Black Christmas (1974) Is the Scariest Holiday Movie You Can Watch Tonight

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While Christmas and the holidays are a popular time for feel-good movies, there aren’t many horror films set during the season. Though movies like Krampus and Silent Night, Deadly Night are well-regarded, the truly standout holiday horror film is Black Christmas, a classic slasher movie.

Though often overlooked by modern audiences, this influential slasher film is a key inspiration for horror classics like John Carpenter’s Halloween. Even after 51 years, Black Christmas remains a gripping story about a terrifying killer and the innocent people he targets. Beyond its scares, the film is also remarkable for being surprisingly progressive, offering both a chilling horror experience and insightful social commentary for its time.

Black Christmas Has a Chilling Atmosphere

During a Christmas break party at a sorority house, a strange man secretly climbs the trellis to enter unnoticed. While the remaining students are celebrating, Jess receives a threatening phone call from a disturbing individual they call “the Moaner,” who has been making lewd and unsettling comments. Later that night, the intruder kills Clare, who is already upset, and hides her body in the attic.

The tension mounts in this frightening movie as the sorority sisters grow increasingly worried about their missing friend, especially since the police aren’t taking the situation seriously or the creepy phone calls they’re getting. An intruder is lurking inside their house, stalking them and making terrifying calls. Amidst this chaos, the women also grapple with personal problems and growing distrust within their group, desperately trying to figure out who is behind Clare’s unsettling disappearance.

While many enjoy Black Christmas as a classic slasher film, its lasting influence comes from its unique storytelling. The movie stands out by showing scenes from the killer’s point of view, and repeatedly returning to his perspective – even revealing moments where he’s alone and grappling with his own actions. This approach offered audiences a surprisingly personal and unusual glimpse into the killer’s mind.

Unlike many horror films, Black Christmas stood out by avoiding common slasher tropes. When it was released, and even today, it didn’t rely on predictable victim stereotypes, instead giving each character a distinct personality and backstory. The film also distinguished itself by not showing killings throughout, opting instead to gradually increase the suspense after the initial murder.

Black Christmas Had an Underrated Influence on Slashers

Black Christmas isn’t just a classic horror film—it’s widely considered a defining work that shaped the genre as we know it today. It established many of the now-common tropes in slasher films, like ominous phone calls and a killer hiding inside the house. It also created a feeling of isolation, turning familiar settings into terrifying and remote spaces.

The film is considered the quintessential holiday horror movie, particularly Halloween, because it introduced the idea of scary stories happening during a traditionally joyful time of year. Black Christmas starts with a menacing figure lurking outside, but quickly moves inside to a warmly decorated sorority house. This contrast – the cheerful holiday setting against a dark and frightening plot – creates a deeply unsettling and unique atmosphere throughout the film.

Black Christmas elevated the horror genre beyond simple gore. By showing events through the killer’s perspective and focusing on the individual experiences of the sorority sisters, the film explored the complex psychology of both the antagonist and the victims. Its deliberate, slow pace also became a defining characteristic of slasher films.

This movie draws inspiration from Black Christmas and the slasher films that came after it. While the late 1970s and mid-1980s are often seen as the peak of the slasher genre – with classics like Halloween and Friday the 13th – Black Christmas doesn’t always get the credit it deserves for pioneering many of the tropes we see in those later films.

Black Christmas Was Shockingly Ahead of Its Time

For a long time, this genre lacked positive portrayals, and it wasn’t until the 1980s that we started seeing significant improvements. However, even earlier, a few classic films surprisingly challenged norms with forward-thinking depictions of gender. Today, Black Christmas is celebrated as a groundbreaking feminist horror film that went against the grain of its time.

Long before the typical ‘final girl’ trope became common, Black Christmas featured well-developed and realistic female characters, and introduced one of the most memorable slasher film survivors ever. The protagonist, Jess, embodies all the classic traits of a final girl – she’s smart, resourceful, and refuses to be a victim.

In the 1970s, the show gave her a storyline that sparked a lot of debate: a difficult conflict with her boyfriend about her decision to have an abortion. The storyline wasn’t presented as either good or bad, but instead showed Jess carefully considering her options, avoiding judgment and acknowledging the complexity of the issue.

This horror film, directed with a female perspective, avoided tired clichés and gave each woman in the sorority house a unique personality and backstory. Even the character who initially seemed to fit the typical ‘promiscuous’ horror trope was shown to be intelligent and had a surprisingly poignant moment where she shared a difficult conversation with her mother.

Unlike many films of its time, Black Christmas didn’t shy away from female sexuality or limit it to ‘bad’ characters. Instead, it showed women openly discussing complex issues. Because of its respectful and realistic portrayal of women, relationships, and gender roles, the film is now considered a feminist classic – and it achieved this over 50 years ago, making its impact even more remarkable.

The show didn’t avoid addressing social issues. For example, it highlighted how the police initially dismissed the concerns of the women and only began to take Clare’s disappearance seriously after her father and boyfriend intervened. This clearly showed how ineffective the police can be, particularly when dealing with women’s issues.

Black Christmas is the Perfect Film For Holiday Horror Fans

Even after all these years, Black Christmas remains highly influential, establishing the blueprint for blending holiday cheer with genuinely frightening elements. The film perfectly captures the key features of modern slasher movies, creating a creepy mood and featuring a smart, relatable protagonist. Notably, it often shows things from the killer’s point of view – a technique still uncommon in the genre, which usually keeps the killer’s motives and actions mysterious and focuses on the victims.

While a few recent horror films have managed to capture the spirit of this style, Black Christmas still stands out for its incredibly suspenseful atmosphere. The movie immediately creates tension because the audience knows a killer is inside the house, even though the characters don’t. This feeling of dread builds with every phone call and whenever a sorority sister is left alone, making the film consistently intense.

If you’re a horror fan who loves seasonal themes and slasher films, Black Christmas is essential viewing. Although there are remakes from 2006 and 2019, they don’t quite capture the charm, story, and mood of the original 1974 movie. For those who enjoy classic slasher films, it’s a genuinely thrilling watch, no matter the time of year.

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2025-12-05 20:15