Black Christmas (DVD, 2006, Special Edition)

I wanted to see the original "Black Christmas" when the remake came out in 2006. I had a hard time trying to find a copy of this DVD, but the payoff was worth the effort! "Black Christmas" (1974) is a key film in the history of horror cinema. It was among the first horror/slasher films to use the killer's POV and to use a killer tormenting his victims by phone while he is inside the house. Most interestingly, we never see who the killer is...which makes it much creepier. The story is simple. A deranged man sneaks into a sorority house just before Christmas. He torments the girls by phone and kills them off one by one. And there is no motive to the killings, making them much more frightening. All of the elements of this film are top-notch. It is directed by Bob Clark who is best known for his holiday classic "A Christmas Story" (1983) and his coming-of-age comedy "Porky's" (1982). The script is excellent, with many humorous lines that have led many to call the film a comedy! The cast is superb as well, with early performances by Olivia Hussey (Jessica) and her suspicious boyfriend Peter (Keir Dullea), SCTV's Andrea Martin (Phyllis) who also appears in the remake as the housemother, and Margot Kidder playing the bad girl of the house. Another interesting thing about "Black Christmas" is that it shows no nudity, and no blood and gore, but it is so well crafted it scared me. I'm a long-time horror movie fan and very jaded by seeing so many horror films, yet when I watched "Black Christmas" alone one night, I had goosebumps and chills up my spine. It's that creepy. The DVD I have also includes some interesting extras and interviews with the cast and director. This is a "must see" for any horror movie fan.