Black Christmas

Black Christmas (1974)

Timing: 1:38 (98 min)

6.924/10
752

6.083/10
5144

7.1/10
56000

All about film

Video 5

Photo 79

Actors and characters

Release date

1974-10-11

Country

Canada

Production

August Films, Film Funding Ltd. of Canada, Vision IV, Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC), Famous Players

Genre

Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Budget

$620 000

Revenue

$4 053 000

Website

Director

Bob Clark

Actors

Olivia Hussey, John Saxon, Andrea Martin, Bob Clark, Marian Waldman, Margot Kidder, Keir Dullea, James Edmond, Doug McGrath, Lynne Griffin
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Bob Clark, Findlay Quinn

Operator

Reginald H. Morris

Composer

Carl Zittrer

Artist

Audition

Editing

Stan Cole, David M. Robertson
All team (23)

• The screenplay was written by Canadian writer Roy Moore and was based on a real series of murders that took place in Quebec during the Christmas season. However, rumors circulate that the screenplay is based on an urban legend rather than actual cases.
• The film's working title was 'Stop Me'.
• When the film was released in the United Kingdom, the British Board of Film Classification cut a number of coarse expressions used during obscene phone calls.
• According to director Bob Clark, the original script included more vivid and explicit murder scenes. Clark himself wanted them to be more 'muted' and less graphic, and it later turned out that screenwriter Roy Moore shared the same opinion.
• As Bob Clark later stated, the scenes with the phone call were filmed before the profanity and obscenities were recorded. He didn't want the girls' reactions to be too expressive, as it would distract the audience from the shocking lines.
• The NBC company scheduled the premiere of the film for January 28, 1978, under the title 'The Stranger in the House.' On January 15, 1978, two female students at Florida State University were murdered, and three nearby girls were injured. In light of this, NBC responded to numerous requests to pull the film from the broadcast. It later turned out that these crimes were committed by serial killer Ted Bundy.
• There was practically no snowfall during filming, so the snow in the film is artificial. According to Albert J. Dunk, the grass grew an unusually vibrant green the following spring where the fire department foam, used to depict snow on the lawn, had been applied.
• Bob Clark strictly adhered to the rule of not including any erotic scenes with the female characters in the film. He wanted the audience to see the students as real people, not as secondary characters in horror films who were destined to die, which was a staple of the genre.
• The sorority house shown in the film was not a specially built set. It was a real building on the university campus that had to be rented for filming. It still stands on campus today and is now shown to tourists.
• Oscar winner Edmond O'Brien was originally cast as Lieutenant Fuller. When they went to pick him up at the airport, they found him in a wheelchair. It soon turned out, however, that he could still walk. It then became known that O’Brien had Alzheimer’s disease. According to director Bob Clark, if it hadn’t been for the outdoor scenes filmed during the winter months, the actor probably would have remained with the film’s creative team, but as it was, co-producer Gerry Erbe was tasked with telling O’Brien that his services were no longer needed, and the actor burst into tears. If John Saxon hadn't been found urgently to play Fuller, the project would have been shut down.
• Nick Mancuso spoke in a raspy, frightening voice because he stood on his head to constrict his throat.
• The working title of the film was "Stop Me".