Black Christmas (2006)

User Rating:

4.3/10   

Director:

Glen Morgan

Writers (WGA):

Glen Morgan (screenplay)
Roy Moore (1974 screenplay)

Release Date:

25 December 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

This holiday season, the slay ride begins.

Plot:

An escaped maniac returns to his childhood home on Christmas Eve, which is now a sorority house, and begins to murder the sorority sisters one by one.

Plot Keywords:

Christmas | House | Attic | Sorority | Christmas Eve

Cast

Katie Cassidy	...	Kelli Presley
Michelle Trachtenberg	...	Melissa
Kristen Cloke	...	Leigh Colvin
Mary Elizabeth Winstead	...	Heather Fitzgerald
Lacey Chabert	...	Dana
Andrea Martin	...	Barbara 'Ms. Mac' MacHenry
Crystal Lowe	...	Lauren Hannon
Oliver Hudson	...	Kyle Autry
Karin Konoval	...	Billy's Mother
Dean Friss	...	Agnes - 16 & 22 Years
Robert Mann	...	Billy Lenz - 20 & 35 Years
Jessica Harmon	...	Megan Helms
Leela Savasta	...	Clair Crosby
Kathleen Kole	...	Eve Agnew
Cainan Wiebe	...	Billy Lenz - 5 & 12 Years

Also Known As:

Black X-Mas (USA) (promotional abbreviation)
Noël noir (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong horror violence and gore, sexuality, nudity and language.

Runtime:

84 min | 94 min (unrated version)

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:15 | Ireland:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Canada:18A (British Columbia/Manitoba) | USA:R (certificate #42313) | Germany:18 (unrated version) | Portugal:M/18 | Australia:R | Finland:K-18 | Italy:VM14 | Singapore:R21 | Peru:18 | Argentina:18 | Chile:18 | Netherlands:16 | Sweden:15 | Australia:MA (Cable TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Dimension Films

Trivia:

Glen Morgan didn't specifically have any male actors considered for the role of Kyle in the movie. Instead, during auditions, his 14-year-old daughter (stepdaughter of Glen's actress wife Kristen Cloke, who also has a role in the movie), picked out Oliver Hudson shouting out "That one!"

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): After the first phone call from Billy, one of the girls suggests dialing *69 to find out who it was, at which point, Melissa states "that will just call him back". This is incorrect. *69 simply reveals the phone number of the last caller, but it does not call them back.

Quotes:

Kelli Presely: They're not your family... and your brother's not here
Agnes: No... MY DADDY IS!
[Her brother *and* father bursts through the floorboards behind them]

Movie Connections:

References Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Final Waltz

Should have been called Silent Night, Deadly Night 6

After finally seeing the original for the first time and after seeing the trailer for this film I was more than a little excited to see it. Even the negative reviews couldn't keep me from seeing it on the big screen. To my dismay the film was not all that great. Even on it's own merits it was just an OK popcorn horror movie, but nothing more. Everyone knows about the re-shoots, and so naturally I hoped for a Director's Cut DVD so that we could all see the film that Glen Morgan intended to make. Sadly that hasn't happened, yet, but we did get an Un-rated version and after seeing it my opinion has changed...a little.

Pros: Moves at a decent pace most of the time. The kills are abundant, intense, and gory. There's plenty of that gore too. The acting is quite good, especially when considering what little the actors had to work with. Some twisted humor. The film looks polished and most of it is shrouded in darkness, giving the film a spooky feeling. An interesting back-story. An exciting climax. The sight of carnage with Christmas decorations and music in the background should warm the hearts of horror fans everywhere. The filmmakers do a good job of not making this a xerox copy of the original.

Cons: Lacks good scares and suspense. Also lacks character development and some of the characters are unlikeable. Pace drags in a few spots. There are signs of re-shooting. Though the back-story is interesting it's also not necessary and makes the killer less scary. Some plot holes.

Final thoughts: This remake of the beloved 1974 film has more in common with the 'Silent Night, Deadly Night' series than the original. That's not to say it isn't a fun watch, but it's in a completely different league than the original. That film is subtle, suspenseful, and has depth, whereas this remake is tacky, gory, and brainless. Not that I don't like that, but this is supposed to be a remake of classic! To be fair, word has it that the producers called for re-shoots and more editing, which may explain some of the film's faults. Overall, a good popcorn movie, but nothing more.

My rating: 3/5