Black Christmas (remake)
Review by Peter Syslo

Okay, the whole remake fad is just crazy; a lot of these remakes are really unnecessary and are just a way to cash in on a trend. On the other hand, have people just gotten that lazy and/or that entitled that they expect an old film to be updated for them? For Christ’s sake, pick up a book sometime or put forth the effort to actually check out these old films on your own. All that I am saying is take control of what you want to see or hear! Don’t let the media or anyone else push things on you just so they could make a buck! Unfortunately, the BLACK CHRISTMAS remake falls prey to this money-making trend and it is a shame, because I feel that the movie did show some promise. I don’t think that the movie is horrible; it is just OK. But, while it preserves some of the elements of the original, it also injects some unnecessary “modernis ms”.

BLACK CHRISTMAS (2006) is written and directed by Glen Morgan. It stars Katie Cassidy, Michelle Trachtenberg, Kristen Cloke, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Lacey Chabert, Andrea Martin (who was in the original), Chrystal Lowe, and Oliver Hudson. Basically, the storyline follows the original (a killer stalks girls in a sorority house) but a few new elements are added. There is a whole back story given for the killer, Billy, which includes his abuse as a child, his murder of his mother and stepfather, and his escape from a mental institution. Also, at the very end, the story moves from the sorority house to a hospital, for the final scenes.

Like I said, this movie isn’t totally bad; there are some elements of it that I like. I actually liked the added story of the legend of Billy – yes, it takes away a lot of the suspense and the scare of the original but in a way it kind of “saves” this movie. I liked the whole Christmas time atmosphere (snowfall, music, glowing lawn decorations) – that was done really well and it was very comparable to the original. It was nice because I feel that you are watching this to watch a Christmas horror film. Also, I liked the whole “tribute” to the classic slasher film – from Billy’s story to the over the top kills and ending, it was a slight tongue-in-cheek homage to slashers (that is another thing, the movie didn’t take itself too seriously, which was appropriate for this film).

Now, on to the things I didn’t like; First, the cast and the acting; it’s the same cast/acting you’ve seen in a lot of films over the past 10-15 years – pretty much forgettable (with the exception of Andrea Martin, the house mother) and not very likeable. I don’t know if it’s a trend in movies these days or if it’s a reflection of society (maybe both), but I have a tough time caring about any of the characters in modern movies – it’s now the exception to the rule when you actually care what happens to a horror cast member. Second, the new ending (although, a tribute to slashers) was too much – I think that it was meant to be predictable and so forth, but at that point, it was just bringing the whole movie into the realm of “silliness”. Third, I think that cell phones are way overused, nowadays, as methods of moving the plot along – yeah, they did have the obscene phone calls, as in the original, but you knew whose phone the killer was using and it really took away any suspense or the surprise element of the murders (if I see Jason Vorhees picking up a cell phone in that upcoming remake, I’m going to burn my whole FRIDAY THE 13TH collection of DVDs!).

Cutting to the chase: BLACK CHRISTMAS (2006) was OK; it is best viewed as a slight tongue-in-cheek homage to slasher films. It is not as good as the original, but I give Morgan credit for not trying to completely mess with the 1974 story; the film preserved the original and added its own spin on things. The movie has all of the popcorn fare you would want and it is kind of that light, somewhat gory, over-the-top film that you would watch with a group of friends and not take it that seriously - it is not as brooding or profound as the original. But, if you want some cool Christmas atmosphere and are curious, then you may be entertained by it. If you are a diehard fan of the original, you may not like it, but like I said, you have to view this film a certain way and leave it at that.