Black Christmas

"If this picture doesn't make your skin crawl... it's on TOO TIGHT."

1974 1h 38m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

🍅

73%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.1

IMDB

★7.0TMDB · 988🍅73%Rotten Tomatoes●65Metacritic★7.1IMDB · 55,485

HorrorMysteryCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

As the residents of the Pi Kappa Sigma sorority house prepare for the festive season, a stranger begins to harass them with a series of obscene phone calls.

“If this picture doesn't make your skin crawl... it's on TOO TIGHT.”

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Cast

Olivia Hussey
Jess
Keir Dullea
Peter
Margot Kidder
Barb
John Saxon
Lt. Fuller
Marian Waldman
Mrs. Mac
Andrea Martin
Phyl
James Edmond
Mr. Harrison
Doug McGrath
Sargeant Nash

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Bob Clark
Writers: Roy Moore
Languages: English
Countries: Canada

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.7M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 5.8× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

52 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Bob Clark, shot by Reginald H. Morris. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Carl Zittrer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Stan Cole shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Olivia Hussey and Keir Dullea and Margot Kidder carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "If this picture doesn't make your skin crawl... it's on TOO TIGHT.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Bob Clark directs. Reginald H. Morris behind the camera. Carl Zittrer scores. Stan Cole cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in Canada. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.7M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 5.8× over at the box office.
352 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Directed by Bob Clark, shot by Reginald H. Morris. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Carl Zittrer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Stan Cole shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Olivia Hussey and Keir Dullea and Margot Kidder carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "If this picture doesn't make your skin crawl... it's on TOO TIGHT.".
9IMDB entry: tt0071222 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 19 themes, including "winter", "pregnancy", "toronto, canada", "murder".
11Released under 13 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Reginald H. Morris
Original score: Carl Zittrer
Editing: Stan Cole
Makeup / hair: Kathy Southern
Runtime: 98 min · 1h 38m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $686,000
Box office: $4,000,000
Return: 583% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Black Christmas (1974)
Rotten Tomatoes: 73% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 65/100
IMDB rating: 7.1/10 · 55,485 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

3 wins & 2 nominations total

Also by

Bob Clark

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Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2019-07-26
★ 6/10
Historical slasher with John Saxon, Olivia Hussey and Margot Kidder It’s the Christmas season at a sorority house in the Northeast wherein an ambiguous psycho hiding in the attic makes crank calls to the girls and slays them one-by-one. John Saxon plays the local detective. “Black Christmas” (1974) obviously influenced “Halloween” (1978), e.g. the closet scene, but was influenced itself by psycho slasher flicks like “Psycho” (1960), “Dementia 13” (1963) and “Silent Night, Bloody Night” (1972). Honestly, the 2006 remake has a more absorbing story which, to me, is the best indicator of a quality movie. This version is dull by comparison, particularly the first half, but it picks up steam in the second. And the open-ended climax is interesting. But I strongly prefer the female cast in the remake; they're just all-around superior IMHO. Of course Olivia Hussey is attractive in this rendition, albeit cold, and Lynne Griffin as Clare is winsome, although her part is small. Andrea Martin (Phyl) comes across as a shorter version of Cher with short, curly hair. Unfortunately, Margot Kidder as Barb is one of the most obnoxious characters in cinema, a real turn-off (so is Mrs. Mac, but less so). Thankfully, Barb's only prominent through the first half. The film runs 1 hour, 38 minutes, and was shot in Toronto. GRADE: C+/B-
Dsnake12019-10-11
★ 7/10
Black Christmas is what happens when a director decides to make a slasher but also decides to make a good movie. Each character has a purpose. By that, I don't mean simply to drive the plot along. Each character is a person, and they each have their own unique personalities and motivations. Barb isn't just the drunk and morally abrasive stereotype; she's driven by her jealousy and likely by issues from her childhood. Each character feels about as deep as her, at the least. The only character who isn't fully explained is Billy, and that's for the best. Billy isn't a character we want explained, and it only drives the horror deeper that he isn't. This should be on every horror fan's Christmas playlist.
Gimly2019-12-29
★ 7/10
One of only two films in my adult life to have been in any way involved in giving me a sense of genuine fear. Final rating: ★★★½ - I strongly recommend you make the time.