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I forced my brother to take me to see this movie the day after Christmas. He even offered to take me on actual Christmas.
Am I glad he didn't? I sure as hell am. At the time I thought it was the worst horror movie I had seen in years. But after
revisiting this on the dvd release I really don't think it is as bad as most, myself included, make it out to be. At least
some thought was put into this and it wasn't just some stupid point and shoot remake. It tried to be something different and
interesting. It didn't succeed in all points but it was still a fun ride getting there.
The original is considered by most to be a class and one that started the slasher genre nearly four years before Halloween.
This took the same basic idea of a stalker inside a sorority house and upped the ante. It gave the killer "Billy" a backstory,
trying to add depth to the killer. I didn't think it worked or was needed but it was a nice added twist in bringing new life.
They also added a sister character for Billy known as Agnes, who was there to help slay the victims. I thought she seemed
to be just an added and out of nowhere character. Later I discovered that she was only added because Billy couldn't be in
two places at once and continuity would be disrupted.
The "flashback" scenes seemed just stupid and completely over the top. I mean Billy's mother kills his father and no one
seems to even care. I mean, it doesn't even address the fact that others may notice his disappearance (ie. Fellow employees,
friends, family). Also, why in the hell would Billy just decide one day, completely out of nowhere, to start eating his family.
I mean, I understood that he was going insane but the cannibal aspect really need to be added?
The backstory is really my only gripe with what is otherwise a fun and entertaining tale. Let's start with the characters.
The second time around I really enjoyed each and every character EXCEPT the one that I should be rooting for, the main girl
played by Katie Cassidy. The girl definitely can't act and they gave her some really bogus lines to say. Everyone else seemed
to do well with what they were given. Someone I noticed this time around that I hadn't really appreciated the first time
was Crystal Lowe. She definitely appears to have some chops for acting. Unfortunately she keeps getting some parts which
really only point to the dim wit slutty girl. And of course Mary Elizabeth Winstead was in this and did a fine job as always.
Definitely glad to see that she keeps doing horror. She is with out a doubt my favorite actress right now and the most beautiful
girl I've ever seen.
Some may say that the violence is in your face and really grotesque but to us horror fans it really isn't. It's pretty much
the same basic stuff over and over. The whole "pull the eye out and eat it" bit was overly used and just lost effect after
about the sixth or so time done. Two of the deaths were offscreen which I appreciated in two senses: I didn't have to see
Winstead die, thank God and that they added a bit to the scariness factor. The stabbings were interesting and all but I really
didn't like them overall. Got over way too quick. Also most of the deaths were BAM, BAM, BAM in your face kind of stuff
when they should have been drawn out scare bits.
I also really didn't like the boo scares in this movie. I mean they really don't make for a better or scarier horror movie.
All they do is annoy me for constantly having to watch the screen and hear a loud noise that's apparently supposed to make
me jump and just makes me roll my eyes. Yawn. I did however really like the atmosphere of the film throughout. The Christmas
spirit was definitely in the air. I loved the color scheme used in the first half and then the low underlit house of the
second half. Made for some very interesting visuals.
With that in mind, I really loved the direction in this film. Glen Morgan can definitely do that. He may not make the smartest
decisions script wise but he sure as hell delivers up a visual feast. The stylish camera angles added to the stalkeresque
vibe used throughout. I definitely dug that. I really hope that Morgan does get another job even though this film tanked
because he definitely shows potential. Let's all just hope and pray that he doesn't direct something that he writes and leaves
that part up to someone else.
Another treat that this movie gave to the viewers was the eye candy. I mean you can't really fit much more beauty into this
film. Winstead, Lacey Chabert, Lowe, and Michelle Trachtenberg are definitely beauties to behold. Crystal Lowe also shows
some skin in an interesting shower scene. She shows a little bit of her breasts and also her ass. That was definitely a
nice present for the male audience. I know my brother definitely enjoyed every moment that Chabert was on the screen because
she is definitely one gorgeous woman. As for me, I enjoyed watching Winstead every time her beautiful face graced the screen.
In the end I really enjoyed what I saw in front of me. The stylish camera angles, the decent acting, and the great atmosphere
definitely added to the ultimate look of the film. The backstory definitely dragged and brought the film down but was still
an overall joy. Though not as good as it could have been, I still highly enjoyed Black Christmas for all it's dumb Christmas
goodness.
Original Rating: 4/10
Rewatch Rating: 7/10
review by zombievictim
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