Black Christmas (1974)

Country of Origin: Canada
Year of Production: 1974
Running Times: 98 mins
Length: 8766 ft
Format: Technicolor     35mm     filmed in Panavision
Ratio: 1.37:1 (negative ratio)     1.85:1 (intended ratio)
Sound: mono

PRODUCTION
Produced in cooperation with Canadian Film Development Corporation and Famous Players
Copyright: © Film Funding 1974
Executive Producer: Findlay Quinn
Produced by: Bob Clark
Co-Producer: Gerry Arbeid
Associate Producer: Richard Schouten
Production Supervisor: Dave Robertson
Assistant Production: Gary Goch

SCRIPT
Screen Play: Roy Moore

DIRECTION
Directed by: Bob Clark
Assistant Director: Tony Thatcher
2nd Assistant Director: John Eckert
3rd Assistant Director: Don Brough

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Reg Morris
Camera Operator: Bert Dunk
1st Assistant Camera: Peter Luxford
2nd Assistant Camera: David Petty
Gaffer: Bob Milligan
Key Grip: Carmen McDermaid
Still Photographer: Bev Rockett
Colour by: Quinn Labs

EDITING
Editor: Stan Cole
Assistant Editor: Rick Clarke

MUSIC
Music: Carl Zittrer

SONGS AND ADDITIONAL MUSIC
"O Come All Ye Faithful"
St Simon's Choir
Edgar Hanson - choirmaster

"Jingle Bells" and choral effects
performed by Counterpoint Singers
Conducted by Paul Feheley

SOUND
Soundman: Rod Haykin
Boom: Herb Heritage
Sound Mixers: Bill O'Neill, Dave Appleby
Sound Editor: Ken Heeley-Ray
Assistant Sound Editors: Charles Owens, Patrick Drummond
Sound Recording: Mirrorphonic Sound Ltd

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP
Make Up: Bill Morgan
Assistant Make Up: Kathy Southern
Hairdresser: David Beecroft
Wardrobe: Debi Weldon
Ladies Wardrobes by: Pat Call Boutique

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Director: Karen Bromley
Property Buyer: Keath Barrie
Property Master: John (Frenchie) Berger

OTHER CREW
Script Supervisor: Sandra Ulosevich
Production Assistant: Melady Greene
Production Comptroller: Barry Leyland
Stereo and Televisions by: Panasonic
Trainee: John Gundy (uncredited)

LOCATIONS
Locations: Bedford, Pennsylvania, USA; Hart House, 6 Belmont Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Hart House, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Victoria College, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

CAST
Starring
Olivia Hussey (Jess Bradford)
Keir Dullea (Peter)
Margot Kidder (Barb)
Marion Waldman (Mrs Mac)

Co-starring
Andrea Martin (Phyl)
Art Hindle (Chris)
James Edmond (Mr Harrison)
Lynne Griffin (Clare Harrison)
Douglas McGrath (Sergeant Nash)
Michael Rapport (Patrick)

And starring
John Saxon (Lieutenant Fuller)

Les Carlson (Graham)
Martha Gibson (Mrs Quaife)
John Rutter (laughing detective)
Robert Warner (doctor)
Syd Brown (farmer)
Jack Van Evera (search party)
Les Rubie (search party)
Marcia Diamond (woman)
Pam Barney (Jean)
Robert Hawkins (Wes)
David Clement (Cogan)
Julian Reed (Jennings)
Dave Mann, John Stoneham, Danny Gain, Tom Foreman (cops)

PLOT SUMMARY

During Christmas break, the girls of a college sorority house are preparing to return to their families. But they are subjected to a stream of abusive and scary phone calls - then one of them disappears and the police don't seem overly bothered. But when a body turns up in the park, they finally take notice - but will they get to the killer before he strikes again, and how many victims has he already claimed?

CAPSULE REVIEW

An extremely creepy and beautifully crafted proto-slasher that clearly influenced John Carpenter's Halloween four years later. Clarke's direction is first-rate, his staging of the murder scenes creating a template from which many of the subsequent American slasher films would be made. Great performances, an excellent score and some genuinely disturbing obscene phone calls are all icing on the cake. Deservedly, the film has been rescued from the relative obscurity in which it languished for too long and it now enjoys the cult classic status it so clearly deserves. (Full Review)

Canada
Theatrical Distributor: Ambassador Film Distributors

UK
Theatrical Distributors: EMI
DVD Distributors: Tartan

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Warner Brothers
Video Distributor: Warner Brothers Home Video
Laserdisc Distributor: Warner Home Video (11590)

Australia
Rating: R

Norway
Rating: 16 (in 1976); 18

Sweden
Rating: 15

UK
Rating: X; 18

USA
Rating: R

1976
Edgar Allan Poe Awards
Edgar: Best Motion Picture (Roy Moore) - nominated

1974
March
25: Canada - production begins

May
11: Canada - production ends

December
11: Canada - theatrical release (first showing at the Imperial VI Theatre, Toronto)
20: Canada - wider theatrical release; USA - theatrical release
25: Sweden - theatrical release

1975
December
25: Sweden - theatrical release

1976
April
29: Norway - theatrical release

1983
December
11: UK - television broadcast (on BBC1)

1985
March
30: UK - television broadcast (on BBC1)

1998
June
8: USA - laserdisc release (Warner Home Video (11590))

December
25: UK - television broadcast (on Channel 4)

2000
December
24: UK - television broadcast (on Channel 4)

If this movie doesn't make your skin crawl... it's on too tight!

Christmas is coming early this year. And it's murder.

The sort of christmas you don't dream of.

Det er morderen som ringer - Norwegian title
Jessy - Die Treppe in den Tod - Germany title
Musta joulu - Finnish title
Un natale rosso sangue - Italian title
Silent Night, Evil Night
Stilla natt, blodiga natt - Swedish title
Stranger in the House - US television title

SEE ALSO
Friday the 13th (1980)
Halloween (1978)
Halloween II (1981)
Scream (1996)
Scream 2 (1997)

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
Mad Ron's Prevue's from Hell (1987)

MAGAZINES

Cinema Canada no.17 (December 1974 - January 1975) p.78 (Canada)
note (Canada Report by Jack Ammon)

CinemaTV Today no.10096 (17 August 1974) p.12 (UK)
note

Empire no.176 (February 2004) p.135 (UK)
DVD review (by MD)

Fangoria no.159 (1 January 1997) pp.13-19 (USA)
illustrated interview with Bob Clark (I'm dreaming of a Black Christmas by Keith Bearden)

Fangoria no.186 (September 1999) p.59 (USA)
illustrated DVD review (DVD and laser spotlight by Michael Gingold)

Fangoria no.201 (April 2001) p.67 (USA)
illustrated DVD review (by Michael Gingold)

Films and Filming vol.22 no.3 (December 1975) pp.30-31 (UK)
illustrated review (by Eric Braun)

Films Illustrated vol.5 no.51 (November 1975) p.104 (UK)
credits, review (by David Castell)

Hollywood Reporter vol.236 no.27 (21 May 1975) p.11 (USA)
credits, review (by Charles Ryweck)

Monthly Film Bulletin vol.42 no.501 (October 1975) p.217 (UK)
credits, synopsis, review (by David McGillivray)

New Canadian Film no.29/30 (February / March 1975) p.26 (Canada)
review

Psychotronic 16 pp.52-53 (USA)
review

Radio Times 23 December 2000 - 5 January 2001 pp.53 (UK)
credits

Screen International no.3 (20 September 1975) p.15 (UK)
credits, synopsis, review (by Marjorie Bilbow)

Séquences no.80 (April 1975) pp.26-27 (Canada)
review

Sight and Sound vol.14 no.3 (March 2004) p.75 (UK)
DVD review (by Matthew Leyland)

Variety 16 October 1974 p.16 (USA)
credits, review

BOOKS

Aurum Encyclopedia of Film: Horror (2nd edition) pp.288-289
credits, review

Creature Features Strikes Back p.44
credits, review (by John Stanley)

Hoffman's Guide to SF, Horror and Fantasy 1991 - 1992 p.44
credits, review

Horror and Science Fiction Films II p.33
credits

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

serial killers, slashers, stalk and slash, schools, students, winter, christmas, abortions, anonymous phone calls, splatter, teenagers, sorority houses, dormitories, incest, attics, carol singers, cats, choirs, children, obscene phone calls, pianos, police, pregnancy, taxis, telephones, rape, suffocation

Last Updated: 15 October, 2008