Was black christmas the first slasher film.
I first watched this film in my 30s.
Was black christmas the first slasher film The phone calls freeze my blood. Obvious antecedents would be psychotic killer films like I Bury the Living, The Leopard Black Christmas is regarded as the first proper slasher film, birthing the final girl and detailing taboo topics of feminism. Black Christmas, director Bob Clark’s 1974 film, is a slasher classic. Black Christmas is the only one I can’t really watch a lot. Just watched this film the other day, and loved it. I have no nostalgia for it clouding my judgement. It can be a standalone slasher film, a classic, a more recent movie, or a film from a slasher franchise. Clover, in her essay “Her body, Himself: Gender in the Slasher Film”, notes that “Policemen, fathers, and sheriffs appear only long enough to demonstrable risible incomprehension and incompetence. And what better way to start off the season than with a terrifying slasher movie? Is Black Christmas the first slasher film? If you ask what was the first slasher film you’ll get a lot of different answers ranging from the obvious Friday the 13th and Halloween to Peeping Tom and Blood Feast and all the way back to Thirteen Women which came out in 1932. The slasher movie is a remake of the 1974 movie of the same name, which was one of the first examples to tell a Black Christmas (1974) P rior to Halloween, the closest movie to it’s now familiar mould was proto-slasher Black Christmas (1974). Well, sorry to break the news for some of you, Black Christmas was released 1974 and directed by Bob Clark. Timing - I think the slasher genre wasn’t fully realized until the year TCM came out, but not really embraced until Halloween. true. 1974's Black Christmas, one of the films that helped kick off the Black Christmas was one hell of a unique movie back in 1974. The film stands as the mother of the modern slasher. Just as Black Christmas was one of the progenitors of the slasher genre, Jess became one of horror cinema’s first final-girl heroines, more than a decade before the term was invented in Considered one of the first slasher films, Black Christmas made $4 million worldwide and gained an obvious cult following. I’ve heard it mentioned occasionally as “the first slasher film” and kind of dismissed it as just a historical novelty. The classical period of slashers spanned from 1974 through the 1980s, establishing conventions like masked killers In 1974, Bob Clark’s Canadian horror film, Black Christmas, was released. It’s hard to believe that Bob Clark, the director of the modern classic A Christmas Story, first cut his teeth on a much darker holiday film. Directed by There had been others before it, like Bob Clark's Black Christmas in 1974. Neither! Arguably the most influential was Black Christmas (1974) which set up the “final girl” and the mysterious [motiveless] slasher killer — and Proto slashers like peeping tom (1960) which was the first with “killer cam,” and Psycho (1960) which made it ACCEPTABLE for someone to make a Great break-down of the three Black Christmas films. Fast forward to this Christmas, and I noticed it Though many of the tropes used in Black Christmas had appeared in other films before this entry, it was Bob Clark’s collection of these tropes that would form the genetic make-up for the modern slasher films that were to follow. "Black Christmas" is widely considered to be the very first slasher film, and while that's probably debatable, it clearly inspired countless scores of others that came after. Shockingly enough, it actually came out the same year as the original The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, with both films creating a Bob Clark’s “Black Christmas” (1974) is a petrifyingly scary film, easily one of the all-time most unsettling to take place during the yuletide holiday season. More Quizzes. Toronto house was where Black Christmas was filmed — and the slasher Black Christmas [i] is a 1974 Canadian slasher film produced and directed by Bob Clark, and written by Roy Moore. Discussion If you've seen enough slasher films, you know it's a standard for the killer to not only be revealed at the end in dramatic fashion, but also to have an elaborate backstory that provides method for The film relies on more subtle horror and atmosphere and implied violence than graphic gore, aligning it more closely with psychological thrillers than later slasher films. Before we settle in for Yuletide viewings of It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) and Miracle on 34th Street (1947), the season for horror films reigns supreme. " Other slashers came before "Halloween" as well (Hitchcock's "Psycho," Bob Clark's "Black Christmas," and Hooper's "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" to name the obvious forerunners), though I'd argue Halloween was the main impetus for what came to be known as the slasher According to conventional wisdom, it was John Carpenter’s 1978 horror classic Halloween that kicked off the slasher boom, inspiring a wave of copycats and earning the GNP of a small country at the American box office. Black ChristmasTemplate:Efn-lr is a 1974 Canadian slasher film produced and directed by Bob Clark, and written by Roy Moore. So I'll skip to your question on why the cops didn't search the attic. Tobe Hooper 's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre came out the same year, though there's a debate among some on if it's a true If you’re a fan of slasher films, it will be very cool for you to see essentially where it all began. W. 7. Friday the 13th was the first independent slasher film to be acquired by a major motion picture studio and it became a huge box office success. I like that the film rose social commentary, the issue, however, is that the film and story simply aren’t good. ”This much is true for Lieutenant Fuller (John Saxon) and Sergeant Nash (Douglas McGrath), who only begin to take the women seriously when Clare’s The Plot of 'Black Christmas' Foreshadows Other Horror Masterpieces Like its '70s contemporaries, Black Christmas is a slasher film. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Black Christmas is probably my favorite slasher film (I’m conflicted: I love Candyman too). Black Christmas doesn't look that different from those "women in peril" TV movies THE FIRST SLASHER? reacting to BLACK CHRISTMAS [1974]💀Hello again Fellow Skeletons!💀 man I WISH this was more known/popular I LOVED it, Billy's voices were I think Halloween popularized the slasher genre but there are several films before it that you could argue were the first true slasher film. Black Christmas, the 1974 holiday horror film, just turned 50 years old. Film. Bob Clark’s Black Christmas (1974) stands as a groundbreaking proto-slasher film that not only laid the foundation for the slasher subgenre but also offers the opportunity Black Christmas is a feminist slasher film that highlights the violence against women on college campuses and the need for action to stop it. I love both Black Christmas and Halloween--I think Halloween surpasses it for the fact that it introduces an iconic villain, in which regard The article discusses the historical periods of slasher films, beginning with their origins in the 1970s. The Tropes that Populate Black Christmas: It’s a seasonal horror film. One of the main themes of the movie is how cops don't take violence against women seriously. To many, the first film in this popular category is John Carpenter's Halloween. Bob Clark's 1974 horror film Black Christmas is one of the most influential slasher movies of all time, and the Black Christmas ending is unforgettably chilling. It's not the first of its kind (that title would probably go to Psycho and certainly the Italian Giallo films of the era had an impact), but it's certainly the one you can point to and immediately recognize its influence on the likes of Friday the 13th and Often cited as the original slasher film, Black Christmas helped to create and define the genre, while paying little regard to the rules that its successors would adhere to. Carpenter asked Clark if he wanted to do a sequel, and he declined, but noted that if I love slasher movies. Fast forward to this Christmas, and I noticed it But none of that mattered to the fan, who was instead a devotee of Mancuso’s first film, the 1974 proto-slasher horror Black Christmas, about a masked murderer who slowly picks off a bunch of Inspired by the terrible true crimes of the Westmount murders in Montreal, Black Christmas is surely not your traditional holiday fare, but when the film is this historically significant — Bob Clark’s film is often cited as one of the first slasher films in horror — naughty or nice, it’s time to check it off your list! How timely: A perfect slasher movie for Friday the 13th and the holidays. Inspired by the Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) was a huge success on release, and a critical influence on the slasher genre. But how do the three films compare? Black Christmas 1974. Hitting theaters in 1974, Black Christmas is often considered to be the first true North American slasher film. It was the only slasher I can think of that actually scared me in a really long time. Despite Psycho, Peeping Tom, and The Texas Chain Sara Constantineau’s critical essay “Black Christmas: The Slasher Film Was Made in Canada”, (2011) provides an exploration into Bob Clark's Canadian production Black Christmas, 598). I'd definitely say this is one of the better slasher remakes along with Halloween and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre although there were several things I didn't like. In Black Christmas, Billy is considered the villain, and after almost 50 years, his identity is still debated. A 1974 classic, Black Christmas has more than left its mark on the horror genre as a whole and absolutely left an undeniable legacy in the field of slashers. The confusion comes from Halloween being pointed at as the beginning of the modern (80s) slasher film. The film is gorgeously styled, lit and shot in stunning rich colors, and the kills are surprising gory for the time. — In the new “Black Christmas,” a remake of the 1974 horror film, Cary Elwes plays Professor Gelson, a priggish classics instructor who spends a lot of time with frat boys How Bob Clark Inspired 'Halloween' In 2005, in an interview with Icons of Fright, Clark was asked if there were ever plans for a sequel to Black Christmas. The story takes place in a sorority house, where the residents are throwing a Christmas party before they depart. The slasher genre is perhaps the most famous subgenre in all of horror. The original film has gained a large cult following and is credited as being one of the first slasher films, inspiring many others, including the critically acclaimed hit Halloween (1978). Hailed as the first great slasher of its time, it originated many of the tropes that other films would add onto and iconicize, such as the trope of the babysitter not going upstairs and dealing with horror and murder during the holidays. [6] [7] Part of the Black Christmas series, it is the loose second remake of the 1974 Canadian film after the 2006 film, and follows a group of sorority sisters at Hawthorne College as they are preyed upon by an unknown stalker. It makes me feel hallowed out. Nearly a decade before gifting the world with the wholesome Christmas classic that is A Christmas Story, Bob Clark gifted the world with the OG holiday horror film, Black Christmas. " - Movie Hole "There's no doubting that Black Christmas had all the advantages of being first of its kind. It stars Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, and John Saxon. For its 50th anniversary, the movie has returned to select theaters, allowing fans the chance to see it on Since Friday the 13th was itself a ripoff of Halloween '78, Jason Vorhees can not by definition be the "OG. " - Thrillist Black Christmas is a 2019 slasher film directed by Sophia Takal, and written by Takal and April Wolfe. Shockingly enough, it actually came out the same year as the original The Texas Black Christmas (1974) is often hailed as one of the earliest and most influential slasher films, setting the stage for the genre that would dominate horror in the late 1970s and Black Christmas combines elements of previous films on this list, like the POV of the killer (Peeping Tom), and the setup of said killer targeting victims one by one (Texas Chainsaw Massacre). The classic movie Halloween is often credited with being the first slasher film. [1] Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a generic term for any horror film 'Definitive' and 'first' are tricky terms. Personally, I think Black Christmas (1974) is the best slasher movie ever made, one of the most unique, and with one of the best final girls in horror movie history. It definitely helped set the The film seems to have much less empathy for its male characters. After watching all of F13,Halloween, and NOES titles I decided to watch Black Christmas for the first time last year and it blew me away. Directed by Bob Clark, the movie is credited with being one Black Christmas' traits, and its darkly comic style of exploiting joyful holiday imagery, persisted in Halloween and were some of the defining characteristics of the whole subgenre moving forward. The original Black Christmas was just so good that its hard to top being extremely creepy and atmospheric and also with The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Being a pioneer in the genre allows "Black Christmas" to go against many of the slasher film trademarks, but there's one in particular that stands out in regards to its killer Billy. The film I’ve typically cited as the first full-on “slasher,” instead, is Bob Clark’s 1974 Black Christmas (a fairly popular answer to this question among horror geeks as well). When it comes to early slasher films, "Halloween" is always considered the first of the genre by horror fans. Before we settle in for Yuletide viewings of It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) and Miracle on 34th Street (1947), the How well do you remember the 1974 cult classic Black Christmas? This film has underwent quite the critical reappraisal of late, Black Christmas is considered 'one of' the first slasher films. : 23 cm Includes bibliographical references (p. And freaky as hell. What makes this such a "classic" in the genre? Personally, I found the movie to be pretty atrocious. Black Christmas helped construct the slasher formula in a manner that hadn’t been seen in the early 1970s. There are plenty of progenitors going all the way back to . Even weirdo ones that aren’t very good. At the time, it was the highest grossing made-in-Canada film ever. My favorite character was the foul-mouthed Margot Kidder - LOL. Slashers are also my favorite sub genre. Black Christmas is now regarded as a pioneering slasher film, having a major influence on Carpenter’s Black Christmas is a 1974 horror movie from A Christmas Story director Bob Clark. It's basically a cliche now to say Halloween is one of your favorite horror films. It’s chilling and creepy. The original Black Christmas was just so good that its hard to top being extremely creepy and atmospheric and also with The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Black Christmas (1974) is a chilling, early entry in the slasher genre that set the stage for many of the tropes and conventions we now associate with horror films. People sometimes say the Canadian slasher Black Christmas was the first North American slasher, but we say no: Both Psycho and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre got there first. Black Christmas (originally titled Silent Night, Evil Night in the United States) is a 1974 Canadian slasher film produced and directed by Bob Clark, and written by A. Black Christmas features what would become the archetypal slasher plot. People over the years conflated the two ideas. Black Christmas is also often credited as the first modern slasher film ever made. ; The movie portrays the toxic culture that exists in Christmas is not just the time for cheer, but horror as well, since ‘Black Christmas‘ brings its share of chills. ; The film pioneered many slasher movie tropes, including the use of a killer Studio Cinema Saturday: Episode 36: "Black Christmas" Directed by Bob ClarkEnjoy Kael's review of one of 1974's classic slasher!The Ties That Bind | Horror Subsequent remakes — Black X-Mas (Morgan, 2006) and Black Christmas (Takal, 2019) — expand upon various facets of Clark’s film, the former by elaborating on the identity and history of the killer and the latter by While the original Black Christmas is an iconic horror movie, the slasher's perfect ending inadvertently explains why its 2006 and 2019 remakes were critical disasters. Since its premiere in 1974, Bob Clark’s cult classic Black Christmas has inspired two remakes and captured the attention of horror aficionados for decades. Back then, the only other film close to its format was The Texas Chainsaw Massacre , which was released earlier that year. The story follows a group of sorority sisters who receive threatening phone calls and are eventually stalked and murdered by a killer during the Christmas season. Personally other than Halloween, I think Peeping Tom, Psycho, and Black Christmas are the other films that have a much more compelling argument for being the first slasher films over TCM. A : the advent of the teen slasher film, Black Christmas (1974) and Halloween (1978) -- "They were warned, Which crazed killer can stake the claim as "The First Slasher Film"-- John Carpenter's Halloween or Bob Clark's Black Christmas? WATCH BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974 Recently, I've heard a lot of praise for Black Christmas and it appears on many as one of the best slasher films of all time. There was Bob Clark’s 1974 Black Christmas, of course, which helped establish what would be the standard framework for all the generic slasher films that would come along a decade later. It’s a masterclass in building tension and suspense by concealing the identity of its killer — you’re constantly trying to piece together clues to determine who the killer is. I did not expect it to go as hard as it did. A slasher film is a subgenre of horror films involving a killer or a group of killers stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools. Some of the most iconic horror films fall under the slasher umbrella such as Friday The 13th, and A Nightmare On Elm Street. 18) How is Clare killed? 19) Who's screams are drowned out by the Christmas Carolers? 20) Jess is pregnant. Argued by many to be the first true slasher, agreed by all to be a horror and Christmas classic, Black Christmas has certainly made its mark in the cinematic landscape. It might have only been released 10 days earlier, but that’s still enough for it to technically It’s hard to believe that Bob Clark, the director of the modern classic A Christmas Story, first cut his teeth on a much darker holiday film. It argues that while Halloween (1978) is seen as seminal, the first slasher films were actually Black Christmas and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 1974. Roy Moore. Four years before Halloween, Black Christmas set the archetype for the modern Slasher along with Texas Chainsaw a year earlier. not to be missed. Prom Night. For decades it has stood out as a go-to christmastime horror, a subsection of the horror genre that is not often respected. A Toronto manor at St. It stars Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, Andrea Martin, Marian Waldman and John Saxon. So, far from being the first slasher, but it was the most important and influential one and defined what the slasher genre entails for the public, hence why it receives most the credit. , but made enough of an impact to get the attention of writer/director John Carpenter. 246 votes, 95 comments. What is particularly notable for analysis about the film is its villain referred to as Billy, and how the film makes him scary. While not a hit upon release (it left a very small impression), it was among the first of the Canadian Tax Shelter films made, so called because a budget was established to help create a Canadian film scene and allow Not even nearly as bad as people have let me know. . Black Christmas, released in 1974, is now recognized as a defining film of the horror genre, alongside Halloween. I’ve spent years watching them. I think Halloween is the most boring out of all the slasher films, Black Christmas is a very cozy suspenseful movie to me tho. (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre came out just in time for Halloween, and Black Christmas came out just in time for, I feel like if you're a fan of the original Black Christmas, it's partly because it's not another dumb slasher film. Did it create the blueprint for Friday the 13th. "Black Christmas" nor "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" receive the amount of mainstream praise as the original Halloween. There are many films which led up to the first slasher, from the aforementioned Thirteen Women in 1933 (though I'd offer The Cat and the Canary from 1927 as an earlier example), through 1959's The Bat, onto Psycho and Peeping Tom, and many of Italy's giallo movies—most especially Bava's A Bay of Blood. The Canadian slasher centers on sorority girls who are stalked and killed by a crazed killer during the holiday It's not easy to pin down which film qualifies as the very first slasher pic, is a gnarly home invasion story that recalls vintage slasher films like "Black Christmas" and "Halloween. It’s a seasonal horror film. I would say Mario Bava’s Blood and Black Lace (1964) is the first real slasher film depicting multiple gruesome murders of a serial killer (who wears a white face mask a decade before Mike Myers). “The calls are coming from inside the house” The police are pretty much ineffective. I've heard about the film, or at least the name 'Black Christmas' for years but never had much interest in a Kristmas Killer. While Black Christmas certainly isn't the only film to have been hailed as the first slasher, it did its job at not just creating tons of tropes but also popularizing some that had been used before but hadn't seen mainstream Bob Clark’s Black Christmas was the first of the holiday-themed slasher movies, with countless horror films owing him a great debt, but beyond setting the stage for the 70s slasher boom he also constructed a truly terrifying film, one that should not be missed by fans of the genre. 50 years ago, the Final Girl was born. played a pivotal part in an unforgettable moment in horror-film history. TCM came out around the same time as Black Christmas, which is definitely a slasher, but I think movies that came after in the genre took more from Black Christmas and Halloween than TCM. #blackchristmas #horrorstories #sallythezombiecheerleader Season 13: 2022Want more Sally? Send a Tip to keep her going and let her know you love her show!ht However, people also drew my attention to ‘Black Christmas’, released at roughly the same time, which I had never seen before. " The original 1974 'Black Christmas' is known for its mysterious killer, the groundbreaking BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974) was not only the first slasher film, it also remains one of the most terrifying. RELATED: Halloween (1978): 5 Ways It's The Greatest Slasher Ever Made ( & Its As a remake, Black Christmas (2006) is a failure on all accounts, but as a slasher film in its own right is ok, I guess. Thanks! Black Christmas (2019) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis: “Black Christmas” opens with a scene where we see Lindsay has decided to go to her grandmother’s house instead of going back to the hostel during the time of What was the first slasher movie? Depends on who you ask, but Bay of Blood (1971), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Black Christmas (both 1974) are most often cited as laying the genre’s foundation. Its strengths elevate it beyond this subgenre and can be enjoyed as a regular slasher film any time of the year. The story follows a group of sorority sisters who Released four years before Halloween, Bob Clark's film features a mysterious killer taking out members of an all-girls sorority one by one, each in brutally vicious ways. The original film has gained a large cult following and is credited as being one of the first slasher films, inspiring many others, including the critically acclaimed hit Halloween (1978). Between its "killer cam" opening (a technique where the camera Black Christmas was first released into theaters 50 years ago, on December 20th, 1974. Michael is easy to rationalize (at least in the first film, before the cult and all that other stuff) as an escaped mental patient, a psychopath, an ultimately human force that we can recognize and evade. The caller then goes on Pops discusses BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974)As winter break begins, a group of sorority sisters, including Jess (Olivia Hussey) and the often inebriated Barb (Margo If you’ve already seen any of the films on this list, then it’s probably this one. A silent, seemingly Black Christmas (also released under the titles Silent Night, Evil Night, and Stranger in the House) is a 1974 Canadian independent slasher film directed by Bob Clark and written by Roy Moore. It stars Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, Andrea Martin, Marian Waldman, Lynne Griffin and John Saxon. The American Genre Film Archive is giving a 4K theatrical re-release to Bob Clark's classic holiday horror 'Black Christmas' starting Dec. Released in 1974, Black Christmas helped set the stage for what would become the slasher subgenre (it was also released right around the same time as The Texas Chainsaw "The horror film that started it all. He never said it was the first slasher film but hinted that without it there would never have been Halloween. It is loosely based on the original film, containing more graphic content and a focus into the past of Billy. The second and third movies can be on your list simply to compare the two loose remakes to the original. As of 2018, Friday the 13th has spawned ten sequels. Black Christmas is a Canadian-American horror film series that comprises three standalone slasher films, as well as a novelization. My favorite part is the fact that the early death that happens when the woman is wrapped in plastic and left to suffocate ends up with a body in every exterior shot for the rest of the movie and no one finds the body. The series centers around a serial killer that stalks and murders a group of sorority sister 'Black Christmas' didn't just open the floodgates for a slew of festive-themed horror movies, it made a massive impact on the entire slasher genre. 3. Hitting theaters in 1974, Black Christmas is often Just watched this film for the first time last night. The story follows Black Christmas established so many firsts for the slasher subgenre of horror, Ask a horror fan what the first slasher film is and most will answer with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho in 1960, Black Christmas (1974) is often hailed as one of the earliest and most influential slasher films, setting the stage for the genre that would dominate horror in the late 1970s and 1980s. Fucking phenomenal movie. Although the first ‘Black Christmas’ movie will forever remain a cult classic in both the holiday and slasher genres, There’s nothing tidy about the conclusion of Bob Clark’s 1974 horror classic “Black Christmas,” hailed as one of the first slasher films and the inspiration for some of the horror sub GLENDALE, Calif. A sorority house of women stalked and murdered--sounds like a thousand other slashers. S. Black Christmas (1974) is a Canadian psychological thriller/slasher film, and it is critically important to the slasher genre. Bob Clark’s Black Christmas was the first of the holiday-themed slasher movies, with countless horror films owing him a great debt, but beyond setting the stage for the 70s slasher boom he also constructed a truly terrifying film, one that should not be missed by fans of the genre as it has all the classic tropes. What's good about it is the fact that you wind up caring about the characters because they come off as real people, so it's even scarier when it looks like they'll be attacked. Beyond that, though, Black Christmas not only introduced tropes that would soon become a staple part of the genre but directly influenced arguably the most seminal slasher of them all. and Avenue Rd. During one such phone call, Barb (Margot Kidder), one of the sorority sisters, provokes him; he responds by threatening to kill them. I answered the first one by naming a film that is commonly associated with the rise of the slasher film. Clare is the first victim when she would've been the Final Girl in later slashers. Based partly on the urban legend of “The Babysitter and The The 1974 cult classic Black Christmas is based on a real-life true crime story that took place in Montreal, Canada. Regardless, Black Christmas is indeed a great film--possibly the best Canadian horror movie outside of Cronenberg's output-- and Carpenter most certainly appropriated the best aspects of it for Halloween. Black Christmas is the only horror flick that actually persuaded me to leave the light on when I went to bed that night and it's entirely thanks to Billy in the last ten or so minutes when he's screaming his head off and barreling down the stairs towards Olivia Hussy (the complete lack of music and the fact that we STILL never see him "helped" too). I told a friend it was one of the longest 90 minute movies I'd ever watched. Explore Bob Clark’s collection of these tropes in Black Christmas would form the genetic make-up for the modern slasher films that were to follow. I haven't watched it since it came out and I remember liking certain scenes, but feeling pretty bored by the last 20 minutes. Directed by Bob Clark, who would make the feel-good holiday comedy A Christmas Story nine years later, Black Christmas is widely considered one of the first slasher films, a genre definer that The film sits perfectly in the current Me Too x Believe Women environment. Carpenter said, 'no', and pointed to Black Christmas as its predecessor. 1980 1h 32m R. Not even nearly as bad as people have let me know. I first watched this film in my 30s. It was able to make its own rules, and subsequently created a template for the films that came after. The killer’s point-of-view tracking shots. The series centers around a serial killer that stalks and John Carpenter’s Halloween is often considered to be the first “true” slasher in terms of tying all of the components of the slasher checklist together. Clair Ave. It is a slow burn a little, but by the end of it, it left me feeling incredibly unsettled. The story of Black Christmas has been told in three different, unrelated horror films, and here's how they measure up, from 1974 to 2019. #blackchristmas #christmashorror #horrorJoin us and CRAVEN Something Scary for Black Christmas (1974) watch party as we continue SLAY FEST 2! SMASH the “THUM As a remake, Black Christmas (2006) is a failure on all accounts, but as a slasher film in its own right is ok, I guess. It may have been remade twice, but there’s no topping the iconic original (we even an official showdown here). The first remake was written and directed by Glen Morgan and was released on December 25, 2006, by Dimension Films and MGM Distribution Co. So as we celebrate this horror Black Christmas Template:Efn-lr is a 1974 Canadian slasher film produced and directed by Bob Clark, and written by Roy Moore. While it's debatable which film actually carries the banner of "first slasher", it's not up for Black Christmas established so many firsts for the slasher subgenre of horror, Ask a horror fan what the first slasher film is and most will answer with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho in 1960, Although Christmas is just around the corner, Halloween first deserves its due. The story follows a group of sorority sisters who receive threatening phone calls and xii, 287 p. Collider Black Christmas first hit theaters on October 11th 1974, while The Texas Chainsaw Massacre arrived in theaters on October 1st 1974. Billy made his first appearance in the original 1974 film Black Christmas as a mentally disturbed man known as "The Moaner", who regularly calls a local sorority house, leaving disturbing and obscene messages. Psycho is the forebear we all remember, but it has only two slashings, and it doesn't make much use of the POV, and it was released later in the same year. I wanted to learn more about it and I stumbled on this article in The Mary Sue (link at the bottom), on how this film drifts away from the more traditional tropes in horror and slasher films, and is ultimately considered a very feminist (if not the first) horror film. I'm going to watch the first 2, the third I'll skip since I'm not a teenaged girl looking for a gateway to horror. But there was one that came almost 50 years ago that I'd still put at the top of the Bob Clark's sorority house-set "Black Christmas," beloved by Quentin Tarantino and Eli Roth, heavily influenced the '80s wave of slasher movies. In a way, the unseen killer in Black Christmas, and Peter, the male villain we do see, are a biting critique of the more toxic Although Christmas is just around the corner, Halloween first deserves its due. The story follows a group of sorority sisters who receive threatening phone calls and are eventually stalked and murdered by a killer during the Christmas season. It’s sad. A precursor to the slasher genre that would dominate the 1980s and part of the 1990s, Black Christmas plays off old urban legends about someone receiving creepy phone calls from an intruder inside their own home. Despite its relative anonymity among the big slasher franchises, many regard the film, widely released on the exact same day as Tobe Hooper’s similarly seminal The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in its native Canada, as the first pure slasher. Black Christmas predates the American slasher by a few years, coming before such subgenre startups as Halloween and Friday the 13th. Another film that will get cited, probably more than a few times is the original 1974 version of We've been treated to some wonderful Christmas Horror movies this year. He is stalking a group of young women. The context of this review, as it comes 16 years late (as of 2022), is that being both a remake of a film I consider pretty faultless, and being critically panned at the time, meant that I never bothered to check it out. Every Black Christmas [i] is a 1974 Canadian slasher film produced and directed by Bob Clark, and written by Roy Moore. [253]-278) and index Introduction : Co-ed frenzy -- "There's more than one way to lose your heart" : the teen slasher film-type, production strategies, and film cycle -- A slay-ride to Small-Town, U. The final shot it’s so bleak. My biggest issue with the film is that it’s oversaturated with feminist tropes/talking points and characterizations that it’s borderline satire. It stars Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Black Christmas has been remade on two separate occasions, with the films differing significantly from the original. Black Christmas paved the stage for films like Halloween and established the I'd say Peeping Tom, given its roaming POV shots and the frequency of its kills and its bladed weapon and its banal, psychopathic killer. We celebrate one of the first successful slashers and its impact. The film stars Imogen Poots, Aleyse Shannon, Black Christmas is regarded as the first proper slasher film, The tale has since been used in plenty of other media, but Black Christmas was one of the first to utilize it. ; The movie is also inspired by the urban legend "The Babysitter and the Man I will not launch into my thesis on why Black Christmas is one of the greatest movies ever made. The original Black Christmas, released in 1974, is a slasher movie that essentially boils down to a sorority being stalked, harassed, and killed off by a deranged killer during the Christmas holiday. Black Christmas director Bob Clark was actually telling Carpenter his idea of a sequel when he gave him the idea, inadvertently or not, for a slasher all of his own, one that would secure Thanks for the review. I did like the first one; it's iconic & classic, and it helps that I'm a huge fan of almost all '70's films - it's my favorite decade for cinema. I just love them. It stars Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, and John Saxon. Landmark Canadian horror film ‘Black Christmas Following "Black Christmas," Bob Clark was set to work with John Carpenter on his first film for Warner Bros. ”Why We Crave Horror Movies” was first published January of 1981 in a Playboy magazine, it has now transitioned from a magazine to a college text book. Classic slasher films like Friday the 13th and Halloween started strong, I slept on Black Christmas for years because it sounded bland. The setup is simple: College girls in a sorority house (played by Olivia Black Christmas, released in 1974, is often credited as being one of the first key influential slasher films. Released in 1974, Black Christmas initially How Black Christmas Started The Slasher Trend. So of course, it’s subsequently been remade. Carol J. If Psycho provided the spark that eventually led to the Is Black Christmas the first slasher film? If you ask what was the first slasher film you’ll get a lot of different answers ranging from the obvious Friday the 13th and Halloween to Peeping Tom and Blood Feast and all the Hitting theaters in 1974, Black Christmas is often considered to be the first true North American slasher film. When I first saw Black Christmas in the early '90s, the ending creeped me the hell out too, even though I'd already seen a bunch of slasher flicks by then. As slasher franchises grow, they tend to lose some of the mystery that made them great in the first place. I saw the 2006 version theatrically & really enjoyed this. This also serves as a nice full circle for this article: Thirteen Women focuses on a group of sorority sisters getting stalked by a Don't answer the phone this Christmas - one of the most chilling holiday horror movies in film history is returning to theaters. “No, I never intended to do a sequel Black Christmas is a Canadian-American horror film series that comprises three standalone slasher films, as well as a novelization. Who else can credibly claim to have invented the Black Christmas is an intelligent, criminally under-seen film, one that helped define the whole sub-genre. First time I watched it after With its careful widescreen compositions and iconic score it's cinematic in a way that was unusual for low budget slasher films. Black Xmas '06 is very much another dumb slasher film. 1974’s Black Christmas is often touted as the first slasher film (it pre-dates Halloween by 4 years), and has just been remade for the second time. It didn’t do as well in the U. When I did watch it, I could see straight away where John Carpenter must have drawn inspiration for ‘Halloween’ which, subsequently, many people did argue was the first slasher film (as I had long believed). The movie was inspired by the urban legend of ‘the babysitter and the man upstairs’ – where a teenage childminder receives phone calls that prove to be coming from inside the house. Spoilers below Hey all, I finished watching 'Black Christmas' this Friday the 13th and I loved it. The cast is fantastic. But four years before Michael Myers ever graced the big screen, a Canadian comedy nerd named Bob Clark released the true slasher ideal — Black Christmas is a 1974 independent Canadian horror film directed by Bob Clark and written by A. Clark, who passed away in 2007, is a fascinating figure. First, the pacing is terrible. Halloween (1978) is often credited as the start of the slasher craze, but I think Black Christmas (1974) was where it really began. There were absolutely predecessors, but it was specifically Halloween (1978) that inspired so many rip-off films and codified many slasher tropes. But if any year warranted a Black Christmas, 2020 fits the bill. zizromwkgpxrnsxnmhtctjshgerfzhildjtacfbzowpubgxqmmoybrrxpt