Black Christmas (film series)

Last updated

Black Christmas
Black Christmas logo.png
Official franchise logo, first released in 1974.
Created byA. Roy Moore
Original work Black Christmas (1974)
Owner Universal Pictures

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.

Contents

Billy, Jess, and Mrs. MacHenry are the only characters to appear in more than one film.

Films

FilmU.S. release dateDirectorWriter(s)Producer(s)
Black Christmas October 11, 1974 Bob Clark A. Roy MooreBob Clark
Black Christmas December 25, 2006 Glen Morgan James Wong, Glen Morgan, Steve Hoban, Dawn Parouse, Victor Solnick & Marty Adelstein
Black Christmas December 13, 2019 Sophia Takal April Wolfe & Sophia Takal Jason Blum, Ben Cosgrove & Adam Hendricks

Overview

Black Christmas (1974)

The first in the series was the 1974 Canadian slasher film, Black Christmas (1974), which was directed by Bob Clark, and based on a screenplay by A. Roy Moore. [1] Upon its release, the film received a mixed critical response and was a moderate financial success, and has since gained cult status. The plot follows Jess Bradford, a college student who begins receiving threatening phone calls, as the women in her sorority house begin to disappear. [2]

Black X-Mas (2006)

The critically panned 2006 remake was written and directed by Glen Morgan. The story delved heavily into the mythology of Billy, whose identity and motives were only vaguely hinted at in the original film. [3] Both Morgan and producer James Wong revealed that the film suffered studio interference with Dimension executives Bob and Harvey Weinstein pushing for numerous re-writes and re-shoots to invoke more violence, which contrasted with Morgan's original vision for the film, and caused an inconsistency in tone. [4] [5] Despite negative reviews and the Christmas release date causing controversy, the film was a commercial success. [6]

Black Christmas (2019)

Shortly after the release of the 2006 remake, a direct sequel to the 1974 film was in development, which would have focused solely on Olivia Hussey's character. However, the film was scrapped following the death of Clark, who was killed by a drunk driver, on April 4, 2007. [7]

In June 2019, Sophia Takal signed on to direct another remake, having previously worked with Jason Blum on his Into the Dark series for Hulu, [8] while Imogen Poots, Aleyse Shannon, Brittany O’Grady, Lily Donoghue, and Caleb Eberhardt signed on in starring roles. [9] [10] Cary Elwes also joined the cast. [11]

Principal cast and characters

List indicator(s)

This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in more than two films in the series.

CharacterFilms
Black Christmas Black X-Mas Black Christmas
197420062019
William "Billy" Edward Lenz
The Moaner
Bob Clark
Nick Mancuso V
Robert Mann
Cainan Wiebe Y
Agnes LenzMentionedDean Friss
Christina Crivici Y
Jessica "Jess" Bradford Olivia Hussey
Mrs. Barbara "Mac" MacHenryMarian WaldmanAndrea Martin
Peter Smythe Keir Dullea
Barbara "Barb" Coard Margot Kidder
Lt. Kenneth Fuller John Saxon
Clare Harrison Lynne Griffin
Phyllis "Phyl" Carlson Andrea Martin
Chris Hayden Art Hindle
Sgt. Nash Doug McGrath
Mr. HarrisonJames Edmond
Kelli Presley Katie Cassidy
Melissa Kitt Michelle Trachtenberg
Heather Fitzgerald Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Leigh Colvin Kristen Cloke
Lauren Hannon Crystal Lowe
Dana Mathis Lacey Chabert
Clair Crosby Leela Savasta
Megan Helms Jessica Harmon
Kyle Autry Oliver Hudson
Constance Lenz Karin Konoval
Riley Stone Imogen Poots
Professor Gelson Cary Elwes
Kris Waterson Aleyse Shannon
Marty Coolidge Lily Donoghue
Jesse Bolton-Sinclair Brittany O'Grady
LandonCaleb Eberhardt
NateSimon Mead
HelenaMadeleine Adams
FrannyNathalie Morris
Phil McIllaneyBen Black

Additional crew and production details

FilmCrew/Detail
Composer(s)CinematographerEditorProduction
companies
Distributing
companies
Running time
Black Christmas Carl ZittrerReginald H. MorrisStan ColeFilm Funding Ltd. of Canada,
Vision IV,
Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC),
Famous Players Film Company,
August Films
Ambassador Film Distributors,
Warner Bros. Pictures
1hr 38mins
Black X-Mas Shirley Walker Robert McLachlan Chris Willingham Dimension Films,
2929 Productions,
Adelstein-Parouse Productions,
Hard Eight Pictures,
Hoban Segal Productions,
Victor Solnicki Productions,
Movie Central Network,
Corus Entertainment,
Province of British Columbia Production Services Tax Credit,
Copperhart Entertainment,
Milestone Entertainment
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 1hr 31mins
Black Christmas Will Blair & Brooke BlairMark Schwartzbard Jeff Betancourt Universal Pictures,
Blumhouse Productions,
Divide/Conquer Productions
Universal Pictures 1hr 32mins

Reception

Box office and financial performance

FilmBox office grossBox office rankingBudgetWorldwide
Total income
Ref.
North AmericaOther territoriesWorldwideAll time
North America
All time
worldwide
Black Christmas not availablenot availablenot availablenot availablenot available$620,000not available [12]
Black X-Mas $16,273,581$5,237,270$21,510,851#4,073#5,489$9,000,000$21,510,851 [13] [14]
Black Christmas $10,429,730$8,100,000$18,529,730#3,746#5,162$5,000,000$18,529,730 [15] [16]
Totals$26,703,311$13,337,270$44,093,581$14,620,000$44,093,581


Critical and public response

Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic
Black Christmas71% (34 reviews) [17] 65/100 (9 reviews) [18]
Black X-Mas16% (64 reviews) [19] 22/100 (17 reviews) [20]
Black Christmas39% (111 reviews) [21] 49/100 (25 reviews) [22]

Literature

A novelization of the 1974 film written by Lee Hays was published in 1976 by Popular Library. [23]

See also

Related Research Articles

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

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Kelli Presley Fictional character in Black Christmas

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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.

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References

  1. DuFort-Leavy, Lyne; Duffin, Dan (May 2005). "Bob Clark interview - Black Christmas, A Christmas Story, Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things". IconsofFright.com. Icons of Fright. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  2. Squires, John (November 11, 2016). "How 'Halloween' Was Basically an Unofficial 'Black Christmas' Sequel". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  3. Squires, John (December 5, 2016). "The Story Behind the Missing Scenes in the 'Black Christmas' Remake". Bloody Disgusting! . Archived from the original on December 22, 2016. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  4. Vander Kaay, Chris; Fernandez-Vander Kaay, Kathleen (2014). The Anatomy of Fear: Conversations with Cult Horror and Science-Fiction Filmmakers. NorLightsPress. pp. 168–170. ISBN   978-1-935-25497-3.
  5. "10 Movie Trailers That Lied to You". Yahoo Movies UK. February 12, 2016. Archived from the original on August 3, 2017. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  6. Gurnow, Michael (December 15, 2006). "Why I Can't Discuss Glen Morgan's New Film, Because Liberty Counsel Says It's Rude: Race, Religious Tolerance, Ethics, and Aesthetics and the 21st Century Holiday Horror Film". The Horror Review. Archived from the original on April 17, 2008. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  7. "'BLACK CHRISTMAS 2' After 27 Years' Really'". Ain't It Cool News. November 26, 2001. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  8. Rife, Katie (June 13, 2019). "Blumhouse announces Black Christmas remake directed by Sophia Takal". The A.V. Club . G/O Media . Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  9. Kroll, Justin (June 13, 2019). "Blumhouse Remaking Cult Hit 'Black Christmas' With Imogen Poots Set to Star". Variety . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  10. 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.
  11. Evangelista, Chris (June 20, 2019). "Blumhouse 'Black Christmas' Remake Cast Adds Cary Elwes". /Film . Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  12. Black Christmas (1974) review
  13. "Black Christmas (2006)". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  14. "Black Christmas (2006) - Financial Information".
  15. "Black Christmas (2019)". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  16. "Black Christmas (2019)". The Numbers . Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  17. "Black Christmas (1974)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  18. "Black Christmas". Metacritic.
  19. "Black Christmas (2006)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  20. "Black Christmas". Metacritic.
  21. "Black Christmas (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  22. "Black Christmas". Metacritic.
  23. Hays, Lee (1976). 'Black Christmas'. Popular Library.