Overview
A chilling holiday season turns deadly as a group of sorority sisters face an unseen threat.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- eerie
- foreboding
- claustrophobic
- christmas horror marathon
- late night horror viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly recognize the film's effective atmosphere, cinematography, and performances while finding its screenplay uneven and its violence exploitative.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The sorority house's Christmas break, decorations, and seasonal isolation contrast sharply with anonymous calls and murders.
The threatening caller and murderer remain psychologically and personally elusive, sustaining uncertainty through the ending.
Sorority sisters are stalked and killed while police initially discount their danger, alongside Jess's conflict over her pregnancy and abortion.
The sorority house's attic, rooms, phone lines, and hidden spaces create a persistent sense that danger is already inside.
Films like Black Christmas, and why
Halloween
shared slasher structure, isolated domestic setting, ambiguous killer, and escalating suspense
Psycho
shared proto-slasher atmosphere, psychological menace, murder mystery, and voyeuristic tension
When a Stranger Calls
shared holiday setting, anonymous threats, female-centered vulnerability, and home-invasion dread
The House on Sorority Row
shared early slasher conventions, confined house setting, mysterious killer, and unsettling uncertainty
Movie Details
- Director
- Bob Clark
- Release Date
- 1974-10-11
- Runtime
- 98 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (983)
Cast
- Olivia Hussey
- Keir Dullea
- Margot Kidder
- John Saxon
- Marian Waldman
- Andrea Martin
- James Edmond
- Doug McGrath
- Art Hindle
- Lynne Griffin
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Peacock Premium, Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Fandor, Shudder, Night Flight Plus, Shudder Amazon Channel, Fandor Amazon Channel, Screambox Amazon Channel, Midnight Pulp, Shudder Apple TV channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel, Chilling, Cineverse Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Black Christmas about?
- A pioneering Canadian Christmas slasher traps sorority sisters in a festive house stalked by obscene calls, hidden violence, and an unknowable killer.
- What is Black Christmas like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Black Christmas as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Black Christmas violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Black Christmas as brutal.
- What did critics think of Black Christmas?
- Critics broadly recognize the film's effective atmosphere, cinematography, and performances while finding its screenplay uneven and its violence exploitative.
- Which films are like Black Christmas?
- Films with a similar feel include Halloween, Psycho, When a Stranger Calls, and The House on Sorority Row.
- How long is Black Christmas?
- Black Christmas runs 98 minutes.
- Where can I watch Black Christmas?
- In United States, Black Christmas streams on Amazon Prime Video, Peacock Premium, Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Fandor, Shudder, Night Flight Plus, Shudder Amazon Channel, Fandor Amazon Channel, Screambox Amazon Channel, Midnight Pulp, Shudder Apple TV channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel, Chilling, Cineverse Amazon Channel.
