Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Black Christmas Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 24, 2008

A film that has had a profound effect on John Carpenter’s future work, Black Christmas (1974) is considered one of the key entries in the slasher genre. Violent and claustrophobic, Black Christmas tells a familiar story while producing a tremendous atmosphere and boasting a moody soundtrack with frequently spine-chilling tunes. Courtesy of Somerville House.

Christmas time. A group of sorority girls is getting ready for a much-anticipated vacation. The girls talk about the future, their sweethearts, and gift-swapping. An anonymous caller then begins harassing them and they become concerned, but it takes some time before the local police are made aware of the caller's activities.

Shortly after, a string of killings throws the campus into a state of hysteria. To track down the killer, the police decide to tap the phone lines in the sorority house. But will the killer make a mistake and reveal itself?

Marked

Black Christmas is a film that could force many of you who have never seen it before to conclude that it is irreparably damaged by a number of genre clichés. And if you do, you will be dead wrong. Why? Because Bob Clark mainstreamed a lot of what nowadays is considered to be genre clichés -- killers phoning their unsuspecting victim, extreme close-ups capturing the panic replaced by horror in the victim’s eyes, the hugely atmospheric soundtracks used to enhance the moody environment slashers necessitate.

But I don't feel comfortable stating that Black Christmas is a genre classic. Such a description carries too much weight. Usually, it invites criticism toward films that may be representative of the genre they belong to but aren’t necessarily groundbreaking. I feel more comfortable stating that Black Christmas was simply a trendsetter, a film that influenced countless copycats.

There are two reasons Bob Clark’s Black Christmas resonated so incredibly well with viewers and soon-to-be important directors some thirty-four years ago. First, it produces a very special environment that could easily be seen as more effective than its story. This special environment then does a lot to shape the personalities of the main protagonists and their behavior in ways that may not have appeared as campy in the past as they do now. Second, the direction is quite unusual for a low-budget '70s film that would 'only' want to produce a few generic scary moments. In other words, Black Christmas takes itself and its horror very seriously and does not disappoint.

Carl Zittrer’s soundtrack is a perfect match as well. It does numerous big and small things that dramatically enhance a lot of the genuinely spooky material in Black Christmas. Some of the soundtracks that were created for Dario Argento's famous films, like Suspiria, accomplish the same, but their harmonic stylization is almost always easily recognizable. Zittrer's soundtrack is different. In an odd sort of way, it creates the impression that it is a form of mental stimulation for the deranged killer. It is genuinely disturbing.

Black Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC, and granted a 1080p transfer Black Christmas arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Somerville House.

Before we get to the technical evaluation of this recent Blu-ray release, I would like to point out a few things to you. First, Black Christmas is not a big-budget production. It is a fairly modest project with a distinctively dated look. Second, the film has never had a proper release, and as far as I know, it was never digitally restored. Third, the DVD release of Black Christmas is not only of terrible quality but also, as far as I am concerned, practically unwatchable.

A quick look at the Blu-ray release reveals precisely what I expected -- a passable progressive transfer eliminating an overwhelming amount of the issues that plagued the DVD release, a relatively stable color scheme, and good detail. Yes, there are quite a few specks and scratches, and some macroblocking patterns as well, but, unlike what other reviewers claim, these are limitations that are quite easy to tolerate. Clarity and detail, as mentioned above, are also rather decent, and I certainly would not hesitate to recommend the disc to those who like the genre Black Christmas champions. This being said, I am quite amused by some of the dismissive comments that have been unleashed as of late toward this modestly produced disc. There seem to be a lot of critics out there who appear to be comparing how big Hollywood projects look on Blu-ray with how small, unrestored, campy films look in 1080p. Obviously, dirt, edge enhancement, and macroblocking will not be detectable on the expensive, fully restored, Hollywood projects. Therefore, small-budget films, such as Black Christmas, simply cannot compete with them for now (there are only a few exceptions where elaborate restorations for such films have been completed). Thus, think about it before you start critiquing how poor these films look as even during the DVD boom they never received the type of attention they were/are entitled to. And just so we are clear on this one: I am not suggesting that you change your evaluating criteria, I am urging you to look at the bigger picture and consider what improvements the Blu-ray transfer offers over the corresponding DVD version(s), and what is feasible with such Blu-ray releases. (Note: This is a Region-Free release which you will be able to play on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Black Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three different tracks on this disc: English Mono 1.0, French Mono 1.0, and English Dolby Digital 5.1. I opted for the original English Mono track and wasn't disappointed. It is a relatively stable audio track without any major balance issues to report. The dialog is also very easy to follow. Finally, I did not detect any hissing, pop-ups, or cracks to report either. The Dolby Digital 5.1 track, however, is rather uneven. There are portions of the dialog that tend to stick out and the trained ear will certainly hear that balance is quite problematic here. Naturally, I would encourage you to stay with the mono track as it is certainly the more rounded and authentic option. Finally, I switched to the French mono track during a few selected scenes, just to hear what the dub sounded like, and I must conclude that unless you are a French speaker there isn't much here that you can benefit from. Optional subtitles for the main feature are not provided.

Black Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The following extras are included on this Blu-ray disc: An informative featurette titled "The 12 Days of Black Christmas" where you will find a number of interviews with Margot Kidder, Doug McGrath, Lynne Griffin, Olivia Hussey, John Saxon, and Art Hindle. The interviewees talk about the production values of Black Christmas, how it was all put together, and what it meant for them to be involved with the film. The next extra is a short featurette titled "Midnight Screening Q & A" where the late Bob Clark appears, next to Carl Zittrer and John Saxon, answering questions in an improvised press-conference held at the Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles in December 2004. Next you will find a gallery of rather long interviews with Olivia Hussey, Art Hindle, and Margo Kidder. Each interview offers interesting recollections addressing the time when the film was made, its reception, and history. Finally, in addition to the English and French trailers for the main feature you will also find two alternate audio fragments that were apparently found while the producers of this disc were working on the 5.1 mix. Both of those audio scenes are not incorporated into the final version of Black Christmas. Their titles are Trellis Climb and Final Pan.

Black Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bob Clark's cult film Black Christmas had a very unsuccessful run on DVD. Fortunately, Somerville House have put a decent Blu-ray package which eliminates key issues previous DVD releases struggled with. Yes, it is sourced from an older master and, yes, there are some technical limitations that surely won't sit well with audio/video purists. However, if you actually think about the history of the film, and what is currently feasible on the Blu-ray market, you will certainly begin to see why I consider this to be a good package. Recommended.