Even though it's January, the Video Vault tries to recapture some holiday magic with "Black Christmas," Bob Clark's super-scary 1974 shocker.   

‘Black Christmas’
August Films, 1974

starring: Margot Kidder, Olivia Hussey, Kier Dullea and John Saxon
directed by: Bob Clark

the plot: It’s time for Christmas break and sorority sisters Barb (Kidder), Jess (Hussey), Claire (Lynn Griffin) and Phyl (Andrea Martin) are getting ready to go home for the holidays. However, their festivities are soured by a string of disturbing, obscene phone calls. But before they can leave, tragedy strikes—Claire disappears and a local teenager is murdered in a nearby park. Tensions between the remaining three girls increase, as do the obscene phone calls, and Lt. Fuller (Saxon) suspects that Jess’ boyfriend Peter (Dullea) may be the killer. Jess herself is hiding a dark secret: she’s pregnant and wants to have an abortion, against Peter’s wishes. As the town is thrown into a panic, Jess, Barb and Phyl find themselves alone in the house, with the killer closer than they think.

why it’s good: “Black Christmas” is the grandfather of the slasher genre, predating “Halloween” by four years. Just like “Halloween,” “Christmas” is a pared-down, atmospheric shocker that retains its scare power more than 30 years after it was made. Creating a creepy, tense atmosphere that lingers throughout the movie, Clark sets the viewer on edge and doesn’t let them go every time the phone rings or a door creeks. Hussey is a strong and capable heroine, a fitting precursor to Jamie Lee Curtis in “Halloween.” Saxon carries the rest of the film as Lt. Fuller, a role he would draw on for his part in “A Nightmare on Elm Street” years later. What sets “Christmas” apart from other slasher flicks is the lack of gore and genuinely surprising conclusion. Clark keeps most of the violence offscreen, wisely leaving the killer’s depraved activities to the viewer’s imagination. As for the ending, Clark and screenwriter Roy Moore provide so many red herrings and misdirections that you’re never quite sure who the killer is or where he is lurking. “Black Christmas” is a breath of fresh, frightening air compared to contemporary bloodbaths like “Saw” and “Hostel.”

why you should own it: Even if you’re not a horror fan, “Black Christmas” is a taut thriller unquestionably worth having in your collection. Critical Mass released a 25th anniversary edition of the film in 2000 that includes an interview with Saxon. A newer edition, released in 2002, has more extras, including commentary by Clark, Saxon and Dullea and a retrospective documentary.