Split Picks: 'Black Christmas' (Bob Clark, 1974)

Split Picks gets into the yuletide spirit with an episode devoted to Bob Clark's holiday horror classic 'Black Christmas.'
One of the finest horror films America has ever produced (and not just in Canada!), Bob Clark's Black Christmas (1974) was his first timeless holiday classic. Released during the same year as Deathdream, his Vietnam-era reimagining of The Monkey's Paw, Black Christmas capped off his early run of horror films before journeying into more family friendly holiday favorites (A Christmas Story, 1983) and raunchy mainstream comedy (Porky's, 1981). The film, set in a sorority house being stalked by a disturbed killer as Christmas break begins, remains as stylistically daring, socially progressive, and chilling as ever.
But Clark's film is only the beginning for Split Picks! Craig is joined by Bennett Glace, Jim Hickcox, and Snow Lietta to discuss not only the 1974 original, but 2006's Black Xmas and 2019's Black Christmas. Over the course of this two-part episode, they break down what sets the original apart — not only from its remakes, but from most other horror films in general — and how the later films warp and repurpose the original film's ideas and characters to fit their respective eras. Check back later this week for part two!