Billy's Heading Home for Christmas
It's Christmas and the girls of Delta Alpha Kappa sorority house at Clement University are preparing for a Christmas party as a storm grows outside. What they don't know is that before the building became a sorority house it was the home of Billy Lenz (Robert Mann) who was kept locked in the attic by his dysfunctional mother who murdered his father and sexually abused him when he became a teenager leading to the birth of Agnes. It leads to Billy escaping from his confines and murder his mother, stepfather as well as blinding Agnes in one eye before he is captured and declared insane. But now it is Christmas Eve and Billy has escaped from his cell in the asylum and is heading home for Christmas.
As I always do I have to tell you as of writing I have not seen the original "Black Christmas" and so can't compare this remake to it, but I am guessing going by some of the negative reviews I have read many who did love the original were not fans of this remake. In truth I am not entirely sure how I feel about "Black Christmas" either as on one hand you have this black horror with a mix of slasher like violence with seasonal comedy which certainly makes it striking, such as a scene involving Billy baking some very special cookies. But at times it is so daft and so over the top that it is a little painful.
The thing about "Black Christmas" is that it doesn't need a great deal of explanation, sorority sisters in a home which years early had been home to the psycho Billy Lenz who also had a sister. As such we have slasher horror with people disappearing, strange things happening and scary phone calls being made. But as I said it is all pretty stupid especially when none of these girls try to flee despite all the scary stuff going on.
But there is some thing about "Black Christmas" which added to my entertainment as I watched again this year. Here is a movie which features Lacey Chabert and Crystal Lowe both of whom are now often seen in Hallmark made for TV movies and it adds to that layer of black humour even though that wasn't the case when it was made.
What this all boils down to is that "Black Christmas" whilst a little too daft is also darkly funny and to be honest that is what makes it kind of entertaining. But there is nothing which makes this that special and I can imagine that those who are fans of the original might find this disappointing.
Tags: Christmas Movies
