Black Christmas [HD] DVD

Black Christmas
A few innocent women experience a nightmare before Christmas in this bloody Thriller. Billy Lenz, a severely maladjusted child, finally snaps under years of brutal treatment by his family, killing and eating them in an explosion of violence on Christmas Eve. For years, the Lenz house stands vacant, but in time it's purchased and renovated as the new home for a college sorority. A few days before Christmas, a handful of sorority sisters -- Dana (Lacey Chabert), Melissa (Michelle Trachtenberg), Kelli (Katie Cassidy), and Heather (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) -- are enjoying a quiet evening with their house mother, Barbara MacHenry (Andrea Martin), exchanging gifts and swapping stories before heading home for holiday break. While Barbara remembers the story of Billy's crimes, the atmosphere is peaceful until the young women receive the first in a series of disturbing telephone calls. Before long, they learn that Billy has escaped after years in a mental institution, and has come back to the house where he grew up to once again spill blood for the Christmas season. Black Christmas is a remake of the 1974 horror film of the same name by director Bob Clark, who later made a less-threatening film about the Yuletide season, A Christmas Story; Andrea Martin, who plays the house mother, also appeared in the 1974 film as one of the sorority girls. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Cast Katie Cassidy as Kelli Michelle Trachtenberg as Melissa Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Heather Oliver Hudson as Kyle Lacey Chabert as Dana Kristen Cloke as Leigh Andrea Martin as Ms. Mac Robert Mann as William Edward Lenz. Billy (35 & 20 Years) Crystal Lowe as Lauren Jessica Harmon as Megan Helms Leela Savasta as Clair Crosby Kathleen Kole as Eve Karin Konoval as Billy's Mother Peter Wilds as Billy's Father Howard Siegel as Lover (Stepfather) Dean Friss as Agnes (16 & 22 Years) Cainan Wiebe as Billy (5 & 12 Years) Aaron Pearl as Bludworth Christina Crivici as Agnes (8 Years) Peter New as Sanitarium Orderly Michael D. Adamthwaite as Santa Christian Sloan as Patient in Robe Ronald Selmour as Security Guard Alycia Purrott as Candy Stripper Evan Adams as Doctor Jerry Wasserman as Medical Examiner Derek McIver as Hospital Orderly Anne Marie De Luise as Kelli's Mother Greg Kean as Kelli's Father Jody Racicot as Morgue Attendant Kent Kubena as Reindeer

Crew Tony Wohlgemuth - Art Director Wendy O'Brien - Casting John Papsidera - Casting Dawn Shindle - Casting Coreen Mays - Casting Mike Upton - Co-producer Satsuki Mitchell - Co-producer Ogden Gavanski - Co-producer Gregory Mah - Costume Designer Jack Hardy - First Assistant Director Glen Morgan - Director Chris Willingham - Editor Noah Segal - Executive Producer Scott Nemes - Executive Producer Marc Butan - Executive Producer Todd Wagner - Executive Producer Mark Cuban - Executive Producer Bob Clark - Executive Producer Danny McWilliams - Location Manager Shirley Walker - Composer (Music Score) Jojo Villanueva - Musical Direction/Supervision Dave Jordan - Musical Direction/Supervision Toby Lindala - Makeup Special Effects Peter Wilke - Camera Operator Michael Wrinch - Camera Operator Mark Freeborn - Production Designer Robert McLachlan - Cinematographer Marty Adelstein - Producer Steven Hoban - Producer Victor Solnicki - Producer James Wong - Producer Glen Morgan - Producer Marc Butan - Producer Dawn Parouse - Producer Tim Walston - Sound/Sound Designer Patrick Ramsay - Sound/Sound Designer Dave Hospes - Stunts Coordinator Penny Gibbs - Unit Production Manager Roy Moore - Screen Story Glen Morgan - Screenwriter Philip Linzey - Additional Cinematography James Tichenor - Visual Effects Supervisor Burton "Joe" Kuchera - Gaffer Cynthia Nicolella Olkie - Post Production Supervisor Jennifer Metcalf - Production Coordinator Stanley Johnson - Re-Recording Mixer Melissa Hoffman - Re-Recording Mixer Helga Ungurait - Script Supervisor Roger Scott Russell - Second Assistant Director Rory Cutler - Special Effects Coordinator Peter Wilke - Steadicam Operator Dave McMoyler - Supervising Sound Editor Mike Rennison - Construction Coordinator JoAnn Fowler - Key Make-up Gillian Andrew - Production Accountant Brad Jubenvill - Second Second Assistant Director Soho VFX - Visual Effects

Black Christmas
In the time since the remake craze took over Hollywood, rarely has there been an example of such slapdash slasher sludge than 2006's revamp of Bob Clark's seminal shocker, Black Christmas. Shunning the stripped down simplicity of the original, this vapid redo dares to craft a new expansive plot where none was needed in the first place. Far-too-forgiving viewers might go along with the predictable proceedings all well and good, but when it comes down to it, someone needs to be held responsible for this hunk of junky cinema. Whether it was the widely rumored studio interference or writer/director Glen Morgan's wrong-headed approach to adapting the project, there's plenty of blame to go around when genre audiences are through with this one. For starters, the filmmakers have decided to follow rule one of the remake trend and ridiculously explain the killer's back-story, which couldn't be more of a mistake when one considers how random and mysterious the psychopath was is in the original. Secondly -- and yes, we're dealing with spoilers here -- there is not one, but two killers, which is every bit as silly and stupid of a plot scheme as they come. It's not as if Morgan hadn't watched the first film either -- proof comes in the form of the killer's M.O., a suffocating bag-over-the-head technique was chilling when used sparingly before, becomes tired even before the halfway point. Also in question is the remake's eyeball fixation, no doubt inspired by a brief, chilling shot in the original -- only here, the entire movie is doused with so many eyeball through holes in the floors, walls, and never mind the incessant eyeball gore, that it completely loses its power and just like the rest of the film, becomes an old hat trick real quick. Taken simply as a stupid slasher entry, the flick might actually age better with future audiences mocking the preposterous proceedings, though hopefully they'll have the still very effective first film to compare it to. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
 

(no awards)

General Specifications: Language Options: English Subtitle Options: English, Spanish Sound Processing: DD5.1: Dolby Digital w/ sub-woofer channel Additional Features: 3 Alternate Endings Deleted Scenes What Have You Done?: The Remaking of Black Christmas May All Your Christmases Be Black: A Filmmaker's Journey MPAA Rating: NR DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: Content Length: 95 min