Black Christmas (2006) Review
Written by: TiM the Zombie
This review contains SPOILERS so read on with caution if you have yet to see the following film. I like to start off all my remake reviews by stating how much I enjoyed the originals (usually). Black Christmas 1974 is no different. Directed by Bob Clark, its one of my favorite films and one of the most influential slashers to date. But, this isn't a review for the original, its a review for the 2006 remake. This rarely, and I mean rarely ever happens, but... I enjoyed this film.
Let's just start off from the beginning. The opening scene is awesome. It may sound strange, but the way the "main titles" appear somehow sparked my interest. It gives you that old 70's/80's feel to it.
The acting wasn't anything mind blowing, but it certainly wasn't bad. You actually hated a lot of the characters and wanted to see them die, which is always a positive in horror films. It also means that the actors/actresses accomplished what they set out to do. I also don't think you could have chosen a "hotter" cast. I mean you got, Katie Cassidy, Mary Trachtenberg, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Lacey Chabert, Kristen Cloke... all gorgeous women who keep you slobbering over your popcorn. You all saw it coming, all the characters were cliche'. However, it's not necessarily a bad thing considering it leads to some pretty cool death scenes.
Gore hounds will be happy, but not overjoyed. Satisfied, but could have taken more. You get the picture. It seemed like every death was exactly the same. There was the occasional frozen "icicle" on the head or the infamous "flesh cookies", but otherwise it was just the gagging with the black trash bag and poking the eyes out. Yeah, yeah, it fits with the plot and all but still... We as horror hounds need death scenes that will knock us out of our seats. Take Saw for an example.
For a remake, this film is great. But, it still had a lot of problems. Througout the movie, there are a bunch of flashbacks that accur. What happens in the flashbacks aren't the problem, the problem is where there placed. It seemed like it went back and fourth, back and fourth, which could easily confuse a movie goer. It honestly didn't confuse me, but someone may think differently. The ending was another minor let down. For me, it just didn't fit with the rest of the movie. Basically, the editing was "so and so".
Glen Morgan proved that he truly has a twisted mind. And what do you know, thats exactly what we look for in horror directors. He was able to take Bob Clark's original masterpiece and give it that fresh layer of coating. Black Christmas 06 is a fast flick that truly doesn't let go until the very end. It's hard to believe that I'm actually going to say this but, see this movie, its a remake that's here to stay. Yeah it holds some jump scenes, yeah all the characters are cliche', but once you get passed that its awesome. My advice, see the remake and buy the newly released original special edition. You won't be dissapointed with either.