Tuesday, January 16, 2007

BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974)

[ASIN: B000IMUYJM]
Positive Experience/Entertaining? Yeah--big time. I saw this film for the first time back in college and seemed to remember it being just "eh." I don't know what I was thinking because it's actually pretty good. It's nothing like today's idea of "horror" and bares little resemblance to films like Hostel or Saw. This movie is actually a bit more realistic.
Technically any good? This is clearly a pretty low budget movie and it's lack of overt violence and gore make it come across pretty dated even when compared to the early modern horror films it obviously inspired (like Halloween and Friday the 13th). However, if you ignore the almost complete absence of blood this movie is pretty damn scary. Also, it's scary in a way that almost anyone can identify with. After watching Black Christmas I immediately checked the deadbolt lock on my front door and was conscious of being happy our windows are too small for anyone to climb in through. Acting was perfectly believable (aside from one scene, anyway) and the cinematography was STUNNING. The direction was the best kind--invisible and the music was nearly perfect, though sometimes (rarely) it wasn't needed.
How did it leave me feeling? Creeped out--in a very good way. This movie is a great old film and something you should see if you're interested in good old fashioned scares.
Final Rating? GSN - Go See Now (Netflix it!! It's great!)

Orignal From: BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974)

No comments: