Very few slasher films receive positive reviews. Critically speaking, the slasher film is probably the most reviled of all genres. However, even when compared to the reception of other slasher films, the new remake of Black Christmas has received an abysmal reception. The reviews for Black Christmas, both amongst professional film critics and online users, are amongst the worst I've ever read for a horror movie, so I expected a dismal product going into the theater. Maybe it was lowered expectations or maybe it's my love for all holiday horror movies, but I'm one of the few that found this new version fairly entertaining and not quite deserving of the hate it's been getting.
The 2019 version of Black Christmas is no better or worse than most of the slasher remakes released over the past fifteen years or so. In fact, this version of Black Christmas is about on par with the previous remake from 2006. It's not particularly groundbreaking, nor is it a paint-by-the numbers remake. While it's true this is more of a feminist take on the slasher genre, which allows a somewhat unique perspective that makes it interesting to watch, it also contains a lot of problems that plague almost all slashers: underdeveloped characters, characters that make super illogical decisions just to serve the plot, and a few unnecessary, dumb plot twists (in this case, the twists are supernatural). These flaws didn't destroy the movie for me, but they are ones that seem like they easily could have been avoided had a bit more time and thought been put into the story. The film was supposedly shot and edited within six months. Perhaps if there was a longer post-production period, some of these problems could have been worked out.
Despite the annoying slasher clichés, Black Christmas gets a lot right through its talented, mostly unknown cast. Other than Cary Elwes and Imogen Poots, everyone else in the cast has little to no feature film work to their names. Slashers are notorious for horrible, flat acting but Black Christmas has an all-around likeable cast that give fine performances. Its essential in horror to care about the characters, and even if the characters here are somewhat undeveloped, the audience is at least sympathetic to them.
Takal had a low budget to work with here, so Black Christmas doesn't look quite as polished or slick as the previous 2006 remake, but it also doesn't look as cheap as other movies released under the Blumhouse banner. The camera work is mostly well done, with care taken to pay homage to some of the stylistic touches of the original 1974 film. Thankfully, the film is devoid of the obvious CGI and quick editing that have become commonplace in the genre the last decade and a half. Overall, the direction is pretty solid and Takal proves to have an eye for horror.
Time will tell if Black Christmas will be looked at more fondly in the future. The 2006 remake initially had a chilly reception upon its release, which seems to have become more favorable in recent years. I wouldn't be surprised if this version follows has a similar fate. For a film that has been so brutally received by both critics and audiences, Black Christmas was better than I expected. I can't call it a misunderstood masterpiece, but it's a fun Christmas horror film that definitely better than its current reputation. 6/10
The 2019 version of Black Christmas is no better or worse than most of the slasher remakes released over the past fifteen years or so. In fact, this version of Black Christmas is about on par with the previous remake from 2006. It's not particularly groundbreaking, nor is it a paint-by-the numbers remake. While it's true this is more of a feminist take on the slasher genre, which allows a somewhat unique perspective that makes it interesting to watch, it also contains a lot of problems that plague almost all slashers: underdeveloped characters, characters that make super illogical decisions just to serve the plot, and a few unnecessary, dumb plot twists (in this case, the twists are supernatural). These flaws didn't destroy the movie for me, but they are ones that seem like they easily could have been avoided had a bit more time and thought been put into the story. The film was supposedly shot and edited within six months. Perhaps if there was a longer post-production period, some of these problems could have been worked out.
Despite the annoying slasher clichés, Black Christmas gets a lot right through its talented, mostly unknown cast. Other than Cary Elwes and Imogen Poots, everyone else in the cast has little to no feature film work to their names. Slashers are notorious for horrible, flat acting but Black Christmas has an all-around likeable cast that give fine performances. Its essential in horror to care about the characters, and even if the characters here are somewhat undeveloped, the audience is at least sympathetic to them.
Takal had a low budget to work with here, so Black Christmas doesn't look quite as polished or slick as the previous 2006 remake, but it also doesn't look as cheap as other movies released under the Blumhouse banner. The camera work is mostly well done, with care taken to pay homage to some of the stylistic touches of the original 1974 film. Thankfully, the film is devoid of the obvious CGI and quick editing that have become commonplace in the genre the last decade and a half. Overall, the direction is pretty solid and Takal proves to have an eye for horror.
Time will tell if Black Christmas will be looked at more fondly in the future. The 2006 remake initially had a chilly reception upon its release, which seems to have become more favorable in recent years. I wouldn't be surprised if this version follows has a similar fate. For a film that has been so brutally received by both critics and audiences, Black Christmas was better than I expected. I can't call it a misunderstood masterpiece, but it's a fun Christmas horror film that definitely better than its current reputation. 6/10