Black Christmas Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Black Christmas Blu-ray Movie Review

Shout! wraps up the ultimate gift for BLACK CHRISTMAS

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson February 9, 2017

It can be argued convincingly that Bob Clark's Black Christmas (1974) forever changed and influenced the pacing and camerawork of future horror films. The movie's opening contains an extended optical POV shot in which a prowler sidles around the Canadian sorority house, Pi Kappa Sig, and makes his way up lattice, stepping into an old attic. Though not as bold as Robert Montgomery's Lady in the Lake (1947), a film told through the eyes of a single character, this scene and others in Clark's film are an example of what film historian David Bordwell calls directly subjective narration. The cinema audience only catches glimpses of the stalker (Billy) and never fully sees his face. Although Black Christmas may not have been the first, there were a bevy of horror movies that predominantly took the perspective of the killer after the release of this film.

An obscene phone caller harasses Jess and the other sorority girls.

I am even more exuberant about Clark's fifth feature than my colleague, Dr. Svet Atanasov, who reviewed the Somerville House Blu-ray of the film. I look at the film differently in retrospective than Svet. I've seen countless slasher films and Black Christmas must represent the father of the sub-genre (with Psycho as the grandfather), even though it only includes a couple of quick shots of slicing and dicing. While Clark's work established the tropes that later became recurring clichés, Black Christmas still seems fresh and holds up extremely well. Seeing it for the first time on Blu-ray here was quite a revelation. It was a very low-budgeted indie picture in the burgeoning Canadian cinema but should not be attached the deprecatory label, "cheaply made." Clark and his cinematographer Reginald Morris create a master floor plan inside the house for the psychopath to surreptitiously lurk and stalk his waiting prey. The film attains a remarkably sustained feeling of dread throughout and up till the last shot. Carl Zittrer's ominous score and Clark's sound design, while non-diegetic, seem so immaculately woven that it could have been played on the set in perfect harmony and felt just right. Black Christmas is unmissable and deserves to be part of the canon as one of the essentials.

Black Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Black Christmas has received many DVD releases and several Blu-ray editions over the years. The movie receives its first truly wide US Blu- ray release courtesy of Shout! Factory on this AVC-encoded BD-50. At the start of the feature, the following white text appears on a black screen: "This new 2k scan was made from the film negative and retains the grain and softness you would have seen during its original release in 1974. We have not applied any digital noise reduction and restored the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio used in US theatres. We have done our best to clean up the element which had suffered some damage over the years. We hope you enjoy this new transfer."

Shout! indeed presents Black Christmas in its OAR of 1.85:1 and disc one boasts a total video bitrate of 46.64 Mbps. The 2K transfer maintains an average bitrate of 35000 kbps. The image possesses what I call "organicity." In other words, it retains a very coarse grain structure that was present on the original 35mm prints, preserving its intended appearance. There is no evidence of DNR or digital manipulation. Skin tones are often on the cool side. I was pleasantly surprised with the color depth on the reds and greens. The Xmas tree and wreath lights look sparkling and clear (see Screenshot #12 in particular). This has to be the best that the movie has ever looked.

Shout! has divided the feature into a dozen scene selections.

Screenshot #s 1-20 = 2016 2K Scan
Screenshot #s 21-25 = 2006 Critical Mass Cut

Black Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Shout! goes the extra mile by supplying three sound tracks for the feature: a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (4043 kbps), a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo (2106 kbps), and a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Monaural (1804 kbps). I tried out the 5.1 remix and despite lingering analog hiss, the track is very well presented considering the source's age. Dialogue is intelligible and Shout! has conveniently provided optional English SDH. (The 2.0 Stereo is a compressed version of the 5.1 option.) The original mono's dispersal on the second 2.0 track, however, produced technicalities involving heavily amplified hiss and displaced sound effects. Consumers brought these sonic anomalies to Shout!'s attention and the label issued a statement about the original mono track as well as the announcement of a disc replacement program:

We'd like to take this time to address the fans that brought this to our attention and explain more in detail as to why our mono audio track for Black Christmas sounded so rough. Unfortunately, we were not able to find a mag track, only an optical track, which is not an ideal source for this kind of work. However, based on earlier customer feedback who hoped for lossless mono audio, we decided to include the mono audio track with minimal processing and compression. The was a decision made with the best of intentions and the hope of providing the most authentic film presentation, but the hissy sibilance of the optical track proved to be too extreme and took away from the viewing experience. We're sorry for the frustration it may have caused. We have explored all options to correct the problem that fit within our resources and have concluded that the best solution was to use the mono audio track originally released on the Critical Mass DVD.

We will be offering a replacement (Disc 1 only) of our Blu-ray release of BLACK CHRISTMAS which will include the original mono audio track as it was presented on prior releases of the film on DVD and Blu-ray.

Instructions to receive this replacement disc are as follows:

Send an email to our customer service department @ info@shoutfactory.com Please include "BLACK CHRISTMAS REPLACEMENT PROGRAM" in the subject line. Please provide your first and last name and the mailing address in which you would like the disc sent to. No other copy is needed. Must provide proof of purchase (photo of receipt or online order will do) in the body of the email.

You will not receive a shipment confirmation. Also, please note that due to the high volume of inquires we will not be able to respond to each email personally.

Replacement discs are expected to ship in January 2017 and as soon as we receive them. No tracking numbers will be assigned.

Much thanks for your patience and continued support. And we look forward to bringing you more great retro films in 2017.

Shout! Factory Customer Service

Shout! placed my request for a replacement disc in less than two business days after I e-mailed them; I received my copy early the following week. I applaud Customer Service for their packaging. They placed the disc in a pretty sturdy anti-static DuPont Tyvek mailer; it arrived unscathed within the enclosed paper sleeve. You can tell the corrected disc by the revised catalog number along the edge of the picture disc: SF17186-V2. Though still far from perfect, the improved mono track minimizes the audible hiss.

Black Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

DISC ONE: FEATURE FILM

• Director Commentary with Bob Clark - a feature-length commentary with Clark that combines the director's sit-down viewing of his film along with excerpted interviews that fill in gaps. There are some lags here and there but Clark's remarks fill up most of the film. He narrates the on-screen action with his impressions of cinematography and the actors in front of the camera. He also answers his critics. This originally appeared on the 2001 25th Anniversary Edition DVD. In English, not subtitled.

• Actors' Commentary with John Saxon and Keir Dullea - John Saxon carries the track for the first part of the film. Keir Dullea doesn't speak until his first full scene (with Olivia Hussey) in the music conservatory. Saxon and Dullea were recorded separately. This track was also included on the 2001 25th Anniversary Edition DVD. In English, not subtitled.

• Commentary with Billy (Actor Nick Mancuso) - Mancuso performs in character on this track. It premiered on the Anchor Bay "Season's Grievings" Canadian Blu-ray. In English, not subtitled.

• Audio Interview with Bob Clark (26:27) - a telephone interview with Clark conducted by the program, Movie Talk circa 2006. Clark answers a slew of questions about Black Christmas and A Christmas Story (1983). In English, not subtitled.

DISC TWO: SPECIAL FEATURES

• 2006 Critical Mass Cut (1:38:05, 1080p; Dolby Digital 5.1, 448 kbps) - This is essentially the same transfer that Svet reviewed on the 2008 Somerville House Blu-ray. It sports a total video bitrate of 19.30 Mbps, with an average of 17947 kbps. There does not appear to be any additional restoration work done compared to what appeared on the prior Blu-ray.

• NEW Film and Furs: Remembering Black Christmas with Art Hindle (26:11, 1080p) - a new interview with Hindle shot exclusively for this Shout! release. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Victims and Virgins: Remembering Black Christmas with Lynne Griffin (26:35, 1080p) - another new interview shot especially for this release. In English, not subtitled.

• Black Christmas Legacy (40:22, 1080p) - recycled from the Anchor Bay's Canadian "Season's Grievings" Blu-ray. A doc on the film that culls interviews from cast/crew, horror filmmakers, and personnel in the horror film industry. In English, not subtitled.

• 40th Anniversary Panel at FanExpo 2014 (18:02, 1080p) - this panel includes actors John Saxon, Art Hindle, Lynne Griffin, and Nick Mancuso at FanExpo Canada in Toronto. They swap stories and share their memories of working on the film. In English, not subtitled.

• On Screen: Black Christmas (48:41, 480i) - a featurette that initially appeared on the 2001 25th Anniversary DVD features interviews with Bob Clark, crew members, and industry observers. In English, not subtitled.

• 12 Days of Black Christmas (19:48, 480i) - a featurette narrated by John Saxon that was on on the 2001 25th Anniversary DVD. In English, not subtitled.

• Black Christmas Revisited (36:25, 1080p) - a featurette hosted by Art Hindle and Lynne Griffin, who revisit the original house from the movie. In English, not subtitled.

• Archival Interviews (1:41:30, 480i) - unabridged interviews from the 2006 Critical Mass DVD. The interviews feature Olivia Hussey (17 minutes), Art Hindle (23 minutes), Margot Kidder (23 minutes), Bob Clark (25 minutes), and John Saxon (13 minutes). In English, not subtitled.

• Midnight Screening Q&A (20:21, 480i) - a panel featuring Bob Clark, John Saxon, and Carl Zittrer, who were present for a screening at the Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles, December 2004. In English, not subtitled.

• Two scenes with a new soundtrack (3:04, 480i) - two scenes that were found for use with the new 5.1 remix.

• Theatrical Trailers (English and French) (8:16, 480i) - two unrestored trailers of Black Christmas.

• Original Radio and TV Spots (3:09, upconverted to 1080p) - presented in succession.

• Alternative Title Sequences (2:47, 1080p) - a couple of alternate title sequences that studio moguls considered running circa 1974.

• Photo Gallery (4:33, 1080p) - a slide show consisting of more than fifty images of press kit material for Black Christmas.

Black Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Black Christmas remains a bone-chilling and terrifying horror masterwork. Shout! Factory has really assembled an "Ultimate Edition" for the film, cobbling together nearly all the bonus materials available on previous DVDs and Blu-rays. The new transfer looks excellent and purists who crave the original mono track are encouraged to contact Shout!'s Customer Service for a replacement disc. I endorse this release with my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION.