Black Christmas (2006)

User Rating:

4.3/10   

Director:

Glen Morgan

Writers (WGA):

Glen Morgan (screenplay)
Roy Moore (1974 screenplay)

Release Date:

25 December 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

This holiday season, the slay ride begins.

Plot:

An escaped maniac returns to his childhood home on Christmas Eve, which is now a sorority house, and begins to murder the sorority sisters one by one.

Plot Keywords:

Christmas | House | Attic | Sorority | Christmas Eve

Cast

Katie Cassidy	...	Kelli Presley
Michelle Trachtenberg	...	Melissa
Kristen Cloke	...	Leigh Colvin
Mary Elizabeth Winstead	...	Heather Fitzgerald
Lacey Chabert	...	Dana
Andrea Martin	...	Barbara 'Ms. Mac' MacHenry
Crystal Lowe	...	Lauren Hannon
Oliver Hudson	...	Kyle Autry
Karin Konoval	...	Billy's Mother
Dean Friss	...	Agnes - 16 & 22 Years
Robert Mann	...	Billy Lenz - 20 & 35 Years
Jessica Harmon	...	Megan Helms
Leela Savasta	...	Clair Crosby
Kathleen Kole	...	Eve Agnew
Cainan Wiebe	...	Billy Lenz - 5 & 12 Years

Also Known As:

Black X-Mas (USA) (promotional abbreviation)
Noël noir (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong horror violence and gore, sexuality, nudity and language.

Runtime:

84 min | 94 min (unrated version)

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:15 | Ireland:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Canada:18A (British Columbia/Manitoba) | USA:R (certificate #42313) | Germany:18 (unrated version) | Portugal:M/18 | Australia:R | Finland:K-18 | Italy:VM14 | Singapore:R21 | Peru:18 | Argentina:18 | Chile:18 | Netherlands:16 | Sweden:15 | Australia:MA (Cable TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Dimension Films

Trivia:

Glen Morgan approached Mary Elizabeth Winstead about the movie at 4 AM in the airport after finishing Final Destination 3 (2006) with her. After being hesitant at first after only just finishing a horror movie, she agreed to the role of "Heather" because she is a fan of the 1974 version.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Melissa checks on Lauren before Mrs. Mac and Heather are about to leave, you see that Heather's bag is on her bed (Lauren and Heather are roommates), but when Kelli and Leigh rush in and Melissa is sitting down, the bag is gone.

Quotes:

Melissa Kitt: That sucks, everyone should be home for Christmas.

Movie Connections:

References Ice Princess (2005)

Soundtrack:

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

So it's not the original...but there's plenty of fun to be had here!

I know I will get heat for having enjoyed Black Christmas 2006. Hell, I can't really even call this a "good" movie. It is severely flawed in many ways, and it's not even closely comparable to the original. Monster holes are present in the story line. The cinematography at times is choppy, dark, and grainy. And, most of all, there is ZERO suspense. How can a movie with such negativity possibly get a 7 out of 10?Well, technical goofs aside, there is a lot of fun to be had here!

It has a completely different atmosphere and tone than the original had, as well as a completely different approach at it's villain. For one, the violence and murders in the 2006 version are much gorier and more over the top! Okay, so the original's approach at implied violence worked much better, but I appreciated the filmmaker's aiming for something different! I had a lot of fun watching Billy maim and dismember all of the sorority girls and their boyfriends! The kills were absolutely crazy! A lot of blood splashing!

Unfortunately, the characters here, unlike in 1974, are purely 2-dimensional and unforgivably stupid. However, the performances were very well done, and there were some truly witty lines of dialogue! One thing this film reaped was dark humor! Much appreciated! I especially LOVED the performance done by Billy's mother! She was the best actress in the film and unfortunately had the least screen time.

Also different from the original is the fact that Billy is identified and his origin is revealed. Again, this completely takes away the suspense and mystery of the killer like the original's had. BUT, the flashback scenes were very well done! It really got to you and was disturbing to say the least. It also did a very good job of portraying a morbid family. Well done on that part!

Again, as I said before, there is NO suspense here! The violence and scares are pretty much laughable, but that's why this film is fun! It's so bad and flawed that it's a riot and a good time! My advice: Think of it as a completely different film. In no way does this hurt the original. The 1974 version still exists. The 2006 version will go nowhere, but it will always remain a fun little piece of cheese to watch whenever anyone wants to have a good time.