Day 360: Black Christmas

Black Christmas

I'm dreaming of a Black Christmas

Merry Christmas to those celebrating and Merry Tuesday to those who are not. Hopefully you're spending time with your loved ones or at least people you can tolerate, having fun and eating good food. If you're working, at least you're getting bonus money while reading a blog about horror movies. That's a win in anyone's book. Since today is Christmas, I had no shortage in horror movies to choose from. As I expressed in my review of “Rare Exports”, there are a lot of Christmas horror movies. While holidays like Passover and Columbus Day are frequently ignored by the horror world. Christmas gets all the love. Granted, a lot of the movies are just slashers with someone dressed up like Santa. Creativity only goes so far for some people. The only way to properly celebrate this day is to watch one of the very first slasher films. Before Freddy, before Jason, before Michael Myers, there was Black Christmas.

Black Christmas is a 1974 holiday slasher film written by A. Roy Moore and directed by Bob Clark (Porky's, A Christmas Story). The movie stars Olivia Hussey (Romeo and Juliet, Virus) as sorority girl Jess Bradford and John Saxon (A Nightmare On Elm Street, Enter The Dragon) as Lt. Kenneth Fuller. During a Christmas party at the Pi Kappa Sigma sorority house, an unknown man climbs up a trellis and sneaks into the attic. Jess receives an obscene phone call from a man the girls have dubbed “the moaner”. The calls have been going on for some time and have gone mostly ignored until tonight. An inebriated Barb Coard (Margot Kidder, Superman, The Amityville Horror) begins to provoke the moaner which causes him to utter “I'm going to kill you!” before hanging up. Another sorority sister, Claire Harrison (Lynne Griffin, Strange Brew, True Identity), goes to her room to pack for a trip and is attacked by the man who snuck into the house and asphyxiated with a plastic sheet. He carries her body to the attic and places her in a rocking chair with a doll in her lap. The next day, Claire's father comes to pick her up only to find her missing. A campus wide search begins to find Claire along with a 13 year old girl that was reported missing. Meanwhile, Jess meets with her boyfriend pianist Peter (Keir Dullea, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Good Shepard) who is preparing for an important audition. She informs Peter that she is pregnant and is getting an abortion. Peter is upset by her decision and ends up failing his audition. Back at the sorority house, Mrs. MacHenry, the house mother, is murdered by the killer who hangs her in the attic with a crane hook. The search party finds the body of the missing girl in the park, so Jess, Barb, and fellow sister Phyllis return to the house and receive more disturbing phone calls. Lt. Fuller puts a “bug” in the phone so the police can listen to the calls and trace them. Peter comes to the house and argues with Jess about the abortion. Soon, another call comes in mimicking the conversation she had with Peter. The police are able to trace the calls and discover that they are actually coming from inside the house. Who is the killer and will the girls be able to survive?

"No, my refrigerator wasn't running. Thanks for the tip!"

Being one of the first of anything allows you enormous amounts of freedom to do what you want. You are not hindered by previous ideas or expectations. This freedom allowed Black Christmas to be incredibly creative and extremely influential on future horror films. Up until Black Christmas, most horror movies were fairly straight forward with a strong hero and a clear, decisive ending. This movie gives us neither, which makes it truly disturbing. While Jess is considered the heroine, she spends most of the movie being harassed, by both her boyfriend and the killer. Even at the end, she is still shown as utterly vulnerable. While there is an ending, the movie does not have a true conclusion. We never see the fully killer or learn why he is there. We only have his disjointed, terrifying phone calls which come in different voices and tones. There's occasional talk about a baby and the line "Agnes? It's me, Billy." is repeatedly, though what it means is never clear. Later slashers focused on silent killers, but there is something truly scary about the incoherent rambling of the killer in Black Christmas.

From the very beginning of the movie, we see the film's creativity, shooting from the killer's perspective. Nowadays, that's fairly common, but in 1974, it was new and daring. What makes these shots so interesting is that they are done so in a disorienting way. The camera is uneven and wobbly with a semi-fish-eye lens, showing that the killer as unstable. There is plenty of suspense throughout the movie as we, the audience, know that the killer is in the house, but the girls don't. Added to the suspense is a dark, creeping atmosphere the never lightens, even at the end. There is some good violence and a decent amount of blood spread through out. While the movie is influential for a lot of good things that horror movies do today, it also had a bad influence in my mind: inept police and characters who ignore common sense. While I don't think either of these were intentional, most of the events in the movie would not have occurred if the police were not terrible at their jobs and the girls weren't completely oblivious. From the very beginning, the police do multiple things wrong and leave the girls in a lot of danger. Even the very ending is capable because of a complete failure to a) do a through check of the house and b) stay with the one surviving witness. The willful ignorance of the girls are also frustrating. Jess is told that the killer is inside the house and to just walk out. What does she do? She screams for her sorority sisters and then goes upstairs. Come on, if the police told you a murderer was in your house, would you make as much noise as possible and go wandering around? These things don't hurt the viewing experience, but it is fairly aggravating.

He must have seen mommy kissing Santa Claus

Black Christmas is a fun and creative horror movie that really set the standard for all future slashers. It's basis comes from real-life murders in Quebec which help give credence to the plot. It's funny how many horror movies involved prank or obscene calls, a plot device that is now moot thanks to Caller ID and cell phones. The acting is good and the direction is really solid. It's funny to think that the director behind such wholesome movies as A Christmas Story and Baby Geniuses also directed such a dark and disturbing movie. I really like that we never see the killer or learn his motives and the ending is quite unsettling. The obscene phone calls are also very uncomfortable and make the movie that much more frightening. There are some good kills and a decent amount of blood in the movie along with a few laughs. Black Christmas's influence can still be seen today in horror movies, an incredible accomplishment for a Canadian horror movie that received mixed reviews. Merry Christmas and Merry Tuesday to all and to all a terrifying night.

8/10

Day 315: The Amityville Horror

The Amityville Horror

Home is where the horror is

The haunted house, as a means of delivering horror, goes far beyond film. Stories have been passed down through the generations, speaking of evil spirits and unholy things that dwell within our own homes. We've all been alone in a house and felt a creeping uneasiness. We know full well that no one else is home, but are sure that there is something “else” with us. Creaking floors, settling foundations, doors that never stay closed; while these may have simple explanations, the mind runs wild with fear and anticipation. It's this real-life fear that allows the haunted house story to still strike fear into the hearts of an eager audience.

The Amityville Horror is a 1979 horror film based on the the book of the same name written by Jay Anson. The story is said to be based on real-life paranormal events witnessed by the Lutz family. The movie stars James Brolin (The Car, The Cape Town Affair) as George Lutz and Margot Kidder (Superman, Black Christmas) as his wife Kathy. An unknown assailant murders an entire family without a motive in a house in Amityville, New York. Years later, George and Kathy Lutz purchase the house and move in with Kathy's three children. While George is not religious, Kathy asks Father Delaney (Rod Steiger, On The Waterfront, Oklahoma!) to bless their new house. He experiences trouble while trying to do his blessings, including trouble breathing, a door inexplicably shutting and being surrounded by flies, despite being out of season. He hears a disembodied voice yell “Get out!” and overcome with sickness, Father Delaney flees. As the days go by, George starts to change, becoming more sullen and aggressive. He ignores his work and the family finances, causing Kathy to become afraid. Her daughter Amy also begins to act strangely, saying she has a new invisible friend named Jody. When Kathy's sister, a nun, comes to visit, she immediately becomes sick in the house and leaves. When one of Kathy's boys has a window randomly shut on his hand, it becomes apparent that a malevolent force is present in the house. Father Delaney tries to use faith and prayer to rid the house of evil, but it follows him even to the church, eventually taking his eyesight. Research reveals that the house was built on a tribal burial ground and was once home to a devil worshiper. Will George be able to free himself from the grip of the house before it's too late?

"Oh, Choppy. You're the only one who gets me."

This was the first time I had watched The Amityville Horror and thanks to pop-culture references and spoofs, I had high expectations. The house in which the story is based on was actually for sale not too long ago, so that probably increased my desire to see the film. Sadly, I cam away very disappointed. When it was first released, the movie performed very well at the box office, earning more than $80 million. Perhaps my expectations were too high or maybe I've just seen too many horror movies, but I felt that the movie came off as middling and tedious. The story itself is interesting on the surface and the general mystery of what is going on with the house kept me interested. The payoff is rather weak, made all the more worse with an extra-long run time. The movie does go the religious route similar to The Exorcist, but it feels like they didn't know where to go with it. All the focus on Father Delaney could have been cut from the movie without any damage to the story itself. The is some excitement and action in the movie, but the blood and gore is pretty tame, even by 1970's standards.

It's not all terrible, though. There are some very good, recognizable scenes in the movie, such as George climbing the stairs with an axe, the walls bleeding, and Father Delaney being surrounded by flies. The music is also very good, receiving an Academy Award nomination for composer Lalo Schifirin. James Brolin is good in his role that requires a wide range of emotion. He is able to pull off both a loving husband and a deranged maniac convincingly. Margot Kidder is alright, but overacts in certain scenes. The same could be said for some supporting roles as well. The direction is good thanks to some creative angles and letting scenes run their course. The editing was a little bit off, at least to me, as certain scenes felt like they came out of nowhere. 

The flies love Father Shitface

I expected a lot out of The Amityville Horror, but it didn't meet my expectations. The film is slow most of the time, but there are a few good scares and jolts. The music is good and there are some fun, iconic scenes. The movie is a little too long and the acting could have been better. The mystery is enough to keep the movie going, but the ending was not very satisfying. By today's standards, the movie lacks the necessary violence and blood to be truly thrilling. It's fun to know that there is an actual house where the movie was based on, even though the movie was actually filmed in Toms River, New Jersey. While The Amityville Horror isn't great by any means, it still has it's moments and is a good starter movie for people who do not like horror.

5.5/10