Black Christmas (2019 film)

Last updated

Black Christmas
Black Christmas 2019 teaser poster.png
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Sophia Takal
Screenplay by
  • Sophia Takal
  • April Wolfe
Based on Black Christmas
by A. Roy Moore
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMark Schwartzbard [1]
Edited by
Music by
  • Will Blair
  • Brooke Blair
Production
companies
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release date
  • December 13, 2019 (2019-12-13)(United States)
Running time
92 minutes [2]
Countries
  • United States
  • New Zealand
  • Canada
LanguageEnglish
Budget$5 million [3]
Box office$18.5 million [4] [5]

Black Christmas is a 2019 slasher film directed by Sophia Takal and written by Takal and April Wolfe. [6] [7] Part of the Black Christmas series, it is the loose second remake of the 1974 Canadian film of the same name, after the 2006 film, and follows a group of sorority sisters at Hawthorne College as they are preyed upon by an unknown stalker. The film stars Imogen Poots, Aleyse Shannon, Lily Donoghue, Brittany O'Grady, Caleb Eberhardt, and Cary Elwes. [8] [9]

Contents

Development of the project began in June 2019, when Jason Blum announced that he would produce the film through his studio Blumhouse Productions. Sophia Takal signed as director and co-writer, and principal photography began soon after, lasting for 27 days in Otago.

Black Christmas was theatrically released in the United States on December 13, 2019, by Universal Pictures, coinciding with Friday the 13th. [10] [11] The film grossed $18 million worldwide on a $5 million budget. It received mixed reviews from critics. [12]

Plot

While walking home, Hawthorne College student Lindsay is killed by a masked individual. Riley Stone, a member of the Mu Kappa Epsilon sorority, struggles with PTSD after being raped by Delta Kappa Omicron fraternity president Brian Huntley. Meanwhile, her sorority sister Kris has angered the DKO fraternity and Professor Gelson following a petition from her requesting that university founder Calvin Hawthorne's bust be moved from the main building and another requesting Gelson be fired due to his refusal to teach books written by women.

Riley and Kris, along with their friends Marty, Jesse, and Helena, arrive at the DKO fraternity for the talent show where Riley discovers new pledges for DKO engaging in a ritual around Hawthorne's bust. She saves a drunken Helena from being sexually assaulted by a DKO member and takes Helena's place in the talent show. Upon seeing Brian in the crowd, she performs a song with her sorority sisters condemning the rape culture at the fraternity. Later, Helena is abducted by Lindsay's attacker while Riley begins to bond with Landon, a kind-hearted frat boy. The girls start to receive threatening text messages from an account posing as Calvin Hawthorne, similar to what Lindsey had received before she was murdered. The next day, sorority sister Fran is attacked and killed by the masked assailant. While searching for Helena, Riley encounters Gelson and finds his list of the MKE girls. She reports the disappearances to campus police, but they refuse to help.

That night, Riley and Kris argue over Kris's posting of the performance in which Riley reveals at the end that Brian raped her. As Riley blames Kris for the threatening messages from DKO, Marty argues with her boyfriend Nate and demands that he leave. After Jesse is killed by the assailant, the girls are also attacked, leaving Marty injured. Kris discovers Jesse's body while Nate arrives to apologize and is also murdered. Riley kills the assailant, but the girls are attacked by two other individuals. Marty dies while Riley and Kris kill the attacker and identify him as a DKO pledge she saw at the ritual earlier.

The two escape in Nate's car and Riley theorizes that Hawthorne, who was known for practicing black magic, is responsible for the murders via his bust which emits black liquid. Kris suggests they go to the police, but Riley demands they go to the fraternity and the two separate. Riley enlists Landon to help her enter the fraternity. Kris discovers Lindsey's sorority sisters also being attacked by DKO and rescues them. At the DKO house, the frat brothers force Landon to become a pledge. Riley discovers Helena, who is tied up, before being knocked unconscious by a DKO member.

She wakes up tied up and is confronted by Gelson, Brian, and other DKO members. Gelson reveals that after Kris forced the bust's relocation, they discovered Hawthorne's plan, involving a spell and the black liquid, to control women. The liquid allows the spirit of Hawthorne to possess the fraternity's pledges and send them out to murder women they deem unruly. Helena has been secretly working with the fraternity and stole items from her sisters that allowed the possessed pledges to locate their targets. Helena is murdered before Kris and other sorority sisters attack the fraternity. Riley overpowers Brian and smashes the Hawthorne bust. Kris sets Gelson on fire and the women and Landon escape, locking the frat brothers inside and leaving them to burn to death.

Cast

Production

An international co-production film between the United States, New Zealand and Canada. In June 2019, Jason Blum was revealed to produce a remake of the 1974 film Black Christmas through his studio Blumhouse Productions, alongside Adam Hendricks from the studio Divide/Conquer, and Ben Cosgrove. [13] In addition, Greg Gilreath and Zac Locke, also from Divide/Conquer, served as executive producers for the project. [14]

Also, in June, Sophia Takal was announced as the film's director, having previously worked with Blum on his Into the Dark series for Hulu, [15] while Imogen Poots, Aleyse Shannon, Brittany O'Grady, Lily Donoghue, and Caleb Eberhardt were cast in the starring roles. [16] [17] Also that month, Cary Elwes was added to the cast. [18]

Director Takal worked extensively to make this vision of Black Christmas as feminist as she could, [lower-alpha 1] stating in an interview: "I wanted to make a movie where instead of feeling objectified or watched from a distance, the audience felt seen". [19] It is the first Black Christmas film in which Bob Clark was not involved in the production process, as Clark had died in 2007. [20] Bob Clark had produced and directed the original Black Christmas (1974), and had been an executive producer on the 2006 remake of the same name.

Unlike the previous two versions of Black Christmas, the remake was rated PG-13 by the MPAA, a rating Takal sought in hopes of making it accessible to new audiences, especially young women who were interested in horror, and opening up discussions on major issues like sexual assault, [21] although she was ready to fully commit to utilizing the higher R rating if the ratings board would not grant it. However, she would not use the PG-13 rating to water down the film's violence to a large degree, making it only slightly less violent than the original film. [22]

Production began in New Zealand on June 23, 2019. [23] [24] [25] Principal photography occurred for 27 days around Dunedin and Oamaru, with the University of Otago providing the setting. [26] Filming concluded on July 31. [27] [28]

Release

In the United States and Canada, Black Christmas was theatrically released by Universal Pictures on December 13, 2019, coinciding with Friday the 13th. [29] The film was also released on digital on March 3, 2020 and on DVD and Blu-ray on March 17.

Reception

Box office

Black Christmas grossed $10.4 million in the United States and Canada, and $8.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $18.5 million. [4]

In the United States, the film was released alongside Jumanji: The Next Level , and Richard Jewell , and was initially projected to gross $10–12 million from 2,100 theaters in its opening weekend. [30] However, after making $1.4 million on its first day (including $230,000 from Thursday night previews), estimates for the film were lowered to $4.5 million. It ended up debuting to just $4.2 million, finishing fifth at the box office. [31] The film fell 57% to $1.8 million in its second weekend, finishing in tenth. [32]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 39% of 114 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.7/10. The website's consensus reads: "Better than the 2006 remake yet not as sharp as the original, this Black Christmas stabs at timely feminist themes but mostly hits on familiar pulp". [33] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 49 out of 100 based on reviews from 25 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [34] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "D+" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it an "awful" average of 1.5 out of 5 stars, with 38% saying they would definitely recommend it. [31]

Simon Abrams of RogerEbert.com gave the film three out of four stars, saying that it "mostly feels personal and urgent thanks to some atmospheric scare scenes and some sharp dialogue that reflect the world outside the movie theater in ways that most other studio-distributed horror films don't". [35]

David Fear of Rolling Stone gave the film three out of five stars, writing: "The best part about Takal and Wolfe's take on the material is that it's angry — righteously, deservedly, properly enraged about the crap that many people, but one gender in particular, have had to put up with for way, way too long". [36] Kimber Myers of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "Fans of the original ... might not love writer-director Sophia Takal's take, but Black Christmas is a fun film that gets its kicks out of literally smashing the patriarchy". [37]

Benjamin Lee of The Guardian gave it one out of five stars: "It's quick, cheap-looking and entirely devoid of suspense, atmosphere and dramatic tension, so inept at times that it makes 2006's questionable remake suddenly seem like a misremembered masterwork". [38] Ed Potton of The Times also gave it one out of five stars and wrote: "The final half-hour brings ludicrous supernatural developments, some astonishing leaps in deduction from Riley and the least dramatic unmasking in screen history". [39]

John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "Unfortunately, Takal's Black Christmas is far more ordinary, a blunt object in a fight demanding either sharp knives or explosives". [40] Rex Reed of The New York Observer gave it zero out of four stars: "Despite its desperate efforts to justify the homicides, there's nothing remotely innovative or even goofily satirical about it". [41]

Notes

  1. In the original 1974 film, there were minor feminist themes (such as Jess deciding to get an abortion against her boyfriend’s wishes). This version wanted to emphasize those themes and make them more obvious.

Related Research Articles

A slasher film is a subgenre of horror films involving a killer stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools such as knives, chainsaws, scalpels, etc. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a generic term for any horror film involving murder, film analysts cite an established set of characteristics which set slasher films apart from other horror subgenres, such as monster movies, splatter films, supernatural and psychological horror films.

<i>Black Christmas</i> (1974 film) 1974 film by Bob Clark

Black Christmas is a 1974 Canadian slasher film produced and directed by Bob Clark, and written by Roy Moore. It stars Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, and John Saxon. The story follows a group of sorority sisters who receive threatening phone calls and are eventually stalked and murdered by a mentally ill killer during the Christmas season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katie Cassidy</span> American actress

Katherine Evelyn Anita Cassidy is an American actress. Following several minor television roles, she came to attention as a scream queen after starring in the horror films When a Stranger Calls (2006), as Kelli Presley in Black Christmas (2006) and as Ruby in the third season of the horror series Supernatural (2007–2008). Following a supporting role in the action film Taken (2008), Cassidy played leading roles in the mystery horror series Harper's Island (2009) and the remake of the drama series Melrose Place (2009–2010). She starred as Kris Fowles in the slasher film remake A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) and had a recurring role as Juliet Sharp during the fourth season of the teen drama Gossip Girl (2010–2012).

<i>Black Christmas</i> (2006 film) 2006 film by Glen Morgan

Black X-Mas is a 2006 Christmas slasher film written and directed by Glen Morgan and starring Katie Cassidy, Michelle Trachtenberg, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Oliver Hudson, Lacey Chabert, Kristen Cloke, Crystal Lowe and Andrea Martin. The film takes place several days before Christmas and tells the story of a group of sorority sisters who are stalked and murdered in their house during a winter storm. It is a loose remake and reimagining of the 1974 film of the same name. A co-production of Canada and the United States, the film was produced by Morgan and James Wong through their production company Hard Eight Pictures, along with 2929 Productions, Adelstein-Parouse Productions and Hoban Segal Productions. It is the second film in the Black Christmas series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imogen Poots</span> British actress (born 1989)

Imogen Gay Poots is an English actress. She played Tammy in the post-apocalyptic horror film 28 Weeks Later (2007), Linda Keith in the Jimi Hendrix biopic Jimi: All Is by My Side (2013), Debbie Raymond in the Paul Raymond biopic The Look of Love (2013), and Julia Maddon in the American action film Need for Speed (2014). Also in 2014, she portrayed Jesse Crichton in A Long Way Down, alongside Pierce Brosnan and Aaron Paul and Izzie in Peter Bogdanovich's She's Funny That Way. In 2016, she starred as Kelly Ann in the Showtime series Roadies. In 2020, she played Laura in The Father (2020). In 2022, she began playing the role of the mysterious Autumn in the Prime Video science fiction neo-Western series Outer Range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bailee Madison</span> American actress and singer (born 1999)

Bailee Madison Riley is an American actress and singer. She first gained acclaim for her role as May Belle Aarons in the fantasy drama film Bridge to Terabithia (2007). Madison received further recognition for her starring roles as Isabelle in the war drama film Brothers (2009), Sally Hurst in the horror film Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010), Maggie in the romantic comedy film Just Go with It (2011), Harper Simmons in the comedy film Parental Guidance (2012), Ida Clayton in the family film Cowgirls 'n Angels (2012), Clementine in the fantasy film Northpole (2014), Kinsey in the slasher film The Strangers: Prey at Night (2018), and Avery in the Netflix film A Week Away (2021).

Kelli Presley Fictional character in Black Christmas

Kelli Presley is a fictional character in the 2006 slasher film Black Christmas. The character, created by writer-director Glen Morgan and portrayed by actress Katie Cassidy, serves as a replacement to Jess from the original film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Blum</span> American film producer

Jason Ferus Blum is an American film and television producer. He is the founder and CEO of Blumhouse Productions, which produced the horror franchises Paranormal Activity (2007–2021), Insidious (2010–2023), and The Purge (2013–2021). Blum also produced Sinister (2012), Oculus (2013), Whiplash (2014), The Gallows (2015), The Gift (2015), Hush (2016), Split (2016), Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016), Get Out (2017), Happy Death Day (2017), Upgrade (2018), Halloween (2018), Us (2019), The Invisible Man (2020), Freaky (2020), The Black Phone (2021), M3GAN (2022) and Five Nights at Freddy's (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sophia Takal</span> American actress, writer and director (born 1986)

Sophia Takal is an American actress, writer and director, perhaps best known for her work in independent features such as All the Light in the Sky, Supporting Characters and Gabi on the Roof in July. Filmmaker magazine named Takal one of the "25 New Faces of Film" in 2011. She directed and co-wrote the 2019 remake of the 1974 horror film Black Christmas.

<i>Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle</i> 2017 film directed by Jake Kasdan

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is a 2017 American fantasy adventure comedy film directed by Jake Kasdan from a screenplay by the writing teams of Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, and Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner, based on a story conceived by McKenna. The film is the third installment in the Jumanji film series and a sequel to Jumanji (1995). It stars Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, and Bobby Cannavale. The story focuses on a group of teenagers who come across Jumanji, now transformed into a video game twenty-two years after the events of the 1995 film. They find themselves trapped inside the game as a set of adult avatars, seeking to complete a treacherous quest alongside another player who has been trapped since 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brittany O'Grady</span> American actress (born 1996)

Brittany Ann O'Grady is an American actress and singer. She is known for her leading roles in the Fox series Star (2016–2019), and the Apple TV+ series Little Voice (2020), as well as her role in the first season of the HBO anthology series The White Lotus (2021), and a lead role in the Amazon Prime series The Consultant (2023). She has also acted in the film Black Christmas (2019).

<i>Happy Death Day</i> 2017 American slasher film

Happy Death Day is a 2017 American black comedy slasher film directed by Christopher Landon, and written by Scott Lobdell. It stars Jessica Rothe and Israel Broussard. The film was produced by Jason Blum through his Blumhouse Productions banner. It follows college student Tree Gelbman, who is murdered on the night of her birthday but begins reliving the day repeatedly, at which point she sets out to find the killer and stop her death.

<i>The Art of Self-Defense</i> (2019 film) 2019 American martial arts black comedy film

The Art of Self-Defense is a 2019 American martial arts black comedy film written and directed by Riley Stearns and starring Jesse Eisenberg, Alessandro Nivola and Imogen Poots. It had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 10, 2019, and was released in the United States on July 12, 2019, by Bleecker Street.

<i>Jumanji: The Next Level</i> 2019 film by Jake Kasdan

Jumanji: The Next Level is a 2019 American fantasy adventure comedy film directed by Jake Kasdan, who co-wrote the script with Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg. The film is the fourth installment in the Jumanji film series and the sequel to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017). Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Alex Wolff, Morgan Turner, Ser'Darius Blain, and Madison Iseman reprise their roles from the previous film while Awkwafina, Danny Glover, and Danny DeVito join the cast. The film's plot takes place two years after Welcome to the Jungle, in which the same group of teenagers, along with an old friend and two unwitting additions, become trapped in Jumanji once again. There, they all find themselves facing new problems and challenges with both old and new avatars, while having to save the land from a new villain to escape.

<i>Into the Dark</i> (TV series) American horror anthology series

Into the Dark is an American horror anthology television series produced for Hulu, with each stand-alone episodic installment based around a different holiday. The first season premiered on October 5, 2018, and consists of twelve feature-length episodes of television films. Into the Dark was renewed for a second season, which premiered on October 4, 2019, and also consists of twelve episodes.

Billy (<i>Black Christmas</i>) Fictional character in the Black Christmas film series

Billy is a fictional character from the Black Christmas film series, first appearing in Black Christmas (1974) as a deranged murderer who taunts and kills a group of college students during the Christmas season. Created by Bob Clark and A. Roy Moore, the character was partly inspired by the urban legend "The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs", as well as a series of real murders in Montreal during the 1943 holiday season.

Black Christmas is a Canadian-American horror film series that comprises three standalone slasher films, as well as a novelization. The original film has gained a large cult following and is credited as being one of the first slasher films, inspiring many others, including the critically acclaimed hit Halloween (1978). The series centers around a serial killer that stalks and murders a group of sorority sisters. The 1974 film follows the character of Jess Bradford as she and her sorority sisters begin receiving threatening phone calls from an unknown stalker. The 2006 film explores the background and motivation for the killer and his family. The 2019 film completely abandons the first two films' killer storyline, instead focusing on a new set of characters and killers.

<i>Freaky</i> (film) 2020 American slasher comedy film

Freaky is a 2020 American slasher comedy film directed by Christopher Landon, from a screenplay by Michael Kennedy and Landon, and starring Vince Vaughn, Kathryn Newton, Katie Finneran, Celeste O'Connor, and Alan Ruck. A twist on Freaky Friday, the film centers on a teenage girl who unintentionally switches bodies with a middle-aged male serial killer. Jason Blum serves as a producer under his Blumhouse Productions banner.

Aleyse Shannon is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Kris Waterson in the 2019 remake of Black Christmas, as Breanna Casey in Leverage: Redemption and as Jada Shields in 2018's Charmed reboot.

References

  1. "Black Christmas (2019)". Hellhorror. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  2. "Black Christmas (2019)". British Board of Film Classification.
  3. Mendelson, Scott (November 27, 2019). "Box Office: How Will 'Cats' And 'Black Christmas' Fare Against 'Star Wars' And 'Jumanji'?". Forbes . Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  4. 1 2 "Black Christmas". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  5. "Black Christmas (2019)". The Numbers . Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  6. Erbland, Kate (June 13, 2019). "'Black Christmas' Remake: Blumhouse Taps Sophia Takal to Direct Remake of 1974 Slasher". IndieWire . Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  7. Han, Karen (June 13, 2019). "A Black Christmas remake is coming this year from the team behind Halloween". Polygon . Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  8. Boucher, Geoff (June 13, 2019). "'Black Christmas': Sophia Takal Set To Direct Blumhouse Remake Of 1974 Slasher". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  9. Collis, Clark (June 13, 2019). "Imogen Poots to star in Blumhouse remake of horror classic Black Christmas". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  10. Mendelson, Scott (June 13, 2019). "Blumhouse's 'Black Christmas' Remake Gets Doubly Appropriate Release Date". Forbes . Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  11. Kaye, Don (December 13, 2019). "Making Black Christmas Just in Time for Friday the 13th". denofgeek.com. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  12. Mendelson, Scott (December 15, 2019). "Box Office: 'Black Christmas' And 'Richard Jewell' Both Disappoint While 'Uncut Gems' Breaks Records". Forbes . Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  13. Kennedy, Michael (June 13, 2019). "Blumhouse Announces Black Christmas Remake, Sets 2019 Release Date". Screen Rant . Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  14. Sneider, Jeff (June 13, 2019). "Blumhouse to Remake 'Black Christmas' with Director Sophia Takal". Collider . Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  15. Rife, Katie (June 13, 2019). "Blumhouse announces Black Christmas remake directed by Sophia Takal". The A.V. Club . Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  16. Kroll, Justin (June 13, 2019). "Blumhouse Remaking Cult Hit 'Black Christmas' With Imogen Poots Set to Star". Variety . Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  17. Squires, John (June 13, 2019). "Poster: Blumhouse is Remaking 'Black Christmas' and It's Coming to Theaters THIS December!". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  18. Evangelista, Chris (June 20, 2019). "Blumhouse 'Black Christmas' Remake Cast Adds Cary Elwes". /Film . Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  19. Page, Aubrey (December 13, 2019). "How 'Black Christmas' Takes Dead Aim At The Patriarchy". Huffington Post . Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  20. "'A Christmas Story' director dies in crash". Los Angeles Times . April 5, 2007. Archived from the original on April 6, 2007. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  21. Kennedy, Michael (December 20, 2019). "Why Black Christmas Isn't Rated R". Screen Rant . Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  22. Bibbiani, William (December 13, 2019). "'Black Christmas': Sophia Takal Sets the Record Straight About the Film's PG-13 Rating [Interview]". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  23. Squires, John (July 18, 2019). "Behind the Scenes Images from Blumhouse's Remake Bring 'Black Christmas' in July". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  24. Miller, Tim (June 24, 2019). "Extremely localised snow hits Dunedin". Otago Daily Times . Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  25. Hendricks, Adam (June 23, 2019). "Day 1! #blackchristmas". Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2019 via Instagram.
  26. Miller, Tim (June 19, 2019). "Dunedin to feature in horror film". Otago Daily Times . Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  27. MacLean, Hamish (August 3, 2019). "'Black Christmas' filming wraps up". Otago Daily Times . Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  28. Hendricks, Adam (July 31, 2019). "Day 27! #blackchristmas". Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2019 via Instagram.
  29. Squires, John (September 5, 2019). "The Sorority Sisters Fight Back in Official Trailer for Blumhouse's 'Black Christmas' Remake". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  30. Rubin, Rebecca (December 11, 2019). "Can 'Jumanji' Sequel Achieve Next-Level Box Office Success?". Variety . Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  31. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 14, 2019). "'Jumanji: The Next Level' Advancing To $51M+ Opening; 'Richard Jewell' & 'Black Christmas' Earn Lumps Of Coal". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  32. D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 22, 2019). "'Star Wars: Rise Of Skywalker' Force Grips 3rd Best December Opening With $193M+; Drat Those 'Cats' $7.6M, 'Bombshell' $5.8M – Saturday AM Early Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  33. "Black Christmas". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved May 10, 2023. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  34. "Black Christmas". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  35. Abrams, Simon (December 13, 2019). "Black Christmas movie review & film summary (2019)". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  36. Fear, David (December 14, 2019). "'Black Christmas': A Slasher-Film Remake Updates Its Premise and Strikes Back". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  37. Myers, Kimber (December 13, 2019). "Review: 'Black Christmas' decks the patriarchy and slashes expectations with glee". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  38. Lee, Benjamin (December 13, 2019). "Black Christmas review – woke slasher remake is an unholy, unscary mess". The Guardian. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  39. Potton, Ed (December 13, 2019). "Black Christmas review — a festive frightfest, minus any frights". The Times. ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  40. DeFore, John (December 12, 2019). "'Black Christmas': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  41. Reed, Rex (December 18, 2019). "'Black Christmas' Is a Crummy Excuse for a Horror Film". Observer. Retrieved April 16, 2022.