Review -- Black Christmas (2019)

                               

Black Christmas (2019) - Yuletide horror is upon us again with yet another remake or reimagining or reboot -- take your pick -- of the 1974 slasher. Frankly, the Bob Clark movie did not need an update, particularly after the 2006 Black X-Mas abbreviation atrocity, but the 2019 movie is actually pretty enjoyable and atmospheric at times. The new version, directed by Sophia Takal, just so happens to be a strange blend of good cast, effective elements and one of the most ludicrous reveals in recent horror history.

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

As Hawthorne College's MKE sorority sisters are preparing for the Christmas break, several of them start receiving threatening text messages. Already well versed with the college's toxic bro culture and unaware that a sorority girl has already been murdered, Riley (Imogen Poots) and Kris (Aleyse Shannon) suspect that their recent politically charged performance has angered a college fraternity. However, they are not ready for the slaughter that follows... 

Takal employs some elements that work really well and some that are plain unnecessary. Just like the original, this version makes good use of the cavernous sorority house in the upcoming winter break context, and the camerawork is impressive. Danger lurks in every dark corner and hallway, along with blinking Christmas décor in the half empty rooms, domiciles ready to be abandoned temporarily, with a sense of urgency and excitement mapping out the packed suitcases. Even though one of the best sequences' style is lifted directly from The Exorcist III, it is still suspenseful and effective. There are some unique artistic choices -- check out the first attic scene -- and Mark Schwartzbard's (The Photograph) bright, soft-hued cinematography somehow makes the holiday season appear both pleasant and ominous.

Now, for the unnecessary parts. Why the supernatural? This film does not need this kind of twist and the 'huh?' reveal feels tacked on and with no purpose, for several reasons. Firstly, one of the most frightening aspects of the original is the fact that the killer's origin and motivation are never explained. We get hints of a past tragedy, we see that the sisters are dealing with a disturbed and homicidal individual and our imagination fills in the blanks. Concrete explanations do not work in stories that benefit most from mystery. Secondly, if the filmmakers had wanted a retelling in the context of the Me Too movement, using supernatural metaphors seems like a cheap and easy way out. Could there not have been psychological depth to a grounded idea? The Red Wedding-style showdown near the end does not help one bit... in fact, I am not even going to place the two scenes in the same sentence, considering the fine-tuned and tensely elegant anxiety of the Red Wedding build-up.

The relentless violence does not work, either. Once again, I revert to the iconic original; once again, I will say that it was a slasher, as well as one of the great examples of the subgenre. My point? Whether it was due to the era's social norms or those pesky censors, the 1974 film barely showed a hint of violence and was all the more effective for it. One could not call it subtle in terms of subject matter, but one could certainly call it innovative. It dealt in shadows, pitch black attics and doors that just happened to have been left unlocked; it did not launch a full-on attack on the senses with throats being cut and blood splattering everywhere. Violence is one of those elements which Black Christmas does not need in spades, and it is irrelevant if it comes from the male or female characters. The genderless story begs for risk that only originality can take.

The cast is one of the good aspects. Poots is a vibrant addition in anything that she does and Shannon is a fierce standout. Caleb Eberhardt does a fine job as a nice guy who falls under the influence of... well, I still cannot believe what that was. Cary Elwes is also good as a sleazy professor, a relic whose time has long passed.

The new Black Christmas is one of those movies that are watchable, but far from required viewing. It could have been a thoughtful horror/drama hybrid exploration of patriarchy imploding in the context of contemporary women's issues, but it ends up self-imploding from its not-so-mystical redundancies. However, if you want to see a different perspective on the story, sure, go ahead and watch it -- at the very least, it is a welcome distraction.

5/10