Black Christmas (1974) Group Session (Saturday, 04-18-2020)

Where we all gather to watch a film together

Rate Black Christmas (1974)

5
4
67%
4
2
33%
3
0
No votes
2
0
No votes
1
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 6

User avatar
zombie
Administrator
Posts: 11664
Joined: Wed May 17, 2017 6:28 pm

Re: Black Christmas (1974) Group Session (Saturday, 04-18-20

Post by zombie »

Jason wrote:This is why I can't make a top all time horror movie list. How do you rank this in comparison to something like Friday IV? They're so different and so enjoyable on completely different levels.
put them both on the list?

i wouldn't put either on a top 10, but probably 20-25 for black christmas. great flick.
User avatar
Jason
Administrator
Posts: 20188
Joined: Wed May 17, 2017 7:14 pm

Re: Black Christmas (1974) Group Session (Saturday, 04-18-20

Post by Jason »

zombie wrote:
Jason wrote:This is why I can't make a top all time horror movie list. How do you rank this in comparison to something like Friday IV? They're so different and so enjoyable on completely different levels.
put them both on the list?

i wouldn't put either on a top 10, but probably 20-25 for black christmas. great flick.
Yeah, but how would you even rank them? I'm just using Friday IV as an example since it's so different from this one. What's the criteria of putting one over the other when you enjoy them so differently...
Image
User avatar
zombie
Administrator
Posts: 11664
Joined: Wed May 17, 2017 6:28 pm

Re: Black Christmas (1974) Group Session (Saturday, 04-18-20

Post by zombie »

Jason wrote:
zombie wrote:
Jason wrote:This is why I can't make a top all time horror movie list. How do you rank this in comparison to something like Friday IV? They're so different and so enjoyable on completely different levels.
put them both on the list?

i wouldn't put either on a top 10, but probably 20-25 for black christmas. great flick.
Yeah, but how would you even rank them? I'm just using Friday IV as an example since it's so different from this one. What's the criteria of putting one over the other when you enjoy them so differently...
i can't really answer that for you. but it would seem to be an issue with most genres, if it is with horror?
User avatar
Jason
Administrator
Posts: 20188
Joined: Wed May 17, 2017 7:14 pm

Re: Black Christmas (1974) Group Session (Saturday, 04-18-20

Post by Jason »

Probably. I'd like to make a top 100 horror list but I won't ever be able to because of these situations.
Image
User avatar
zombie
Administrator
Posts: 11664
Joined: Wed May 17, 2017 6:28 pm

Re: Black Christmas (1974) Group Session (Saturday, 04-18-20

Post by zombie »

as a horror fan, you have to! do it1 :P
User avatar
DancesWithWerewolves
Administrator
Posts: 10949
Joined: Wed May 17, 2017 7:14 pm
Contact:

Re: Black Christmas (1974) Group Session (Saturday, 04-18-20

Post by DancesWithWerewolves »

Was curious. Black Christmas ranks 91st on my Flickchart, sorted by horror.
User avatar
Slaughterhouserock
Administrator
Posts: 2209
Joined: Thu May 18, 2017 3:57 pm
Contact:

Re: Black Christmas (1974) Group Session (Saturday, 04-18-20

Post by Slaughterhouserock »

zombie wrote:go back and watch laurie strode in halloween, and tell me that. at least, jess survived on her own ability. :P
What? She dies at the end.
User avatar
zombie
Administrator
Posts: 11664
Joined: Wed May 17, 2017 6:28 pm

Re: Black Christmas (1974) Group Session (Saturday, 04-18-20

Post by zombie »

Slaughterhouserock wrote:
zombie wrote:go back and watch laurie strode in halloween, and tell me that. at least, jess survived on her own ability. :P
What? She dies at the end.
i read it as ambiguous. she was still alive, but sleeping when we left her, while the phone was ringing to wake her and frighten her again, presumably.
User avatar
Slaughterhouserock
Administrator
Posts: 2209
Joined: Thu May 18, 2017 3:57 pm
Contact:

Re: Black Christmas (1974) Group Session (Saturday, 04-18-20

Post by Slaughterhouserock »

zombie wrote:i read it as ambiguous. she was still alive, but sleeping when we left her, while the phone was ringing to wake her and frighten her again, presumably.
The phone call indicated her death. He only made the calls after killing someone.
User avatar
zombie
Administrator
Posts: 11664
Joined: Wed May 17, 2017 6:28 pm

Re: Black Christmas (1974) Group Session (Saturday, 04-18-20

Post by zombie »

Slaughterhouserock wrote:
zombie wrote:i read it as ambiguous. she was still alive, but sleeping when we left her, while the phone was ringing to wake her and frighten her again, presumably.
The phone call indicated her death. He only made the calls after killing someone.
i think there was one call at least that came without a prior kill? and he called them at some point, before the film even started too. because the first call we see, they mention "it's him again, the moaner"...

this gives me an excuse to watch again. :P
Jmac Attack
Charter Member
Posts: 5402
Joined: Sun May 21, 2017 10:20 am

Re: Black Christmas (1974) Group Session (Saturday, 04-18-20

Post by Jmac Attack »

If I wasnt such a fucking drunk, I would have joined in. I'm kinda sad I missed this.
User avatar
Slaughterhouserock
Administrator
Posts: 2209
Joined: Thu May 18, 2017 3:57 pm
Contact:

Re: Black Christmas (1974) Group Session (Saturday, 04-18-20

Post by Slaughterhouserock »

zombie wrote:i think there was one call at least that came without a prior kill? and he called them at some point, before the film even started too. because the first call we see, they mention "it's him again, the moaner"...

this gives me an excuse to watch again. :P
We don't know anything about Billy other than what happens at the house. There was the dead girl in the woods, which was most likely one of his victims prior to holing up in the attic, hence the first phone call. There may have been others as well, which would be the calls that happened before the film starts(we don't know how many times he's called, and if he killed anyone else beforehand). But once he's in the house, all calls come after a kill. I'm pretty sure the cop even mentions it at one point.
User avatar
zombie
Administrator
Posts: 11664
Joined: Wed May 17, 2017 6:28 pm

Re: Black Christmas (1974) Group Session (Saturday, 04-18-20

Post by zombie »

Slaughterhouserock wrote:
zombie wrote:i think there was one call at least that came without a prior kill? and he called them at some point, before the film even started too. because the first call we see, they mention "it's him again, the moaner"...

this gives me an excuse to watch again. :P
We don't know anything about Billy other than what happens at the house. There was the dead girl in the woods, which was most likely one of his victims prior to holing up in the attic, hence the first phone call. There may have been others as well, which would be the calls that happened before the film starts(we don't know how many times he's called, and if he killed anyone else beforehand). But once he's in the house, all calls come after a kill. I'm pretty sure the cop even mentions it at one point.
if the cops said that, then they're wrong. cause they didn't even find all of the bodies. :P
User avatar
Slaughterhouserock
Administrator
Posts: 2209
Joined: Thu May 18, 2017 3:57 pm
Contact:

Re: Black Christmas (1974) Group Session (Saturday, 04-18-20

Post by Slaughterhouserock »

zombie wrote:if the cops said that, then they're wrong. cause they didn't even find all of the bodies. :P
Believe what you want, but I guarantee that was an intended plot point. There are lots of little details thrown about in this film, and that's one of the things that makes it so great. The fact that we know nothing about Billy is brilliant. He could have killed dozens of people before getting to the house, we don't know. It's a holiday, so people are leaving to visit family, so disappearances could easily go unnoticed. The fact that the dead girl is found and we didn't even know about that girl being missing makes it even more probable that he's been at this for awhile before the film even starts. It's a great way to show that we've just been dropped into this thing that's already in-progress, and we're just getting to see a small part of it. For all we know, Billy kept going after that final call and killed countless more people. It's a chapter of a much larger story, but is still is compelling enough on its own to be an amazing film.
User avatar
zombie
Administrator
Posts: 11664
Joined: Wed May 17, 2017 6:28 pm

Re: Black Christmas (1974) Group Session (Saturday, 04-18-20

Post by zombie »

Slaughterhouserock wrote:
zombie wrote:if the cops said that, then they're wrong. cause they didn't even find all of the bodies. :P
Believe what you want, but I guarantee that was an intended plot point. There are lots of little details thrown about in this film, and that's one of the things that makes it so great. The fact that we know nothing about Billy is brilliant. He could have killed dozens of people before getting to the house, we don't know. It's a holiday, so people are leaving to visit family, so disappearances could easily go unnoticed. The fact that the dead girl is found and we didn't even know about that girl being missing makes it even more probable that he's been at this for awhile before the film even starts. It's a great way to show that we've just been dropped into this thing that's already in-progress, and we're just getting to see a small part of it. For all we know, Billy kept going after that final call and killed countless more people. It's a chapter of a much larger story, but is still is compelling enough on its own to be an amazing film.
yeah, we're both believing what we want to. the end was left ambiguous for the viewer to decide. and it is a great film.
User avatar
zombie
Administrator
Posts: 11664
Joined: Wed May 17, 2017 6:28 pm

Re: Black Christmas (1974) Group Session (Saturday, 04-18-20

Post by zombie »

so john saxoo's character did say that he (peter) must've made a call after every kill. but that's not right. because billy didn't make a call after he killed the cop. (which they didn't account for because they didn't find clare's body) so we don't actually know billy's pattern. :P again, the ending is purposely ambiguous. so you decide, as a viewer, how you want to see it.
User avatar
Slaughterhouserock
Administrator
Posts: 2209
Joined: Thu May 18, 2017 3:57 pm
Contact:

Re: Black Christmas (1974) Group Session (Saturday, 04-18-20

Post by Slaughterhouserock »

zombie wrote:yeah, we're both believing what we want to. the end was left ambiguous for the viewer to decide. and it is a great film.
From an interview with Bob Clark:

"What did Warner Bros. want to change? The fact that the killer remains alive and unknown? Or that the lead character is left to die?

CLARK: Both. But I think having the killer living on and remaining unknown is right. What audiences objected to was leaving this strong female character in dire jeopardy, having her survive everything and then leaving her alone and asleep in the house with the killer. I mean, she’s going to die. That bothered people. I knew audiences would be upset, but maybe that’s why the film is so effective."

No ambiguity there. The only thing he has ever mentioned as ambiguous is Billy himself. Not the ending.
zombie wrote:so john saxoo's character did say that he (peter) must've made a call after every kill. but that's not right. because billy didn't make a call after he killed the cop. (which they didn't account for because they didn't find clare's body) so we don't actually know billy's pattern. :P again, the ending is purposely ambiguous. so you decide, as a viewer, how you want to see it.
I didn't say he called after every kill, but that the calls always came after a kill, there's a difference. It can also be said that he only calls after killing girls, since that's his real objective. As Bob Clark has said "he doesn't like girls".
User avatar
zombie
Administrator
Posts: 11664
Joined: Wed May 17, 2017 6:28 pm

Re: Black Christmas (1974) Group Session (Saturday, 04-18-20

Post by zombie »

to me, the power of the film is the mystery of the killer and allowing him to live on, not wrapping everything up in the end. but fair enough.

jess survived everything we saw in the film, on her own accord. the same can not be said of some other great, more highly regarded final girls.
User avatar
Jason
Administrator
Posts: 20188
Joined: Wed May 17, 2017 7:14 pm

Re: Black Christmas (1974) Group Session (Saturday, 04-18-20

Post by Jason »

Guess I'm rewatching. Already love the movie enough for a 5/5 rating but if he only phones the house after a kill, it gives the movie more structure and makes the ending even more chilling.
Image
User avatar
Jason
Administrator
Posts: 20188
Joined: Wed May 17, 2017 7:14 pm

Re: Black Christmas (1974) Group Session (Saturday, 04-18-20

Post by Jason »

zombie wrote:to me, the power of the film is the mystery of the killer and allowing him to live on, not wrapping everything up in the end. but fair enough.

jess survived everything we saw in the film, on her own accord. the same can not be said of some other great, more highly regarded final girls.
You like girls, Billy doesn't. :p
Image
Post Reply