Lively, entertaining reviews of, and essays on, old and newer films and everything relating to them, written by professional author William Schoell.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

BLACK CHRISTMAS (2006).


BLACK CHRISTMAS (also known as Black Xmas/2006). Uncut version.

Director: Glen Morgan.

This is a remake of a film originally released in 1974 (known variously as Black Christmas, Stranger in the House, and Silent Night, Evil Night.) During Christmas break some sorority sisters and their den mother are celebrating in a sorority house that used to be the home of a young maniac named Billy. Now someone has broken out of the local asylum, and is creeping around and under the sorority house. It isn't long before the young ladies are gruesomely dispatched one by one. The problem isn't so much the numerous flashbacks showing us Billy's awful early life, but that the film seems to go in stops and starts, taking quite awhile to really cut loose. There's an exciting climax in a hospital, and some macabre [if familiar] bits and pieces. Among the actors, Kristen Cloke as Leigh, Oliver Hudson as Kyle, and Andrea Martin as the den mother [Martin was also in the original film] make the best impression.

Verdict: Just another splatter movie but not without its moments. **1/2.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I find the original was much more beautifully crafted than this one. It was not interesting as the original was and all I can say is that those who didn't have seen the original will find it better.
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