‘Black Christmas’ (1974) 4K UHD Blu-Ray Review – Early Slasher Remains A Fun, Effective Spine-Tingler

The college town of Bedford is receiving an unwelcome guest this Christmas. As the residents of sorority house Pi Kappa Sigma prepare for the festive season, a stranger begins to stalk the house. A series of obscene phone calls start to plague the sorority and it becomes clear that a psychopath has more than merriment on his mind. As the police try to trace the phone calls, they discover that nothing is as it seems during this Black Christmas.

For thoughts on Black Christmas (1974), please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

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Video Quality

Scream Factory presents Black Christmas (1974) with a drop dead gorgeous 2160p transfer in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio sourced from a 4K scan of the Original Camera Negative with Dolby Vision/HDR. This film was originally released on Blu-Ray by Scream Factory six years ago which was derived from an older source. Whenever your favorite film gets released on 4K UHD, this is the type of dramatic improvement one wishes to experience. 

The presentation of the natural film grain is quite a sight for anyone who has a lot of experience with this title on physical media. This grain resolves perfectly with nothing ever appearing clumpy, frozen or spiking against any of the gradients. This disc handles every change in environment with a deft hand. This new transfer brings out so much distinct texture in the outfits, production design, the special effects and more. This transfer has spruced up the look of the film by ameliorating almost all print damage with nary a speck remaining. Some of the makeup effects come through with visceral clarity which makes the work all the more intense. Even the encode seems to be more impressive than normal from this label, as the picture rarely runs into any speed bumps.  

One of the greatest enhancements of this release is the implementation of Dolby Vision which captures the film in all of its depth and nuance. While this is far from a Technicolor spectacular, there are many elements such as the Christmas lights and some of the clothing which springs off the screen more. There is also a greater accuracy to the more mundane colors such as some of the furniture in the house. Black levels are formidable with no obvious crush present, and white levels crisp and never overly bright. The new presentation reaches a tier of accuracy and color detail that likely tops the original prints. Overall, this is by far the best the film has looked on home entertainment, and holiday horror fans will be overjoyed to add this to their yearly rotation. 

Audio Quality

While the video presentation is often the main focus for these upgrades, the audio improvements for this particular release just might outshine it. The 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc comes with meticulous restorations of both the original DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mono track and the DTS-HD 5.1 which has restored missing dialogue, sound effects and music. Just take a look at the brand new featurette which takes a look at the hundreds of hours that were put into saving this film from the flawed presentations that have plagued some releases. The improvements are monumental for fans. 

Both presentations offer the appealing audio experience fans have been craving. Dialogue comes through with immense clarity even during the more active moments. Environmental noises such as heavy breathing or the chatter of the girls in the house are given a notable place within the mix. You no longer have to worry about fidelity when it comes to this one as everything renders with stability. The low end of the track has some weight to add texture, but it is not a highlight of the audio experience. The music sounds fantastic without a hint of damage. Scream Factory has delivered these tracks with the utmost care. English SDH subtitles are provided for those who want them.

Special Features

Disc One

• Audio Commentary #1: Director Bob Clark delivers an archival commentary track in which he discusses the camerawork and point of view of the film, establishing the dynamic of the household, the motivations behind the lighting choices, developing the characters so that you care about what happens to them, criticisms of the film, the depiction of the killer and more. Some of the insights can be a bit obvious, but there is a lot of great information within this. 

• Audio Commentary #2: Actors John Saxon And Keir Dullea provide separate insights in which they recall the often messy ways in which they became attached to the film, the direction and blending of tone courtesy of Bob Clark, the improvisation on set, interactions with the other cast members and more that are worth a listen, but be prepared for some stretches of silence. 

• Audio Commentary #3: Actor Nick Mancuso provides a free-flowing and not particularly insightful commentary track which proves to be the weakest of the three main tracks due to his reliance on reacting and joking about things that are happening on screen. 

• Audio Interview with Director Bob Clark: A 26-minute interview from 2006 is authored as a commentary track in which Clark reflects on the genesis of Black Christmas, the violence in the film, bringing realism to the picture, the film’s legacy and more. 

Disc Two

• Audio Commentary #1: Director Bob Clark

• Audio Commentary #2: Actors John Saxon And Keir Dullea

• Audio Commentary #3: Actor Nick Mancuso

• Audio Interview with Director Bob Clark

• Black Christmas – Restoring The Sound: A great eight-minute audio piece with Brett Cameron in which he discusses the painstaking care to stabilize the original mono track, as well as replace many of the missing and compromised elements from the 5.1 track. While rich in technical detail, there are some great comparison clips that are very effective in showing what exactly has been fixed and enhanced for this release. 

• Newsprint Ad Gallery: A three-and-a-half minute collection of newspaper ads from across the country are provided here. 

Disc Three

• 2006 Critical Mass Version: An option to view the 2006 HD master for Black Christmas presented in the Blu-Ray 1.78:1 aspect ratio without any digital restoration and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. 

• Films and Furs – Remembering Black Christmas with Art Hindle: A 26-minute interview with actor Art Hindle in which he discusses the initial audition process with Bob Clark, working with Bob Clark, the Canadian film industry at the time, rehearsing with Olivia Hussey, his relationships with the other performers, the reception of the film and more. 

• Victims and Virgins – Remembering Black Christmas with Lynne Griffin: A 27-minute interview with actress Lynne Griffin in which she discusses where she was at this point in her career, the “twist” on the slasher genre with the order of dispatching victims, working with the bag on her head, memories of the other performers, the difficulties of working with cats, her feelings about the film and more. 

• Black Christmas Legacy: A nearly 41-minute archival featurette with interviews from actors Lynne Griffin, Nick Mancuso, Margot Kidder, Olivia Hussey, composer Carl Zittrer, and journalist Bruce Kirkland (Toronto Star), and more. This piece provides some great insights into the timeless appeal of the film, some famous fans of the feature, how Bob Clark made a holiday classic, where this fits in the slasher genre and much more that is quite engaging. 

• 40th Anniversary Panel at FanExpo 2014: An 18-minute panel featuring Lynne Griffin, John Saxon, Art Hindle and Nick Manuso in which they discuss their favorite memories of Bob Clark, the voices of Billy, first impressions of the script and more that makes for a good time. 

• On Screen! – Black Christmas: A 49-minute special in which critic Paul Corupe, critic/author Calum Waddel, Bob Clark, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, producer/distributor William Alexander and others discuss what makes Black Christmas such a special film, where it stands in the horror genre, and more. 

• 12 Days Of Black Christmas: A 20-minute featurette which takes a look at the production of Black Christmas, the qualities of the characters, the inspiration for the film, the direction of Bob Clark, the camerawork and more. 

• Black Christmas Revisited: A nearly 37-minute archival retrospective which takes a look at the development of the film, the concerns around making this project, how the performers came to the project, and more while also revisiting the original set from a more modern perspective. 

• Archival Interviews: A 102-minute collection of interviews with Olivia Hussey, Art Hindle, Margot Kidder, Bob Clark, & John Saxon in which they all discuss how this film fits into their careers, working with Bob Clark, the legacy of the film, memories of their fellow cast members, initial impressions of the script and more. Some of these interviews are used in portions of the other featurettes. 

• Midnight Screening Q&A: A nearly 21-minute Q&A with Bob Clark, John Saxon, and composer Carl Zittrer from December 2004 in which they answer questions about the identity of the killer, creating the phone calls, the casting process, motivations behind the score and more. 

• Two Scenes with A New Soundtrack: Two scenes totaling three minutes are provided here with an earlier sound mix not found in the final version of the film.

• Theatrical Trailers: There are two trailers totaling eight minutes provided in both English and French. 

• Original TV and Radio Spots: A three-minute collection of TV and radio spots are provided here. 

• Alternative Title Sequences: Two alternate sequences totaling three minutes are provided here under the title Silent Night, Evil Night and Stranger In The House, or Black Christmas – Silent Night, Evil Night. 

• Photo Gallery: A collection of marketing materials and stills are provided here. 

Final Thoughts

Black Christmas (1974) is widely regarded as one of the most important stepping stones in the early slasher genre. Beyond its place in horror history, it is simply a really fun, effective spine-tingler which uses mystery to heighten anxiety to great heights. The performances are pretty engaging for the genre, and the direction from Bob Clark handles every aspect with a masterful eye. This one is a special film to throw on every holiday season, but honestly it is one that can be appreciated anytime of year. Scream Factory has provided the film with a 4K UHD Blu-Ray release that boasts a knockout A/V presentation and a deep bench of new and archival special features that fans will love. Even if you already own this one on Blu-Ray, this new presentation should be considered an essential upgrade. Highly Recommended 

Black Christmas (1974) (Collector’s Edition) is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD + Blu-Ray Combo Pack. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Scream Factory has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.