As slasher franchises grow, they tend to lose some of the mystery that made them great in the first place. Classic slasher films like Friday the 13th and Halloween started strong, but as the sequels piled on and the characters’ lore was explored and exhausted, they became movies that were completely removed from the style and substance of the original films.
At their core, slashers are essentially whodunits, with some extra intensity and gore peppered throughout. Sometimes, we get a solid backstory, like Michael Myers’ childhood murder of his sister, which leads to a life in a psych ward, or Billy Loomis’ motivations for killing Maureen Prescott and eventually setting up the events for the Scream franchise. Most of the time, we know who the killer is, and we know what to expect from them.
In my opinion, some of the horror genre’s best slashers have come in the form of those where we know almost nothing about the killer, including what they look like. While iconic slasher movies like The Prowler, My Bloody Valentine, and Sleepaway Camp all do a great job exploring a haunting backstory and shocking the audience with an ending reveal, one incredibly influential Canadian slasher film keeps the killer hidden until the credits roll, never revealing the killer to the audience or the survivors.
That’s what makes Black Christmas such a lasting and terrifying film. There is no twist to expect on the rewatch; there’s no reveal to comfort your curiosity.

For those that haven’t seen Bob Clark’s (other) holiday classic, Black Christmas follows a group of women who live in a sorority house, and over Christmas break, keep receiving threatening and sexually harassing phone calls from an unknown caller, who speaks in several different voices. As they start to disperse for the holidays, the caller starts to stalk and murder the women, one by one.
Even though it’s widely known that John Carpenter was highly influenced by the film when he directed Halloween, Black Christmas did something right off the bat that most slashers failed to do from there on out; make the audience care about the victims.
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Each character had tiny backstories that drew the audience in and broke their hearts a little with each kill. From Clare Harrison’s (Lynne Griffin) innocence and naivety leading to her becoming the first on-screen death, and triggering the search involvement from her parents, to Barb’s (Margot Kidder) alcoholism, awkward exchanges, and uncaring attitude, to Jess’ (Olivia Hussey) and Peter’s disagreement over the future of their unborn child.
Even John Saxon’s distracted, but attentive Lt. Ken Fuller and the aloof Sergeant Nash (Doug McGrath) gave us horror movie cops that were engaging; a rarity for the genre.

The biggest treat of Black Christmas, and the thing that separates it from most following slashers, came from its villain. A deranged, incoherent, and unpredictable psychopath, we never even get a full glimpse of Billy, and we don’t know why he’s in the house. Was he just walking by after murdering the local missing teenager? Did he use to live there? Does he have some connection to Jess? There are more questions than answers about Billy, and it makes him truly terrifying.
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His obscene phone calls, which were recorded by three separate people during filming, are disturbing and gross, and his quick response of “I’m going to kill you.”, when the women mocked him is downright chilling.
Billy’s kills are cold and brutal, particularly Clare’s, who is suffocated and left in the attic on display in a chair, just out of sight from everyone looking for her. All of Billy’s murders are done from a first-person point of view, and it’s not until Jess comes across him in the film’s final act, that the audience gets a glimpse of his one, haunting brownish-red eye. His aggressive chasing of Jess throughout the sorority house, his screaming, and his relentless banging on the basement door all make for a horrifying home invasion.

Black Christmas would release to decent viewership, turning its $620K budget into a $4 million success and becoming a cult favorite among horror and slasher lovers. After giving such an incredible performance, Olivia Hussey, who just tragically passed away at the age of 73 (via Deadline), became more involved in the horror genre, appearing in Stephen King’s IT (1990), Turkey Shoot, Ice Cream Man, and Psycho IV: The Beginning.
Margot Kidder, who is most known for her portrayal as Lois Lane in the original Superman movies, also made a name for herself in the horror genre, appearing in The Amityville Horror (1979), Tales from the Crypt, and Rob Zombie’s Halloween II. John Saxon also became a recognizable horror staple, with his work in several Italian giallo movies including Tenebrae and The Scorpion with Two Tails, and of course his role as Nancy Thompson’s father in A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Since its release, Black Christmas has inspired two remakes. The 2006 movie by Glen Morgan is a direct remake that explores Billy’s backstory a little more and gives him a motive. The 2019 film from Sophia Takal serves as more of a reference to the original film, as the storyline is completely different. Both films did poorly with critics and audiences, but were decently successful from a budget-to-gross aspect. While each has good moments scattered between them, neither has the five-decade-long staying power of the original movie.
Related: ‘Black Christmas’ Short Fan Film Wants to Bring Billy Back
The next best entry into the Black Christmas world comes in the form of a 42-minute short film from Bruce Dale and Dave McRae, titled It’s me, Billy. The film is a direct sequel to the original, set 50 years after the first movie’s events, as Jess’ granddaughter is now stalked by Billy.
Black Christmas should be appreciated as more than just an annual holiday watch. The film was one of the first financially successful slashers, and without it, the horror genre wouldn’t have some of its most popular characters and franchises. It’s one of those few films that truly changed the path of horror, and its importance can’t be argued, even after 50 years.
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