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Late To The Party: ‘Black Christmas’ (1974)

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I’d like to start this out by saying that I actually have seen Black Christmas, just not the 1974 classic. My experience with the classic holiday slasher is with the 2006 remake Black Xmas. Having experience with the ’06 remake, and thinking it was a passable slasher flick led me to believe I would have a basic grasp for what to expect from the 1974 classic. Fun fact, I was wrong.

The first thing that stood out to me that was vastly different, and executed much better, in the ’74 version was the threatening phone calls that happen periodically throughout the film. In the remake of Black Christmas there are only a few phone calls, and they are for the most part brushed off and ignored. With the original however, the phone calls didn’t feel like some drunk fraternity member messing with one of the local sorority. The calls have weight and bring forth some serious dread.

Threatening phone calls aren’t the only thing the sorority sisters have to worry about though. With one of their members missing, and a local girl also going missing only to be found dead later, the phone calls only fuel the tension flowing throughout the sorority as members slowly begin to disappear without a trace.

If I had only one real gripe about the movie overall, it’s that it takes a little to long for the movie to find its primary protagonist. Black Christmas follows all the sorority sisters that are still present as they go through their day to day while being stalked by an unknown killer which helped to make the movie feel more alive, but made it difficult to latch onto characters if any one of the women could be axed off any minute.

Credit: Black Christmas (1974)

Until the third act there wasn’t a clearly defined final girl which is a staple of slashers. That can be forgiven since Black Christmas is one of the earliest slasher films, so you can’t be too harsh with it for lacking a few familiar elements one would expect with a slasher.

Easily my favorite thing that the original Black Christmas pulled off that the ’06 remake chose to completely ignore, was that the identity of the killer is never explicitly given. During the film’s opening an unknown intruder attacks and kills one of the sorority sisters, only to drag her corpse off to the attic where she will remain for the remainder of the flick. The house mother also receives the same treatment after she meets her gruesome end with an oversized hook before being dragged off to the attic with the killer.

Image Credit: Black Christmas (1974)

The psychological aspect of never knowing just who the killer really is, and the fact that two bodies are never discovered was for me at least, one of the most effective endings to a slasher film that I have experienced. I would personally rank the final moments up there with John Carpenter’s classic Halloween. 

I’m very happy that I was finally able to experience Black Christmas, and as a lover of the slasher genre it was interesting for me to see the beginnings of the tropes that I would learn to love as they evolve over the years. If you’re looking for a horror movie to enjoy during the Holiday season look no further than 1974’s Black Christmas.

Image Credit: Black Christmas (1974)

A classic for a reason, I plan on loading up this classic every holiday season alongside Krampus to bring a little fear and gore to the Holidays.

Feature Image Credit: Chris Fischer

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Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

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The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

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Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

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lizzie borden house

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

Inside the Lizzie Borden House

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

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’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

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28 years later

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.

28 Days Later

The original film followed Jim (Cillian Murphy) who wakes from a coma to find that London is currently dealing with a zombie outbreak.

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