BLACK CHRISTMAS
Canada, 1974, 98 minutes, Colour.
Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, John Saxon, Andrea Martin, Art Hindle.
Directed by Bob Clark.
Black Christmas was one of the original slasher films – girls in a college prepare to go home for the Christmas holidays but are trapped by a strange maniac in the attic. He makes sinister phone calls, the girls are bewildered, one of the boyfriends also turns up – and most are despatched.
The film was an early film for Olivia Hussey who had made an impression in Romeo and Juliet for Zeffirelli and was to be the Virgin Mary some years later in Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth. Margot Kidder was at the beginning of her career, appearing in Sisters and soon to appear in Superman. Keir Dullea had appeared in a number of films in the 60s including David and Lisa and 2001: A Space Odyssey. John Saxon was also an established star. Andrea Martin appears as Phyllis Carlson – and took a role in the 2006 remake as the woman in charge of the college.
The remake in 2006 updates the basic story – but keeps to the essentials. The remake goes into a lot of psychological explanations for the background of the killer and the use of the house before it became a sorority house.
1. The significance and tone of the title, the contrast with white Christmas, indication of theme and style?
2. Audience expectations of thrillers, their hopes from a thriller in terms of suspense, mystery, fright? How successful was the impact of this film in these departments?
3. The importance of the opening and its atmosphere: the music, the Christmas season, the atmosphere of the house, a sense of menace, the wandering and subjective camera, murder, and the mood? Was this successfully established?
4. The importance of the use of subjective camera? The audience identifying with the murderer, his spying? The contrast with the girls chatter, the atmosphere of the sorority house, the role of the phone?
5. The importance of the subjective camera and the sounds and the voices used by the killer? The film’s use of the phone, its importance in plot, atmosphere? Its function in the film?
6. The atmosphere of the sorority house? holidays and the celebration of Christmas? The party, presents? The permissive atmosphere, Barbara and her language? Jess as the heroine? The girl who was initially murdered and her primness? The boyfriends?
7. The lady and her management of the house? Mrs Mac and the comedy that she offered? Mr Harrison and his disapproval of the behaviour?
8. Audience interest in and identification with Jess as heroine? How conventional in her concern for others, her fears? Jess as pregnant and the influence of this on the plot? The inevitability of Jess being finally terrified?
9. The atmosphere of fear, especially as presented with the other girls? Especially Barbara and her nightmares, her asthma? The way the other girls were murdered? The atmosphere of fear?
10. How realistic was Peter? As a person, a perpetual student, his music, his involvement in his own work, his failure in the exam, his violence on the piano? The erratic nature of his response to Jess? Audience suspicion of him? His final appearance, being linked with the house and the phone? His death and audience relief? The irony?
11. The climax, the noble hero? His handling of the case, the assistant and his ignorance?
12. How well did the film build up to the climax, Jess's fear, the phone, Peter's death?
13. Did the ending cheat? Or was this a message to the audience not to place too much faith on appearance and easy conclusions?
14. How plausible and exercise in fear? How entertaining a thriller?
