It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year: Black Christmas (1974)

Christmas is associated with many things both positive and negative- religion, consumerism, toys, snow, family, stress, and Santa Claus. One thing not, however, traditionally associated with Christmas is murder. In Black Christmas (1974), though, Christmas and death sit side by side, like the red and white stripes of a candy cane.

The story begins in a sorority house, filled with students on the eve of their winter break. As the party approaches its end, the house receives an obscene phone call from an unknown man. While most of the girls brush the caller off as a harmless prankster, one of the students (the cliche "good girl"), warns the others to be more careful before storming to her room to pack for the upcoming vacation. Ironically, this character is the first to die, as the killer is waiting for her when she enters the room. Strangled to death, her dead body is kept in the attic in a dusty rocking chair for the rest of the movie. This image, accompanied by the maniacal laughter of the killer, is the most striking, memorable, and iconic image in Black Christmas.

As you could probably guess from the description of the body in the attic, the tone of Black Christmas is...black. While the slasher movies of the '80's would grow more and more outlandish and tongue in cheek, Black Christmas is grounded in realism and grittiness. The murders in Black Christmas are memorable not for their outrageous gore, or humorous extravagance, but rather for their subtlety and believability. Nitpickers may find fault with the body in the attic, and how it remains remarkably well-preserved over the course of the film. Things like this didn't bother me, though. To me, the world of Black Christmas, while realistic, is still a stylized fantasy realm. Thus, while a murder later in the film, in which a girl is stabbed repeatedly with a miniature glass figure, is haunting in its subtlety, it is also visually interesting.

To lighten the mood, Black Christmas is packed with humorous dialogue, mainly from the drunken, disgruntled house mother, and a drunken, sex-obsessed sorority member. While the humor sometimes falls flat, there are some entertaining moments. The house mother, in particular was funny, and likable, despite being very over-the-top in her sloppy drunkenness. Interactions between the liberal sorority girls and the uptight father of a murdered student, added to the humor.

Black Christmas unfolds at a slow pace, which is a perfect fit for the movie's previously mentioned subtlety and realism. The story here works well when viewed alone, on a cold night in December, when you've grown tired of the glitter and joy of Christmas and want to experience something a little more "black".

A Sad Valentine: My Bloody Valentine (1981)

For the inhabitants of Valentine Bluffs, Valentine's Day means more than just Hallmark cards and dinner reservations. You see, it was on a Valentine's Day, many years ago, when an explosion in the mine left a group of workers trapped inside. Only one of the miners, a man named Harry Warden, survived the accident. However, by the time he was rescued, his sanity had left him entirely. One year later, on the anniversary of the explosion (aka Valentine's Day), he returned to take revenge on the workers whose negligence caused his entrapment in the mine. Harry Warden was captured by the police, but, even now, twenty years later, his dark deeds still haunt the local population, whose Valentine's Day traditions are now plagued with fears and superstitions.

Such is the set-up to the 1981 Canadian slasher film "My Bloody Valentine", a movie that was remade (in 3-D, no less) last year. While I had heard of this film before it was remade, it wasn't until after seeing the remake that I felt compelled to track this one down. I was glad I did. While on the surface it looks like it could be just another derivative 1980's teen horror film, it has a surprising amount of originality and creativity.

One of the major things that makes this movie work for me is the setting. Valentine's Bluffs is a small town whose centerpiece is the local mine. If there was ever a location that was seemingly made for these types of movies- it would be a mine. Small, dark, maze-like, isolated, and claustrophobic, it is the last place you want to be whilst running from a killer with a pickax. Not all of the movie takes place in the dark interior of the mine, of course. It isn't until the end when a group of the kids end up in the mine, alone and, at first, oblivious to the murders that are occurring above them.

Let's talk about these murders for a minute- simply put, they're awesome. Despite the fact that our killer has nothing on him but a mining suit and a pickax, he manages to get pretty creative with the kills. Harry Warden (or is it really Harry Warden?) is adept at using his environment to maximum impact. Showers, washing machines, and boiling pots of water are all used for devious purposes. The special effects highlight Harry's bloody deeds excellently. I know this movie is over twenty years old, but the effects are still pretty impressive. One scene of note involves a man whose eye gets poked out with the pickax-the result on screen is gruesome and effective.

Harry himself makes for an entertaining character. He is covered from head to toe in miner's garb, with his face hidden behind a gas mask. His ominous, Darth Vader-style breathing provides an interesting audio accompaniment to his violent deeds. There's also the mystery as to whether or not it is actually Harry Warden himself behind the mask. I won't spoil anything, but observant viewers shouldn't find the ending too terribly shocking.

My Bloody Valentine is, in my opinion, a top-notch slice of entertainment for those who enjoy slasher films from this era. Just one parting note- for those who are interested in this movie, make sure you watch the extended cut, and steer clear of the theatrical version. My Bloody Valentine was heavily cut for theaters and, as a result, the theatrical version of the film is virtually bloodless, and slightly choppy. The extended version, which is available on the DVD, features none of these problems. True, the added footage is a bit grainy, but it won't take anything from your enjoyment of the film.