Black Christmas (1974) | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

68%

Tomatometer

38 Reviews

76%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

As winter break begins, a group of sorority sisters, including Jess (Olivia Hussey) and the often inebriated Barb (Margot Kidder), begin to receive anonymous, lascivious phone calls. Initially, Barb eggs the caller on, but stops when he responds threateningly. Soon, Barb's friend Clare (Lynne Griffin) goes missing from the sorority house, and a local adolescent girl is murdered, leading the girls to suspect a serial killer is on the loose. But no one realizes just how near the culprit is.

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Black Christmas

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Critics Consensus

The rare slasher with enough intelligence to wind up the tension between bloody outbursts, Black Christmas offers fiendishly enjoyable holiday viewing for genre fans.

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Critics Reviews

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Black Christmas (1974) | Rotten Tomatoes (1)

Anton Bitel

Little White Lies

Made at a time when there were as yet no fixed rules for the slasher subgenre, here anything goes, and the survival of neither virgin nor even final girl comes guaranteed.

Nov 13, 2017

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Black Christmas (1974) | Rotten Tomatoes (2)

Variety Staff

Variety

Only Marian Waldman as the house-mother comes across with any life.

Dec 27, 2006

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Black Christmas (1974) | Rotten Tomatoes (3)

Time Out

The film still manages a good slice of old-fashioned suspense.

Jun 24, 2006

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Black Christmas (1974) | Rotten Tomatoes (4)

Justin Brown

Medium Popcorn

I found all of the characters incredibly unlikeable and the writing left a lot to be desired. I also wish there was more gore.

Rated: 1/5

Jan 2, 2024

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Black Christmas (1974) | Rotten Tomatoes (5)

Brandon Collins

Medium Popcorn

I did not enjoy this despite its influence of some of my favorite horror film franchises. The character choices and performances were so out of pocket.

Rated: 1/5

Jan 2, 2024

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Black Christmas (1974) | Rotten Tomatoes (6)

Zofia Wijaszka

Nerdspin

Although it’s been 49 years since Jess (Olivia Hussey), Barb (Margot Kidder), and the rest of the dorm confronted the offensive murderer, the film remains ageless as its themes of body autonomy and female empowerment are more important than ever.

Rated: A

Dec 12, 2023

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Audience Reviews

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adsadsad d Incredible performances all around, the cast all keep themselves grounded in reality while also delivering the films more comedic lines with great effect. Overall ground breaking for the horror genre as a whole and a must see holiday cult classic. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/24/24 Full Review Audience Member Tense slasher film. Keep in mind this was pre Halloween 1974 when this came out. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/08/24 Full Review Jeff M It's amazing how a horror film nearly 50 years old can produce more genuine tension and suspense than virtually anything made for today's cinemagoer. Filmmakers such as John Carpenter and Quentin Tarantino have praised it publicly, and after seeing it, I can understand the acknowledgements. One can clearly see how this influenced future movies such as HALLOWEEN and WHEN A STRANGER CALLS. I'm not generally a horror movie fan, but this is the way I like them - low on blood and gore, high on intrigue and psychological drama. There are a couple familiar faces among the cast, my favorite being a pre-Lois Lane Kidder who excelled at the type of character she portrays here. The beautiful Hussey is also a quietly strong protagonist and an engaging screen presence. The moments of levity feel organic rather than forced and are a welcome respite to the heavier scenes. I normally love an ambiguous ending, but I do wish there had been more clarity here. Other than that, there's not much to fault. It tickles me to no end that director Bob Clark would go on to make A CHRISTMAS STORY - possibly the two most opposite holiday themed films in cinema history. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/18/24 Full Review Dylan W An extremely creepy and unnerving film. With excellent performances especially Margot Kidder and Olivia Hussey. The best slasher film hands down Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/27/23 Full Review AuroraBoobie A Disturbing & uncomfortably creepy. I loved it! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/16/23 Full Review Jay H My favorite Xmas movie. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/10/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Bob Clark Director Olivia Hussey Jessica Bradford Margot Kidder Barbie Coard Keir Dullea Peter Smythe John Saxon Lt. Ken Fuller Marian Waldman Mrs. Mac

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Black Christmas (1974)

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Synopsis As winter break begins, a group of sorority sisters, including Jess (Olivia Hussey) and the often inebriated Barb (Margot Kidder), begin to receive anonymous, lascivious phone calls. Initially, Barb eggs the caller on, but stops when he responds threateningly. Soon, Barb's friend Clare (Lynne Griffin) goes missing from the sorority house, and a local adolescent girl is murdered, leading the girls to suspect a serial killer is on the loose. But no one realizes just how near the culprit is.

Director: Bob Clark
Producer: Bob Clark
Screenwriter: Roy Moore
Distributor: Eclectic DVD Distribution, Warner Home Vídeo, Warner Bros.
Production Co: Film Funding Ltd. of Canada, August Films, Famous Players, Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC), Vision IV
Rating: R
Genre: Holiday, Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 20, 1974, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 13, 2016
Runtime: 1h 38m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)