January 02, 2007
Black Christmas
Another horror masterpiece receives the remake treatment
Starring: Katie Cassidy, Michelle Trachtenberg
Rating: 7/10
Directed By: Glen Morgan
Runtime: 84 minutes
Starring: Katie Cassidy, Michelle Trachtenberg
Rating: 7/10
Directed By: Glen Morgan
Runtime: 84 minutes
In 1974, Bob Clark created what I consider to be the 2nd greatest slasher film of all time (Halloween will never know an equal). It ushered in the era of the slasher with maximum scares and minimum gore and introduced a generation of moviegoers to a number of horror movie staples: killer calling from within the house, nubile young teenagers being terrorized by a mysterious killer, etc. Based upon the high esteem I have for the classic '74 film, I was predisposed to hate this remake but a funny thing happened as I sat in a darkened theater the day after Christmas. I found myself falling for a film that for all intents and purposes never should have worked.
Much of the credit for this success has to go to the filmmaker, Glen Morgan, who was savvy enough to realize there was no way for him to recreate the classic scares of the original and opted, instead, to create a wholly different film that mirrors the original's plot but shares nothing in common with the somewhat serious nature of the original. The new Black Christmas plays almost like a dark comedy with its intentional overacting; gruesome, over-the-top murders and affinity for strange angles and weird colors. Like many successful remakes, Black Christmas has created an identity completely its own. It's a film that will surely entertain modern day audiences and, in the process, might even introduce a new generation to a forgotten horror classic.
Much of the credit for this success has to go to the filmmaker, Glen Morgan, who was savvy enough to realize there was no way for him to recreate the classic scares of the original and opted, instead, to create a wholly different film that mirrors the original's plot but shares nothing in common with the somewhat serious nature of the original. The new Black Christmas plays almost like a dark comedy with its intentional overacting; gruesome, over-the-top murders and affinity for strange angles and weird colors. Like many successful remakes, Black Christmas has created an identity completely its own. It's a film that will surely entertain modern day audiences and, in the process, might even introduce a new generation to a forgotten horror classic.