★★★
A group of female students are stalked by a stranger during their Christmas break. That is until the young sorority pledges discover that the killer is part of an underground college conspiracy.
Classification: 15
Good old fashioned pulp with some affecting social commentary, the latest remake of the 1974 slasher classic Black Christmas from director Sophia Takal does what it needs to make itself noteworthy in this contentious nature of modern gender politics. Horror is most effective when we can see our reality reflected in the characters, having psychos in masks stabbing teenagers is only gory exploitation if there is no meaning behind it all. Takal and April Wolfe's script takes the classic horror slasher tropes and injects them back into the framework of sororities, fraternities and examining contemporary social hierarchy between males and females. More disturbing themes attributed to American colleges such as rape culture, feminism movements, protests and petitions against white patriarchy give the horror greater depth as Imogen Poot's character of Riley along with her fellow free-thinking sorority sisters become the target of a mysterious group of killers.
The horror pulp blends well with the current themes, what's subconsciously terrifying about this is the fact that its only the last few decades that have seen growing awareness of the treatment women and how many would wish things to back to the way things were. The film can be scary with its jump scares and gory kills but Black Christmas can definitely make your skin crawl as it doesn't hold itself back in confronting the toxic masculinity of fraternity culture. It isn't hard to think of infamous American justice Brett Kavanaugh who made headlines for allegedly committing similar behaviour as seen in the film during his college days (sexual assault, not serial murders in a black robe), there's even a male character who exclaims "I Like Beer!". The first act of the film establishing Riley as a rape victim who after naming her attacker, the president of a fraternity, was shunned and called a liar. The film building a lot of its tension and dramatic conflict from the fact that women still are punished for standing up for their rights and are considered "hysterical" when challenging the status quo of the patriarchy.
Not all of the film is as clever as it thinks, Black Christmas isn't going for subtlety and some plot threads are left abandoned or ignored for convenience as the film gets deeper into its bonkers third act, the reality of it all can begin to wane. This isn't a film that needs to be subtle as it almost feels at times like meta-commentary on the frustrations people have with growing movements for equality as Aleyse Shannon's character Kris is a source of irritation for most of the characters with her crusades. Her character having gained notoriety for having the college founder's bust removed from campus, an obvious reference to continuing protests over Americal civil war monuments and their connections to celebrating slavery and the confederacy. Much like Kris, Takal's approach to the story is direct, stating with clarity that this isn't a debate, women deserve respect and equality and that the actions of these frat boys and by extension the slasher killers are reprehensible. The horror tropes soon take over the entire film with some ridiculous elements such as supernatural power cults having the film lose some of its effective realism. On the flip side though when the curtain is pulled back and all is revealed the supernatural thread to the film is a kinda great spoof on the ridiculous traditions and power fantasies to fraternities alongside the absurd notions that men are better than women, Black Christmas isn't afraid to show that this thought process is solely the property of fucking morons.
Even though these foolish beliefs are stupid, its that fact that they are not condemned and that these abusive characters go on to becomes pillars of our society as businessmen, politicians or judges that is so disturbing. Controlling the very nature of society to keep it in service of their power over people, however, Sophia Takal makes this reality a little more entertaining by indulging into the slasher aesthetic. It makes Black Christmas fun to watch but at times can undercut the realism of the messaging especially in the third act when it goes off the rails with the "girl power". The horror elements are well done though, using a mix of foreshadowing, jump scares, tension building and bait and switches to keep the audiences engaged by some festive themed kills. Takal doesn't reinvent the wheel or really bring anything new to the table but she has a respect for the genre and utilises the tropes well, a standout scene being a fun tribute to The Exorcist III's legendary jump scare.
The performances are fun as well, Imogen Poots is the star of the whole show, her layered vulnerabilities making the survivor themes more effective when the madness begins. Her ensemble of sorority sisters are great in their brief moments like Nathalie Morris as Fran and while Black Christmas does revel in its clichés, all the sorority sisters are fun and easy to root for. The male characters beyond the fraternity house are an uninteresting mix of red herrings, there was a small plot thread about alpha male dominance that never got a real resolution but the idea of these characters having love interests just feels tacked on. Cary Elwes as Professor Gelson, is a hammy figure complete with a weird Britishy? accent and while his character definitely plays up to the satire of patriarchal power, his performance can be a little too on the nose.
It's fun, dumb but with a message worth rooting for, Black Christmas isn't the best or the scariest horror film of the year, it's probably not even the best Black Christmas film but its confrontation of uncomfortable truths make its pulpy righteousness a blast to watch. Again probably not the most tasteful address to these serious issues but Takal uses the tropes of slasher horror to give power back to her characters to fight against the abusive nature of patriarchy. An ominous figure in a cloak and mask becomes an obvious allegory for rape, misogyny, and murder but by personifying the very dangers all women face and giving Riley and her sisters the tools to fight back, Black Christmas indulges to the entertaining thought that our oppressors can face grisly just desserts.
Director: #SophiaTakal
Release Date: December 13th 2019
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images and Synopsis from the Internet Movie Database
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