Why Black Christmas Is The Scariest Christmas Movie Ever Made

Hi all!

Today I am sharing five reasons why Black Christmas from 1974 is the scariest Christmas movie ever made. I rarely get creeped out by horror anymore. I am highly desensitised to the genre. Imagine my utter shock when I struggled to sleep after watching this film for the first time. It affected me so deeply, I had to write about it! Without further ado, let’s get into it!

Spoilers Ahead!

As winter break begins, a group of sorority sisters; including Jess and the often inebriated Barb, begin receiving anonymous, lascivious phone calls. Initially, Barb eggs the caller on, but stops when he responds threateningly. Soon, Barb’s friend Clare goes missing from the sorority house, and a local adolescent girl is murdered, leading the girls to suspect a serial killer is on the loose. But no one realises just how close the culprit is…

1.) The Phone Calls

The phone calls made by the killer (nicknamed ‘The Moaner’), are some of the most disturbing ever heard in a horror film. A male voice screams into receiver, threatening to rape and murder the women in the sorority house. Throughout the film, he imitates other females, altering his tone to become more high-pitched and feminine. The thought of receiving a call like that sent shivers down my spine. It was even creepier knowing he was making them inside the very same house as his victims.

2.) The Attic

The killer takes refuge inside the attic of the sorority house, descending the ladder whenever he so chooses, to commit murder. The scary part is that the attic door is always open. The camera occasionally pans to the entrance at the top, indicating he is about to come down. Just knowing he was up there the whole time? NOPE!

3.) The Killer’s Identity

The killer’s identity is never revealed in the film, which is also extremely unsettling. Furthermore, we never see his full face and body – just parts of him, like his eye. He refers to himself as Billy, and from what I’ve heard, his backstory is explored in both remakes. I personally think the ambiguity surrounding him is more effective. There doesn’t need to be a reason. Psychopaths exist and that is enough to feel afraid.

4.) That First Kill…

The first murder of the film is so chilling. Not only does he suffocate his victim to death, he positions her body in front of the window. She stays that way throughout the entire movie. We see her sitting in a rocking chair, right up until the very last scene, covered in plastic. It was so horrific and central to the plot, it became the cover art for the movie poster.

5.) The Chilling Ending

Last, but not least, we must discuss the chilling ending. The heroine of the film believes her creepy boyfriend to be the killer, so she murders him in self-defence. As she lays in her room, recovering from the ordeal, we pan to the entrance of the attic once more and realise, she was wrong. Billy is still up there and can come down at any moment to finish her off. Some may call it a cliche horror ending but it had me in a chokehold. I was disturbed from the very opening scene, to the final closing one.

Thank you so much for reading! Have you seen Black Christmas?

Peace & Love xoxo