girls are the real characters, The killer is really well developed and in some scenes you can even really recognize his feelings. The acting was brilliant with stars as Katie Cassidy who was in my opinion not really the right actress to play the heroine. But Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Michelle Trachtenberg and Crystal Lowe were really good in the movie, for me it felt like i got to know their characters the best. And i think that this movie could be the real big breakthrough for some of these actresses. Ant of course there is the drunk housemother played by Andrea Martin who also played in the original movie. But at some points, the movie felt too much like a Final Destination movie. But some scenes are really terrifying, like scenes in the attic, Which are at some point very gory. And the movie definitely didn't lack on gore, but sometimes, the gore took away the suspense which is too bad. But for the horror fans, i really recommend this movie. It has everything that you could want, Suspense, gore, a pretty good new take on the story and good humor. It is a nice and very entertaining movie to see on Christmas. The movie is exactly like what they promised it to be, the ultimate slay ride!

fresh and unique way, in almost the same fashion that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake did. This remake is directed by horror veteran Glen Morgan of the Final Destination trilogy , and features several up-and-coming actresses; Michelle Trachtenberg, returning to the horror genre after her three-year run on Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Lacey Chabert of 2003's Mean Girls; Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Crystal Lowe, both from this year's amazing Final Destination 3; and Katie Cassidy of this year's horrible When a Stranger Calls remake. Andrea Martin, who played Phyllis in the original film, also stars here as the sorority house mother.Black Christmas tells the tale of a group of sorority sisters holed up in a house together on Christmas. The sorority house was originally inhabited by the psychotic Billy, who slaughtered his mother and her lover in Christmas of 1991 and made their flesh into cookies. Billy escapes from the mental hospital and heads for his home, seeking new blood. Before long, the girls begin to get menacing phone calls from a mysterious caller. One-by-one, over the course of the night, the girls are killed off in a most grotesque fashion by a dark figure. Everything comes full-circle in a frightening conclusion.The new Black Christmas keeps the basic premise of the original, but modernizes it, adds a couple twists, a backstory, and an all-new ending. This remake contributes absolutely nothing new to the slasher genre, which may be what makes it so great. It fits perfectly with the mold of a great horror film: interesting premise, good characters, realistic gore and deaths, scary killers, a hint of black humor, a likable heroine, and a decent ending. It's all here. Each actress is perfectly cast in her role, and the few male characters, while most of them don't last long, aren't too bad, either. Glen Morgan mixes the thrilling realism he brought to the Final Destination films and mixes it with great cinematography, an eerie soundtrack, and interesting camera angles to make Black Christmas a very creepy and atmospheric film.With all of its elements combined, Black Christmas makes for a thrilling, creepy, and very fun horror film. Black Christmas was very surprising in that it was a better movie than the original. That said, this remake is certainly not for everyone. While The Descent remains the best horror film of the year, Black Christmas is certainly among the best.

when they met their untimely demises. The pace is quick and hardly lets up, and we get a lengthy back story on the killer, something the original kept a mystery. Plus there's a twisted sense of holiday spirit that can be found in this film. The original film is better in terms of a classic, quality horror movie, but this remake is just as good, but in a different way. You may say you didn't enjoy this film, but you can't say that it wasn't fun!

destination! But, people who want to wait for the DVD, UH-UH!!! watch it in theaters, you will have a blast!!! and then buy the DVD! well, i already booked my tickets for Sunday, because Saturday is sold out.....anyways ya go watch it, it is such a fun film, that you don't want to miss!!!

EVERYTHING about the killer and his life, which I know has PO'ed fans of the original. After all, the effectiveness of the original lyed heavily in the fact that viewers knew almost NOTHING about the killer, except what he revealed on the eerie phonecalls.This film is quite short relative to the original and a lot of screen time is dedicated to the backstory of Billy and his agonizing childhood. While this is entertaining, what it does is take time away from the character development of the sorority sisters which the original spent a lot of time building. They really have no distinct personalities of their own there is no Barb or Jesse type characters but just seem like a blend of ALL characters from the original. I was even confused at points about which girl was what character?? The house mother, who was brilliantly characterized in the original played in this version by Andrea Martin, an alumni of the original isn't even developed very well at all. I was also disappointed at the "phone calls"-a staple of the original-which were almost left out of this version and the two or three that were thrown in were not nearly as creepy or disturbing as the original.However, when you get done comparing this remake-and we may just admit that it pales in comparison to the original-to the original-what you do have here is one hell of a fun movie. It's fast paced and certainly ominous in spots with some pretty disturbing and over-the-top deaths. It's almost like this didn't even need to be a remake--with a few tweaks, the film could have stood on it's own. The whole Christmas element is definitely played up more here, which makes the deaths and the situations that unfold just that much more disturbing. The killer is pretty creepy looking and pretty ruthless and brutal. The climax in the attic is flawless and has to be one of the best horror sequences on recent memory. I mean, a Christmas tree decorated with human body parts topped with a decapitated head??? However, the ending in the hospital felt tacked on and I wish the filmmakers could have thought of a different way to end the film. It didn't do the rest of the film justice.Overall, don't go to this thinking you are going to see the original because you're not. Also, don't go to this thinking you are going to see an Oscar contender because you are not. You are going to see a pure, 100% slasher film, full of clichés and all, so don't bitch when that is exactly what you get. My rating: 9 out of 10 judged on its OWN merit and not comparing it to the original. Have fun with this one!

being told of the tragedy does nothing to brighten their moods. As the night grows longer, they are continuously inundated with mysterious phone calls, and begin to realize that the members are slowly disappearing. Beginning to suspect that they're being targeted by a sadistic killer, they try everything they can to get out of the situation before falling prey to the strange killer.The Good News: It's surprising how entertaining this one is. The main point this one has is that it's far more violent and gory than expected. This one here includes a lot more brutality in the kills than before, and they're a fine sight to see, adding an extra depth to the killer in that they're willing to go to such barbaric depths than required. It really shouldn't have been that graphic, but the fact that it gets there is so greatly appreciated. In here, we get a candy cane stabbed in the neck, a pointed Christmas Tree ornament stabbed through the eye and out the back of the head, strangled with a strand of Christmas Tree lights, whacked in the head with a garden trowel, being set on fire, as well as having numerous victims getting their eyes gouged out, both actively done on-screen as well as being found that way, and there's even some in here that are killed off-screen but leave a giant blood-stain where they're killed. Then there's the ultra-brutal scene where one of the victims is dragged away from the scene, still alive, by the hollowed out eye sockets. It's a spectacular sight and really puts over the brutality of the killer nicely. It even gets a little creepy at times. The scene where the police drag away the killer to the mental institution after they find him eating 'skin' cookies he's made from his Mother's corpse, all washed down with a glass of milk, is truly unsettling, merely at the calmness which is displayed during the act. The remake uses the same technique towards the calls, where a cacophony of noise and heavy breathing is heard on the other end. The incessantness of them are what drive up the tension, as they pop up out of nowhere and make for some of the best suspense tactics ever used. This even has one nice update in that the killer uses the cell phone of the girl just killed to taunt the others. It's a really nice trick that keeps the suspense going and makes for some really good scenes as they turn on each other trying to get to the bottom of the calls. The action in here is another spectacular plus, with plenty to enjoy about it and getting in some wonderful moments. The assault on the girls, when they first find out about the killer, is great and the confrontation under the house in the basement is fantastic. The main one, though, is the greatness of the battle up in the attic. This is a full-on exciting action sequence, getting in plenty fun moments and a nice back-and-forth with both sides having the upper hand at some point. The pacing here is also top-notch, keeping it from getting boring without managing to get too concerned with the action to the exclusion of all else. It's a fun ride and gets plenty right, making this one really enjoyable.The Bad News: This one really doesn't have a whole lot of flaws to it. The fact that this one decides to include the subplot about the killer's back-story is one such example, as this one makes two big problems at once. The main one is that it really makes the killer much less threatening. It's fine to give a little bit about them in an attempt to make them seem a little human, yet this one gives out too much and in the end too much knowledge manages to ruin the great job of making him seem like a really imposing threat up until that time. The other big problem is that they're shown as several lengthy flashbacks that pepper the first half of the film. The inclusion of these, placed in the positions where they are, hamper the flow of the present day action to a great degree. It should've been given as just one big long one rather than the three-to four that are present, since it disrupts the momentum to switch over from the action to go back to the back-story when it could've been given as just one scene. The sheer fact that this particular film is being remade might be something for others to get after, but it's not as valid an excuse as the film's other big flaws.The Final Verdict: Getting over the fact that this is actually a remake, there's plenty in here to enjoy and make this one thoroughly entertaining. See this if you're in a mood for a marathon of festive-theme films, a fan of the remake craze or of modernized slashers, while those who are simply outraged at the thought of this one being remade should steer clear anyway.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, Brief Nudity and a mild sex scene

lines.One of the bad things about this film is the slightly repetitive kills, OKAY! we get you like eyeballs!!!!! but i won't go to much detail here. One of the things the film did well was making you grow somewhat attached to the characters apart from Kelli, she was just bland .Overall I'd say, go to this film if you like slasher films but don't go expecting a masterpiece. But for what it is, i thought it was a blast to watch, especially with a group of friends.

murdering girls within the house, Billy escapes from the mental asylum and goes back home for the holidays. From there, the onslaught continues, and the sorority begins receiving bizarre phone calls, and the girls begin to die one by one.Okay, okay - it's obvious that this remake is never going to top the 1974 original, which many consider to be the best slasher film of all time. But, I still think this is a fun little holiday horror flick. The storyline is completely reworked from the original - the only thing they really have in common is the fact that it takes place during Christmas in a sorority house, and that someone is murdering the girls inside. Other than that, it's much different in almost every respect, although there are some nods to the original that can be found here and there. I have to admit the script is a little messy, and it jumps around far too much. This remake gives us a lengthy history on our villain told through flashbacks throughout the film , and jumps back and forth between this and the current-day story involving the sorority girls, diminishing any potential suspense or tension. A major plot twist is also given away within the first ten minutes of the film as well, which could have been avoided with a little writing improvement.So, you're probably thinking - "So is this movie all bad, or not?". Well, while the script may not be great, the film is so entertaining you could likely dismiss it's faults. The pacing is rapid and things happen really quickly, there's never a dull moment something that the original film was very different from, being much more slow-going and moody . The Christmas theme is taken advantage of here, and the set decoration within the sorority house is wonderful lights, wreaths, decorations everywhere - this movie reeks holiday scenery, which is nice. Like most recent slasher films, there's a distinct amount of gore here as well, which, while it may have been over compensating for the lack of suspense, is still really nasty and uniquely executed. The murders are bloody and gross, but don't really add or take away anything from the film. I was surprised at the amount of cleverness in this film as well - the writing isn't perfect, but there are plenty of memorable sequences and some clever bits scattered throughout, I loved the attic finale in particular. As far as the acting goes, it really is pretty good. Katie Cassidy leads the cast as our heroine, with Michelle Trachtenberg, Lacey Chabert, Crystal Lowe, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as her fellow sorority sisters. Andrea Martin who played a sorority girl herself in the original movie plays the house mother of the film, which was nice to see. The performances were really good especially for this type of movie , I liked all of the actresses & their characters, and they perform believably. Any problems with the characters were really the fault of the script. The characters aren't developed enough - something that should have been taken care of rather than elaborating greatly on the villain's life history - and that's a bit of a problem. But there are some very funny lines thrown in here lots of dark humor can be found in this movie as well and some clever humorous moments which, while they entice the viewer to take the movie less seriously, provide for a funner experience .Overall, I really enjoyed this remake of "Black Christmas". The original film is a classic masterpiece of suspense, and this remake doesn't come close to topping it. But it's still an energetic, fun-spirited little Christmastime slasher movie. It has it's fair share of problems and had the potential to be a much better movie in terms of suspense and genuine scariness , but it will always remain a fun little horror movie to watch when the season rolls around. It's an entertaining movie and contains some touches that make it stand out from most , so enjoy it for what it is - just don't expect it to be anywhere near as serious or scary as the original, because in that respect, the two films are very different. I may be overrating it for what it is, but I have to give it some good points for being so imaginative and entertaining. 8/10.

mostly original and disturbing at times . It definitely has some good humor and a lot of character.The movie may not be perfect like the original, but for a remake, it definitely has more pros than cons! But please, judge the movie as its own movie, and don't compare it to the original. So sit back, relax, and have a Merry Black Christmas!8/10