 | |  | | Media: | HD DVD | | Country: | USA | | Studio: | Weinstein Co. | | Cert: | R | | Discs: | 1 |
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Screen captures are for illustration purposes and may not originate from the item reviewed. | | Black Christmas Review| HD DVD review written by Simon Crust, published 13th June 2007 | Supplied for review by  | When is a remake not a remake? When it’s a reinterpretation. The two words have become rather synonymous, when they imply two different things, which is why the preferred term is now ‘reinterpretation’ when discussing films. It implies new ideas to the original, updating an old story, a completely new film that links to its origin. However, more often than not, such changes tend to fall flat and any ‘reinterpretation’ is doomed because the original films are deemed irreplaceable. Yet it still continues to happen. And it seems to happen to horror films more than any other genre; whether it be to bring a film into colour (Night of the Living Dead), to update a genre (Dawn of the Dead) or to simply open a film to a new and wider audience since the original maybe considered somewhat unknown. That latter statement applies to tonight’s feature, Black Christmas, a cult film that hardly caused a ripple upon its original release in 1974 and really was only known to those that knew the genre, or managed to catch it at drive-in reruns or late night TV. However, its popularity grew when it was acknowledged to be the inventor of the ‘slasher’ genre made so mainstream by Halloween, some four years later. This, of course, is ‘old news’ now, however, the time was deemed to be right by director/producer Glen Morgan and producer James Wong to take another look at Black Christmas; bring it to a new younger audience by upping the body count, gore and storyline. Sacrilege in most fans eyes, and maybe to silence those critics, Morgan has Billy taking those very eyes from his victims.
The plot is as familiar as sliced bread, eight sorority sisters try to enjoy Christmas together but are stalked by an escaped lunatic who kills them one by one. This was essentially the plot of the 1974 version as well. But what made that film so outstanding was its simplicity, the killer was faceless and enigmatic, with of course that ending. Although Bob Clark, director of the original, had a whole back story for Billy none of it was ever explained, only ever hinted at in the phone calls. Morgan, being a fan of the film, was always intrigued by that back story, and, in particular, who Agnes was, a character only ever originally mentioned by name. Here is where this reinterpretation differs greatly from the original. A large portion is dedicated to Billy’s back story, how he became the deranged killer and his motivations, as well as answering who Agnes is, her relationship to Billy and her life story. As such, this Black Christmas can genuinely be called a reinterpretation, for delving into an unwritten history explores an area ripe for exploitation. Die hard fans were aghast at the audacity to give a history to Billy, the open endedness of the original left interpretation up to the viewer with any explanation deemed unnecessary and unwanted. There is some truth to that feeling; for once a history is written it becomes lore irrespective. However, Morgan has managed to capture the growth of the monster, even if it is a tad predictable, for Billy was made and not born a killer. It is a gruesome history, based, in part, on fact, and sits well with the gruesome acts that befall the sorority sisters, but, in another bone of contention, not with the original film which was more concerned with atmosphere than gore.
Morgan demonstrates he has a great deal of respect for the original film by placing plenty of nods throughout; the glass unicorn, the snowglobes, the lighting, the plastic bags etc. Each element is a string tying the remake to its origins compared to each death which draws it further from it. It is an odd feeling seeing something so familiar, yet so distant. Morgan has aimed at the teen market with hip young actresses and enough splatter to keep even the most jaded horror fans happy. And yet there was a nagging feeling that it has all been done before, and not just because it is a remake. The killer stalking through the walls of house, the splitting up of the heroines, the nine lives of the killer, all are elements seen time and again. But, it looks so good, Robert McLachlan gives each story segment its own distinctive look, the blues, reds and greens, of the Christmas lights can at once be bright an jolly, the next sinister and foreboding. The pace is swift enough to keep everything moving tightly, but slow enough to allow some single line development of the girls. Although there is barely enough time to register who they are before some gory fate befalls them. By telling Billy’s story, the girls become nothing but meat for the grinder, there is no time to enlist any emotional involvement in any of them and this is perhaps the films weakest moment. One scream and their gone, so Morgan makes sure there are plenty of deaths. Plot holes be damned, clichés be dammed. Then there is an ending to the film (actually there are two endings depending on where you’ve seen the film; reviewed here is the USA unrated version) that defies credibility and nothing like the enigmatic ending that made the original so.
After the credits have rolled, I guess the big question is if Black Christmas (2006) manages to become a worthy film considering the cult status of the original film. In actuality they are very different films; the original, very understated, almost character driven with the some unexpected twists and rightful contender for genre origins; the remake is a seen it all before, gore fest with cliché after cliché, but delivered with pace, gusto and drive. Like many of the recent spate of remakes they each have a little merit and do work to a degree independent of their origins. For me, I think both can co-exist, and even though I wouldn’t reach over the 1974 version to get to the 2006, I won’t be using it as a coaster either. And that, at least, is a recommendation of sorts.
Movie score : 5 | | 1,034 word review written by Simon Crust. |  | To comment on this review, click here and post a reply.
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