Director/Script:Glen Morgan (Based on the 1974 screenplay by Roy More), Cast: Katie Cassidy (Kelli), Michelle Trachtenberg (Melisa), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Heather), Lacey Chabert (Dana), Kristen Cloke (Leigh), Andrea Martin (Ms. Mac), Crystal Lowe (Lauren), Oliver Hudson (Kyle), Kathleen Kole (Eve).
I think that people's opinion of this movie is going to be largely divided. There will be many young people (who perhaps are not familiar with the original film) that think it is absolutely great and of course many fans of the original that will think it 'sucks'. When I review a remake, I try to do so with and open mind and not always compare it with the original film. I am certainly guilty of this! One thing many fans of the original can agree on regardless of their opinion of this film is that it will certainly bring a lot of attention to the obscure original. Then again, us horror fanatics (like myself!) get a little possessive of our movies. We don't want them to appeal to the masses. So who knows.
This is the second remake attempt by director Glen Morgan. The other was Willard. I thought Willard was a good film, perhaps better than the original.His second remake attempt was of course,Black Christmas. It is a totally different script and with just a couple of exceptions has different characters. The similarities are of course the title, the concept of the sorority house, and the 'Billy' and 'Agnus' characters. In the first film, we never really get to know who the killer is. Who 'Billy' was is left a mystery. I think this is what made the first film such a classic. Much of the first half of this film is devoted to telling the story of 'Billy' and 'Agnus'. We are told about Billy's background and what led him to kill. We also find out who Agnus is.
As it turns out, the sorority house was Billy's childhood home and a lot of bad things happened to him there! Most of the murder and mayhem occurs during the second half of the film. Morgan uses a lot of fast passed action to move the film along which builds to a climatic ending. The first film was much more plot and character driven whereas this uses more visuals. Also, we see a lot more graphic violence in this one. Eye balls gouged out (and eaten!), severed heads etc. I actually find the over the top gore to be rather tongue-and cheek.
Being a huge fan of the original, I had long anticipated seeing this film. Overall all, I was not disappointed. I appreciate the fact that they did not just rehash the original script. I think they did a good job telling the story of Billy. The films biggest weakness was the lack of character development and personality in the characters. I find this a problem in many of today's films. All the actors seems the same! You will not see anybody with the class of Oliva Hussey, the sarcastic wit of Margot Kidder or cool like John Saxon. Although I was glad to see Andria Martin from the original in this film, I wish they would have given her a different part. I kind off wish they would have made her character more like the house mother in the original. She is a comedian as well as an actress. I think they made her too serious. See for yourself if he did justice to Bob Clark's original. I knew I wouldn't be able to do this review without comparing it to the original!
I think that people's opinion of this movie is going to be largely divided. There will be many young people (who perhaps are not familiar with the original film) that think it is absolutely great and of course many fans of the original that will think it 'sucks'. When I review a remake, I try to do so with and open mind and not always compare it with the original film. I am certainly guilty of this! One thing many fans of the original can agree on regardless of their opinion of this film is that it will certainly bring a lot of attention to the obscure original. Then again, us horror fanatics (like myself!) get a little possessive of our movies. We don't want them to appeal to the masses. So who knows.
This is the second remake attempt by director Glen Morgan. The other was Willard. I thought Willard was a good film, perhaps better than the original.His second remake attempt was of course,Black Christmas. It is a totally different script and with just a couple of exceptions has different characters. The similarities are of course the title, the concept of the sorority house, and the 'Billy' and 'Agnus' characters. In the first film, we never really get to know who the killer is. Who 'Billy' was is left a mystery. I think this is what made the first film such a classic. Much of the first half of this film is devoted to telling the story of 'Billy' and 'Agnus'. We are told about Billy's background and what led him to kill. We also find out who Agnus is.
As it turns out, the sorority house was Billy's childhood home and a lot of bad things happened to him there! Most of the murder and mayhem occurs during the second half of the film. Morgan uses a lot of fast passed action to move the film along which builds to a climatic ending. The first film was much more plot and character driven whereas this uses more visuals. Also, we see a lot more graphic violence in this one. Eye balls gouged out (and eaten!), severed heads etc. I actually find the over the top gore to be rather tongue-and cheek.
Being a huge fan of the original, I had long anticipated seeing this film. Overall all, I was not disappointed. I appreciate the fact that they did not just rehash the original script. I think they did a good job telling the story of Billy. The films biggest weakness was the lack of character development and personality in the characters. I find this a problem in many of today's films. All the actors seems the same! You will not see anybody with the class of Oliva Hussey, the sarcastic wit of Margot Kidder or cool like John Saxon. Although I was glad to see Andria Martin from the original in this film, I wish they would have given her a different part. I kind off wish they would have made her character more like the house mother in the original. She is a comedian as well as an actress. I think they made her too serious. See for yourself if he did justice to Bob Clark's original. I knew I wouldn't be able to do this review without comparing it to the original!