Film Review - Black Christmas, 1974
After seeing a trailer at the cinema for a re-make of this apparently classic horror film, I decided I should try and see the original before the re-make ruined it for me. I've been a fan of horror films like this for years, but had never heard very much about this one (presumably as its from Canada rather than the U.S.).So I watched it last night and gotta say I was immensely impressed; this is how horror films should be made - dark,creepy and intense.
The film is set in a girls' student house during the christmas holiday period, however during a party, an unknown psychopath sneaks into the house and sets up home in the attic and begins to make disturbing phonecalls to the girls downstairs and picks them off one at a time.
Most modern horror films rely too much on hot girls, over elaborate gory deaths and overall, the 'hollywood effect'.Low budget films like this and others(Halloween,Friday the 13th,Blair Witch Project) are scary because they make superb use of the main elements at their expense - camera angles and lighting.
The way the camera slowly follows a character around the dark and silent 2nd floor of the house while knowing theres a serial killer and a few bodies on the floor above is pure intense.Theres something about the camera in newer horror films which just makes everything seem too bright and predictable.Another chilling factor about this film is that you never really see the killer, you see him creepin about the house from a first-person perspective and only ever see him watching from the shadows.The killer's crazed screams and phonecalls are also very unnerving.
Overall if you wana see a horror film that is generally scary, rather than shocks and laughs, then see it.
Here is a fan made trailer I found on YouTube: