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Black Christmas (2006) (R, 2006)

common sense media says

Dreary slasher remake is worse than fruitcake.

parents & educators say
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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this holiday-themed horror remake isn't for kids. Although most of the grisly violence is implied rather than explicit, there's no shortage of spattering blood and jump scenes. Sorority house sisters are murdered one by one with weapons including knives, Christmas lights, a pointy Christmas ornament, and a glass unicorn figurine. The film also includes scenes of implied incest, online porn, vomiting, decapitation, bloody slicks on the floor, the consumption of human flesh cooked into Christmas cookie shapes, and human eyeballs being ripped out and eaten. Characters also smoke cigarettes, drink wine, and use lots of foul language (at least 30 "f--ks").

Positive messages: The serial killer is bad; his alcoholic mother abuses him (sexually and physically) and murders his VIetnam veteran father; Billy's sister is also his daughter; sorority girls make dumb choices, and one by one are killed by demented/evil Billy.
Violence: Repeated stabbings, smothering with plastic bags, splattering blood everywhere; Billy repeatedly pulls out and eats his victims' eyeballs; Billy makes "cookies" of his mother's flesh (with Christmas cutters), then bakes and eats them, with blood everywhere; weapons include knives, a garden hook, ice picks, a sharpened candy cane, a glass unicorn firgure, a barbecue fork, a fireplace poker, a defilibrator, Christmas lights (strangling), and a Christmas tree (impaling); decapitated head rolls out of an opened car door; Christmas tree decorated with eyeballs and decapitated heads.
Sex: Girl who kisses boyfriend is doomed; sorority house mother holds up lingerie she's received as a gift; porn footage on computer screen shows sexual movement (male over female's back), but no explicit body parts; sexual parts named ("ball sac"); reference to sitting on "Santa's lap" serial killer's sexual motivation is discussed; girl in shower seen from back and side (outline of breast, bottom visible) -- as killer's eye watches her. Billy's mother has sex with his stepfather, who falls asleep drunk; she then approaches Billy and drops her robe (viewers see her back and assume she has sex with her son, as his daughter is born nine months later).
Language: Frequent use of "f--k" (30+); repeated use of "s--t" (15-ish); also several uses of "damn."
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Billy's mother smokes cigarettes frequently; she's drinking and drunk in almost every scene she's in.
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More on Black Christmas (2006)

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about why the movie, like many modern horror flicks, gives its psycho killer a terrible childhood (the original version doesn't touch on that). How is Billy's mother blamed for her son's subsequent bad behavior? Is what he does less wrong because of how he grew up? Why is it so important to have a specific cause to blame for his behavior?

What's the story?

What's the story?
It's Christmas Eve, and sorority sisters Kelli (Katie Cassidy), Heather (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Dana (Lacey Chabert), and Melissa (Michelle Trachtenberg) are pondering their upcoming holiday on campus. House mother Mrs. Mac (Andrea Martin) regales her charges with the story of the house's previous inhabitant, Billy Lenz (Robert Mann). Flashbacks illustrate his terrible life: Jaundiced as a child and reviled by his chain-smoking, alcoholic mother, he ends up killing his family and is incarcerated in a sanitarium. When Billy escapes, he returns to his old home and creates bloody heck -- he's especially fond of decapitating and de-eyeballing his victims, then eating their flesh and corneas.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
Gruesome and bleak, Black Christmas is a particularly uninspired slasher film remake. Except for the addition of flashbacks and back story (which end up detracting from the scares rather than enhancing them), the story is essentially the same as Bob Clark's 1974 original. But Glen Morgan's not-so-new version is slow-moving, unsurprising, and very, very bloody.

The formula, treated so carelessly, is tiresome: Each girl reveals early on a rudimentary reason why she might "deserve" her upcoming abuse and Billy's story is one we've heard too many times before: Bad mom makes bad son. In addition, the gore is rendered with slurpy sound effects and jarring close-ups in lieu of characterization.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: MGM/UA
Director: Glen Morgan
Cast: Andrea Martin, Katie Cassidy, Michelle Trachtenberg
Genre: Horror
Run time: 84 minutes
Theatrical release: December 25, 2006
DVD release: April 3, 2007
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: strong horror violence and gore, sexuality, nudity and language.
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This review was written by Cynthia Fuchs
 
 

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What parents & educators say

15

Most useful reviews by all members

Boti95
teen, 16 years old
17
 
Perfect for adults, who want to watch violence.
This movie is way off the charts. The violence is way too strong. The killer Billy rips off the eyes of the victim and eats them. Their is also a scene of rape. It is too gruesome!
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Thatoneguy
teen, 18 years old
15
 
This wasn't bad
I would recommend it for 17+ It wasn't really as scary as it was violent.
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Mr. Strong
adult
 
Violent, but adults can stand it!
It's very violent, but adults can stand it. I thought it was awesome!
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HTFMime
teen, 16 years old
17
 
Too Scary! Adults will like it but not kids!
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callofduty5
adult
15
 
Black Christmas 2006
Loved the film alltough deaths were gruesome but still funny to watch if you like saw or other good thrillers you definetly should buy this!
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jesste
teen, 16 years old
 
this movie is good 4 teens
i yhink this is a good movie for teenagers and i think the rated is more acceptable for the teens and the unrated is more for adults
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davidguitar15. ...
teen, 17 years old
16
 
Great movie but very gory
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thecooldude1
teen, 16 years old
16
 
Not for kids!
Very scary for kids theres a ew scenes with sex, and one with nudity very violence and gory this the killer dies very very gory scene i dont think teens 15 and under should see it.
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kaylababy
adult
 
shocked
when i went with my boyfriend i didnt think it would be as gruesome as it was
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1subzero1
adult
 
It's a good movie!
It's a good and that's a fact no matter what you say! It's sutible for kids 6+!
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movie_fanatic_411
adult
 
Black Christmas: Unrated
Every catagory in the rating would have to be a big issue because this movie has everything in it. I also saw the Unrated version, and i dont know what is in the rated version.
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baybiee06
adult
 
Boring
Wasn`t worth the money. Very boring didnt keep me intrested.
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cheesy
adult
 
It could have been a bit more exciting
I was into this movie before I saw it thinking it was going to be all great and stuff but when I eventually saw it, I found that it could have been a lot more exciting in the sense of how it was made but it was better than the original.
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cerealkiller189
teen, 13 years old
16
 
Amazing,but extremely bloody.
This film contains lots of strong violence and gore as well as suspense.At least a dozen weapons are used,fountain pens,roller skates,ice picks,forks,knives,christmas lights and burning.The violence is definitely brutal and grisly.In the reenactment scenes,we see Billy killing his family,he kills his sister sleeping in bed by gouging her eyes out,then kills his father in the same way.As he proceeds to kill the mother,she screams and fights him off.He grabs some Christmas lights and strangles her before dragging her body to the kitchen.He then proceeds to cut her skin out with a cookie cutter and eats it with milk and cookies(very graphic and disturbing scene).If you think that's bad,hear more.I have only seen this in the Unrated US edition and the normal version but the unrated is worse.In the normal,the killer gets impaled on the tree but in the unrated he gets burned.Overall,violence is graphic,brutal,shocking and unflinching.Billy kills most of his victims by gouging their eyes out.
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