Black Christmas (film series)

Lore & Background

The series began with the 1974 Canadian slasher film Black Christmas, directed by Bob Clark and written by A. Roy Moore. It follows college student Jess Bradford as she and her sorority sisters receive threatening phone calls and begin to disappear. The film received mixed critical response upon release but was a moderate financial success and later gained cult status.

A 2006 remake, written and directed by Glen Morgan, delved into the mythology of the killer Billy, whose identity and motives were only hinted at in the original. The film suffered studio interference from Dimension executives Bob and Harvey Weinstein, who pushed for more violence, causing an inconsistency in tone. Despite negative reviews and controversy over its Christmas release date, the film was a commercial success.

A direct sequel to the 1974 film was planned but scrapped after Clark's death in 2007. In 2019, Sophia Takal directed a remake that abandoned the previous killer storyline, focusing on a new set of characters and killers. The 2019 film starred Imogen Poots, Aleyse Shannon, Brittany O’Grady, Lily Donoghue, Caleb Eberhardt, and Cary Elwes.

Reader's Guide

The Black Christmas series holds a significant place in horror history as one of the earliest slasher film franchises. The 1974 original is widely recognized for influencing the genre, particularly inspiring John Carpenter's Halloween (1978). Its cult following has kept the film relevant for decades. The 2006 remake, though critically panned, achieved commercial success and expanded the killer's backstory. The 2019 film marked a departure by introducing entirely new characters and killers, reflecting the series' tendency to reinvent itself. Only three characters—Billy, Jess, and Mrs. MacHenry—appear in more than one film, underscoring the standalone nature of each entry. A novelization of the 1974 film was published in 1976. The series' legacy is defined by its role in shaping the slasher subgenre and its ability to generate continued interest through remakes and reinterpretations.

Did You Know?

• The original 1974 film is credited as one of the first slasher films and inspired Halloween (1978).
• Only three characters—Billy, Jess, and Mrs. MacHenry—appear in more than one film.
• A direct sequel to the 1974 film was scrapped after director Bob Clark was killed by a drunk driver on April 4, 2007.
• A novelization of the 1974 film, written by Lee Hays, was published in 1976.