The horror film classic Black Christmas slithered into movie theaters in 1974. A Canadian production, Black Christmas features Olivia Hussey as Jessica Bradford, a college girl whose sorority house is terrorized by a mysterious caller during the holidays. Here are 21 Black Christmas facts and movie trivia items sure to please fans of the film…
1. Black Christmas sprouted from the semi-fertile imagination of Canadian writer Roy Moore. Moore had gotten his creepy story – that of a stranger making bizarre phone calls to a sorority house – after reading about similar events which reportedly had taken place during
2. Black Christmas was produced in cooperation with Canadian Film Development and Famous Players.
3. Black Christmas was co-produced, co-written and directed by Bob Clark (1939-2007), whose best-known films include Porky’s (1982), A Christmas Story (1983) and It Runs in the Family (1994). Clark, along with his 22-year-old son Ariel Josiah Hanrath-Clark (1984-2007), was killed by a drunk driver in Pacific Palisades, California, on April 4, 2007.
4. Malcolm McDowell as Peter, Bette Davis as Mrs. Mac, Gilda Radner as Phyllis and Edmond O’Brien as Lt. Fuller had been the original cast choices. Keir Dullea eventually came on board as Peter Smythe, Marian Waldman as Mrs. MacHenry, Andrea Martin as Phyllis Carlson and John Saxon as Lt. Kenneth Fuller. McDowell, Davis and Radner had all turned down their respective roles while O’Brien had to be replaced because of failing health. Edmond O’Brien (1915-1985) later died of Alzheimer’s disease at age 69.
5. Keir Dullea of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) fame worked only one week on the production.
6. The voices for the creepy night caller are provided by director Bob Clark, Nick Mancuso and several actresses.
7. Black Christmas was made for a meager $686,000 ($620,000 U.S.), consuming eight weeks of filming.
8. Black Christmas was filmed on location in Toronto, Canada. The University of Toronto and Victoria College served as the primary site. Hart House, located at 6 Belmont Street in Toronto, doubled as the terrorized sorority house. It’s known today as simply the "Black Christmas House." Since 1974 the old house has since been renovated, with every wall taken down and rebuilt and the outside white stucco replaced and painted a different color. The huge tree on the main lawn was also removed.
9. Black Christmas is a Christmas creeper, opening at a sorority holiday party. Several of the girls – Jess (Olivia Hussey), Barbie (Margot Kidder), Phyllis (Andrea Martin) – have been getting obscene phone calls from a stranger they have dubbed "The Moaner."
10. The first victim is shy sorority sister Clare (Lynne Griffin), who is later found wrapped in plastic and resting in a rocking chair in the attic.
11. Mrs. MacHenry (Marian Waldman), the ex-vaudevillian housemother, meets her demise via a crane hook embedded in her face. Talk about "getting the hook."
12. Yet another victim is Peter (Keir Dullea). He is slain by his girlfriend Jessica, who had mistaken him for the killer. Oops…
13. With the death of Peter, the police now believe the killer is dead and close the case. It’s premature, as viewers later hear the chilling words, "Agnes,
it’s me, Billy," and the subsequent ring of the telephone. He’s back!14. Black Christmas’ hazy, uncertain ending still sparks controversy today. In the web magazine Icons of Fright, director Bob Clark addressed the issue in 2005: “It was never my intention to reveal the killer’s identity or backstory. It was bold and some people didn’t appreciate it. When Warner Bros. bought the movie they tried to talk me out of it and into making more of a concluding finish.”
15. Black Christmas’ signature tagline: “If this picture doesn’t make your skin crawl…it’s on TOO TIGHT.”
16. Black Christmas opened in Canada on October 11, 1974. Distributed by Ambassador Film Distributors, Black Christmas was more of a Halloween release than a holiday picture.
17. Black Christmas debuted in the United States courtesy Warner Bros. on December 20, 1974, under the title Silent Night, Evil Night. When it performed poorly under that name, the film’s title reverted back to Black Christmas.
18. Black Christmas, which has been called the prototype of the modern-day slasher film, grossed over $4 million in the United States alone. Reviews for the holiday/horror picture were mixed. Reported the Boston Evening Globe in a thumbs-up review: “Black Christmas is the best chiller of the year, a creepy, murderous suspense film with an ending guaranteed to rattle what’s left of your sensibilities after the movie’s hour and 45-minute onslaught.”
19. Variety, the Hollywood trade paper, gave a thumbs-down review: “…A bloody, senseless kill-for-kicks feature [that] exploits unnecessary violence in a university sorority house operated by an implausibly alcoholic ex-hoofer.”
20. Writer/Director Glen Morgan and Dimension Films remade Black Christmas in 2006, with Andrea Martin – who had played Phyllis 32 years earlier – appearing as the housemother. Morgan’s remake proved to be much more bloodier than the original, with a higher body count delivered through various, gruesome means – an icicle through the skull, electrocution, dismemberment by ice skates, a candy cane through the neck and even impalement on a Christmas tree! Well, at least they tried to get into the Christmas spirit!
21. Critical Mass released a special edition Black Christmas DVD on December 5, 2006. Included is an entertaining feature titled "The Twelve Days of Black Christmas," with Olivia Hussey, John Saxon, Margot Kidder and others recalling their work on the film.
Black Christmas – never to be confused with Irving Berlin’s White Christmas or Elvis Presley’s Blue Christmas (wink)...
Copyright © 2012 William J. Felchner. All rights reserved.