Trailerblazing -- Black Christmas (2019)

Black Christmas (2019) -- December 13, 2019 -- directed by Sophia Takal -- starring Imogen Poots, Cary Elwes, Brittany O'Grady, Aleyse Shannon, Lily Donoghue

  

Along with tidings of joy, this Christmas is apparently also bringing us a sorely unwarranted remake. Overall, the latest version of Bob Clark's 1974 slasher looks much darker, much bloodier and much more violent. I am glad that the principal characters do not simply wait around for the killer -- or possibly killers, based on the trailer -- to come around this time, but that seems to be the only appealing aspect of this version. I am not too fond of other new elements that the trailer introduces us to. A fraternity that is into human sacrifice, a professor who is not what he appears to be... eh, we have seen these tropes before and we have seen them done in more interesting ways. If this is a way to show the fight against patriarchy, it is a clumsy way to center it in a context with actual potential. Any meanings and metaphors are likely to get lost when women are stalked, throats are slashed and unnecessary story elements lurk on every corner. On that note, let us not forget that the original's characters were no shrinking violets -- Margo Kidder's Barb tells the killer off and stands up for herself at every turn and Olivia Hussey's Jess takes control of her own body while fending off her pushy boyfriend. Also, the original was all about the effective atmosphere and suspense, with nary a drop of blood and barely any explicit violence. I would prefer Sophia Takal's version to be leaning more toward the 1974 ominous film than the tacky 2006 "reimagining" -- the less said about the latter, the better. As far as the cast goes, Imogen Poots is a gem in everything she does, so I have faith in her character and the actresses' chemistry, which has a natural vibe to it. I hope that the new film is good, but I also hope that it pays attention to less being more.