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Kick Off the Season with 1974’s ‘Black Christmas’

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Before Jason, before Freddy, before even Michael, we had Billy.

In 1974, Bob Clark unleashed a dark, foreboding piece of horror that quietly snuck into our homes in the middle of the night and brought death instead of presents. Mixing Clark’s trademark black humor (the man would go on to direct A Christmas Story, after all) and a mix of psychological horror with urban legend, Black Christmas is an often-overlooked yet fantastic piece of horror cinema. So why isn’t it always remembered as such?

To discuss this, we’ll need to talk about the events that transpire throughout the duration of the film. So if you haven’t yet watched it, go see it and then return to the article. It’s Christmas horror at its absolute finest.

If you simply need some refreshing, the basic storyline is this: A deranged psychopath named Billy begins making obscene phone calls to a sorority house. After one of the sisters goes missing, a hunt is on for the identity of Billy. A young girl has also been killed in town, and to complicate things, our protagonist Jess (Olivia Hussey) is pregnant and wants an abortion. Her boyfriend, Peter (Keir Dullea) does not. All signs point to Peter, and it seems quite clear that Peter is actually Billy.

Warner Bros.

But here’s the thing: He isn’t. Billy and Peter are two separate people, and Mr. Clark has been trailing us along the whole time. In fact, we never see more of Billy than his silhouette and his right eye. Black Christmas even teases us throughout by showing the killer’s point of view. We are able to see through his eyes, but we never even get to know what he looks like, or why he’s doing this.

Therein lies the greatness of the film. At the end, nothing is resolved. We’re left unsatisfied. Why did Billy kill these girls? And he never left the house, so who killed the young girl in town? What made Billy so deranged?

The simple takeaway that I had always left the film with is that life is not so black and white. Some things we will never get to know. Sometimes, horrible things happen to good people for absolutely no reason, making it all the more tragic. It’s one of the scariest concepts I could think of, and it’s disturbing to this day.

Yet, unfortunately, so many of us have been catered to with over-explanation and brainless exposition throughout the years. We’ve been spoiled rotten with too much backstory and too much resolution. In knowing everything, we the viewer become satisfied, despite the fact that maybe our beloved characters have been brutally murdered right before our eyes. So maybe everyone dies, but hey, at least we know why.

Warner Bros.

It could ruin a film, as well. Though Alexandre Aja’s High Tension has been widely regarded since its release due to the revelations in the film’s twist, I believed it to be way too blatant. When the reveal happens, all the mystery of the film is gone. There’s nothing left to wonder about because we’ve had everything explained to us in an effort to make the viewer happy. It’s a good feeling when we can sit back and say, “Oh, so that’s what this means!” But in a horror movie, I don’t always believe that to be the best route. Black Christmas understands this.

Many horror films set around Christmas tie the killer in with some sort of holiday theme. Silent Night, Deadly Night, Krampus, A Christmas Horror Story all do, and they’re great for what they are. Black Christmas is simply set during the holiday period and that’s about it. There are no killer Santas or Yuletide demons. It’s just that much more tragic when these events unfold during such a joyous holiday.

Black Christmas exists to paint a picture of mystery, terror, and despair and excels at it. It’s possibly the greatest Holiday horror film of all time, and if you don’t believe me, maybe you need a second watch. If you still don’t agree, that’s fine, but there’s one thing I won’t leave up for debate, and that is the fact that it holds the title for the greatest tagline of any horror movie ever:

“If this movie doesn’t make your skin crawl…it’s on too tight!”

Warner Bros.

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Russell Crowe To Star in Another Exorcism Movie & It’s Not a Sequel

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Maybe it’s because The Exorcist just celebrated its 50th-anniversary last year, or maybe it’s because aging Academy Award-winning actors aren’t too proud to take on obscure roles, but Russell Crowe is visiting the Devil once again in yet another possession film. And it’s not related to his last one, The Pope’s Exorcist.

According to Collider, the film titled The Exorcism was originally going to be released under the name The Georgetown Project. Rights for its North American release were once in the hands of Miramax but then went to Vertical Entertainment. It will release on June 7 in theaters then head over to Shudder for subscribers.

Crowe will also star in this year’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter which is set to drop in theaters on August 30.

As for The Exorcism, Collider provides us with what it’s about:

“The film centers around actor Anthony Miller (Crowe), whose troubles come to the forefront as he shoots a supernatural horror movie. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) has to figure out whether he’s lapsing into his past addictions, or if something even more horrific is occurring. “

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New F-Bomb Laden ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer: Bloody Buddy Movie

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Deadpool & Wolverine might be the buddy movie of the decade. The two heterodox superheroes are back in the latest trailer for the summer blockbuster, this time with more f-bombs than a gangster film.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Movie Trailer

This time the focus is on Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. The adamantium-infused X-Man is having a bit of a pity party when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) arrives on the scene who then tries to convince him to team up for selfish reasons. The result is a profanity-filled trailer with a Strange surprise at the end.

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It comes out on July 26. Here is the latest trailer, and we suggest if you are at work and your space isn’t private, you might want to put in headphones.

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Original Blair Witch Cast Ask Lionsgate for Retroactive Residuals in Light of New Film

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The Blair Witch Project Cast

Jason Blum is planning to reboot The Blair Witch Project for the second time. That’s a fairly large task considering none of the reboots or sequels have managed to capture the magic of the 1999 film that brought found footage into the mainstream.

This idea has not been lost on the original Blair Witch cast, who has recently reached out to Lionsgate to ask for what they feel is fair compensation for their role in the pivotal film. Lionsgate gained access to The Blair Witch Project in 2003 when they purchased Artisan Entertainment.

Blair witch
The Blair Witch Project Cast

However, Artisan Entertainment was an independent studio before its purchase, meaning the actors were not part of SAG-AFTRA. As a result, the cast are not entitled to the same residuals from the project as actors in other major films. The cast doesn’t feel that the studio should be able to continue to profit off of their hard work and likenesses without fair compensation.

Their most recent request asks for “meaningful consultation on any future ‘Blair Witch’ reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc., in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.”

The blair witch project

At this time, Lionsgate has not offered any comment about this issue.

The full statement made by the cast can be found below.

OUR ASKS OF LIONSGATE (From Heather, Michael & Josh, stars of “The Blair Witch Project”):

1. Retroactive + future residual payments to Heather, Michael and Josh for acting services rendered in the original BWP, equivalent to the sum that would’ve been allotted through SAG-AFTRA, had we had proper union or legal representation when the film was made.

2. Meaningful consultation on any future Blair Witch reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc…, in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.

Note: Our film has now been rebooted twice, both times were a disappointment from a fan/box office/critical perspective. Neither of these films were made with significant creative input from the original team. As the insiders who created the Blair Witch and have been listening to what fans love & want for 25 years, we’re your single greatest, yet thus-far un-utilized secret-weapon!

3. “The Blair Witch Grant”: A 60k grant (the budget of our original movie), paid out yearly by Lionsgate, to an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making theirfirst feature film. This is a GRANT, not a development fund, hence Lionsgate will not own any of the underlying rights to the project.

A PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE DIRECTORS & PRODUCERS OF “THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT”:

As we near the 25th anniversary of The Blair Witch Project, our pride in the storyworld we created and the film we produced is reaffirmed by the recent announcement of a reboot by horror icons Jason Blum and James Wan.

While we, the original filmmakers, respect Lionsgate’s right to monetize the intellectual property as it sees fit, we must highlight the significant contributions of the original cast — Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Mike Williams. As the literal faces of what has become a franchise, their likenesses, voices, and real names are inseparably tied to The Blair Witch Project. Their unique contributions not only defined the film’s authenticity but continue to resonate with audiences around the world.

We celebrate our film’s legacy, and equally, we believe the actors deserve to be celebrated for their enduring association with the franchise.

Sincerely, Eduardo Sanchez, Dan Myrick, Gregg Hale, Robin Cowie, and Michael Monello

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