A precursor to Halloween. I only mention that because the comparisons are rife and have been since I first read of the two.
The similarities are undeniable (Carpenter used Black Christmas as a model essentially) but Black Christmas is able to stand on it's own. The acting is actually slightly better on the whole than most slasher films (note a young Margot Kidder and John Saxon is a fine b-movie actor). With a dark sense of humour and a creepy unnerving atmosphere (good use of the POV shot)and a relatively good murder-mystery plot, Bob Clarke's original vision for Black Christmas is one of the best films of it sub-genre.
The similarities are undeniable (Carpenter used Black Christmas as a model essentially) but Black Christmas is able to stand on it's own. The acting is actually slightly better on the whole than most slasher films (note a young Margot Kidder and John Saxon is a fine b-movie actor). With a dark sense of humour and a creepy unnerving atmosphere (good use of the POV shot)and a relatively good murder-mystery plot, Bob Clarke's original vision for Black Christmas is one of the best films of it sub-genre.