By Sarah Wharton

This review contains spoilers.

People often give Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978) the credit of being the first “proper” slasher film which is fair enough considering its notoriety. However, in actual fact, that credit belongs to Black Christmas, a Canadian film released a whole four years prior to Carpenter’s classic. Black Christmas’s relatively unknown status is somewhat surprising. It features Margot Kidder in her pre-Lois Lane years, horror favourite, John Saxon and is directed by Bob Clark, helmer of the infamous Porky’s (1982). It has gained more fame recently after being remade as Black Xmas but still seems to come second place to Halloween. Fair enough, as I have already said, but unfortunate.

Why unfortunate?

Simple. Because Black Christmas is better.

The film focuses on a college sorority house as its inhabitants prepare to go home for the holidays. When Clare (Lynne Griffin) disappears after receiving obscene phonecalls her housemates, Jess (Olivia Hussey), Barbie (Margot Kidder), Phyllis (Andrea Martin) and house mother Mrs Mac (Marian Waldman) contact the police. What they don’t know is that Clare hasn’t left the house, she’s dead in the attic along with her unknown and unseen killer. One by one the others join her until only Jess is left – the police realising that the calls are coming from inside the house only too late.

Unlike Halloween which made a star of its killer, Black Christmas never reveals the identity or motive of a murderer who may or may not be called Billy. As you can imagine, this is infinitely more frightening than Donald Pleasence running around wittering on about “pure evil”. Director Bob Clark gives the viewer just enough information to put together their own conclusions but never gives anything away… Until the twist ending, that is. The victims too are well-written and genuinely likable characters. Only Barbie comes across as a bit of a bitch but even she doesn’t deserve what she gets – unlike the irresponsible eejits that litter the script for Halloween. As a viewer I didn’t particularly want any of the characters to die – especially the likes of Phyllis and Jess (does she die or doesn’t she?) who do absolutely nothing to deserve their fate.

Bob Clark uses little gore throughout the film, relying instead on ratcheting up the tension to an unbearable pitch in order to create scares, even managing this in scenes which, when taken at face value, should not be frightening. Take for example the scene at the beginning of the film when the girls, in the midst of their Christmas party receive an obscene phone call. The call, first of all, is truly obscene and as the caller gets louder and more and more crazy sounding the tension builds, eventually dropping when Barbie loses her temper and makes a wisecrack. This works wonderfully as, in the following scene, Clare is killed unexpectedly. Since Clark created the genre he could hardly be said to be playing with conventions, but Clare is the stereotypical heroine – sweet, quiet and virginal. Instead of saving the day her death puts in motion the events of the film.

Clark also puts into place the inept authority figures that have become a staple of the horror film. John Saxon’s detective is perfectly capable and good at his job. What’s frightening is that he is constantly let down by a team of inept plantpots who make him incapable of doing his job properly. However, the detective’s eagerness to solve the case is also his downfall. He is so keen to believe that Jess has killed the murderer that he fails to check the crime scene properly. Cue the first twist ending in a long line of copycat movies.

So why Christmas? Bar the obvious necessity that the title creates, is there any need for the film to be set at Christmas? Although I didn’t note any anti-Christmas messages within the film I do believe the setting is important, if only aesthetically. Firstly, it gives the situation some credibility. As any student knows, university residences approaching Christmas are in uproar. Some people are going home for the holidays, some are staying. Strangers are everywhere as relatives come to bring students home. It’s easy to lose track of who’s where which is what the credibility of Clare and Mrs Mac’s initial disappearances hinge on. Secondly, houses are so much creepier at Christmas. After all, all year round we need God knows how many lamps to light a room but come Christmas and we suddenly feel that a string of fairy lights and some candles is enough. Black Christmas does more with a muted colour palate and some tacky Christmas decorations that I’ve ever seen before.

Black Christmas is hard to come by on DVD at the moment but last Christmas it was on FilmFlex to rent as part of their festive season so hopefully it’ll be up there again. If you’re up for the antidote to It’s A Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946) this Christmas then look no further.

Rating: 8.0