Black Christmas (1974)
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A group of sorority sisters must survive a series of terrifying phone calls and a mysterious stalker during the Christmas season.
The story
During the Christmas season, a group of sorority sisters at a university find themselves targeted by a mysterious stalker. The tension escalates when they begin receiving threatening and obscene phone calls from a caller known as 'The Moaner.' As the girls attempt to navigate the unsettling communications and the growing sense of dread within the house, they remain unaware of the killer's proximity. The situation turns dire when one student goes missing, forcing the others to confront the reality of the danger lurking within their walls while trying to maintain their safety during the holiday festivities.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
An intruder enters a sorority house during a Christmas party and begins a campaign of terror. After a student named Clare is attacked and killed in the attic, the remaining girls, including Jess Bradford, receive disturbing phone calls from 'The Moaner.' While the girls deal with the disappearance of Clare and the arrival of a search party, the killer systematically murders them. Jess eventually discovers the truth about the calls' origin and finds the bodies of her friends. In a final confrontation, she manages to kill her boyfriend, Peter, who she believes is the intruder. The film ends on an ambiguous note as the police leave her alone, while the killer's voice is heard from the attic once more, and the bodies of the first victims remain hidden.
- First release year
- 1974
- Runtime (minutes)
- 98
- Production countries
- Canada
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Bob Clark
- Writers
- Roy Moore · writer
- Cast and characters
- Olivia Hussey · Jess Bradford; Keir Dullea · Peter; Margot Kidder · Barb; John Saxon · Lieutenant Fuller
- Genres
- slasher; horror; mystery
- Themes
- feminism; isolation
- Tone and mood
- suspenseful; ominous
- Premise and plot tags
- slasher; home invasion; urban legend; holiday horror
- Source material / true-story basis
- urban legend "the babysitter and the man upstairs"
- Franchise connections
- Black Christmas series
- Reception
- Initially received mixed reviews, it has since gained a cult following and critical re-appraisal as a pioneering slasher film.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 65 · scale: 100 · review count: 9
- Production trivia
- The film was originally titled 'Stop Me'.; The title 'Silent Night, Evil Night' was used in the US but was later retracted.; The score was created by tying forks, combs, and knives to piano strings.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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