you have a purr-fectly cozy winter break!

 

The reviews above were written by Bridget Tooley, a student at Collin College. Collin College News extends its gratitude for her valuable contribution.