A remake of a 1974 slasher film that jump started the slasher genre, this film tells the tale of little Billy who was abused by his mother and witnessed his father's death, before being locked in the attic.
After years of neglect as his mother started a new family with her boyfriend, Billy escaped and gruesomely killed his mother and her boyfriend and tortured the daughter. But all is well when Billy was sent to jail after the slaughter.
Fifteen years later, the Lenz house is now inhabited by the Alpha Kappa sorority sisters. The girls are full of yuletide joy on Christmas Eve. But the lights go off and the phone starts to ring. And in the cold, snowy dark, the girls realize that Billy is back, with a desperate demand for blood, gore and a black Christmas.
Heather Fitzgerald was the Southern debutante of the group. She was from Texas and it was obvious from her lack of knowledge about Billy that she was sort of a newcomer. In a DVD featurette, Mary described her character as "a bit of a prude, a little snobby and a little uptight". It was also obvious that Heather was a daddy's girl and was a little spoilt. Although they are roommates, Heather was, as described by Crystal Lowe, Lauren's polar opposite. They were at odds with each other every other time and did not agree on anything. Lauren probably hated Heather because of her envy for Heather's loving family, whereas hers was practically dysfunctional.
Heather did not care for her other sorority sisters and was willing to leave them to flee for help. She was an unpleasent sorority sister and not one who can easily get along with everybody. Even the housemother, Mrs. Mac called her a "spoilt, frigid Southern princess". She was also a conservative, traditional and religious person. Mary explained in an interview that Heather "wanted Christmas to be about everything it should be about. [Throw] in a serial killer into it and we start having rituals where we're supposed to give presents to a serial killer who lived in the house. And [Heather] was just upset about it". She doesn't fit in with the group, as she was uptight and high maintenance whereas the others were just laid-back.
There were mysterious circumstances over Heather's demise as all we ever saw was a huge blood splash on the windscreen of the car she was last seen alive in. However, there was clearly a struggle because the car had violently shook before she died. As we did not hear her scream, it was possible that she was gagged, but it was also possible that the wind and the music from the stereo had died out her screams in the car. When inquired about Heather's death, Glen said that it was up to the viewer's imagination to decide how Heather had bit the the dust.
Mary Quotes
• "It's modernized. The characters are different. They're sort of inspired in ways from the earlier characters, but it's written so that there's not a character they can say, "Okay, this is the girl that lived in the first one, so you know she's going to live in this one" or "This is the girl that got killed second." It's completely changed up because we don't want people to think it's predictable."
• "It's more of a thriller. It's more sort of sleek. It's not too campy. I think it's taken with more of a serious tone."
• "I really enjoyed the original Black Christmas. Olivia Hussey was one of the reasons I wanted to be an actress as a child because I did a school production of Romeo and Juliet and I watched her version of it everyday for almost a year and I just wanted to be her so she’s always been on my list of idols. Hence, being in a movie that’s a remake of one that she starred in was pretty cool and the character was something new for me, nothing I’ve ever played before, sort of a debutant socialite snob. I’ve always played like the Nice Girl or the Girl Everyone Likes so I thought it was different."
Memorable Quotes
• Heather: "You really shouldn't provoke someone like that."
Lauren: "What do you know about dealing with anyone other than your Nascar daddy?"
• (Mrs. Mac pulls out an ice scraper)
Heather: "What is that thing?"
Mrs. Mac: "Are you kidding me?"
• Heather: "Call the police."
Lauren: "Please. The police ain't gonna do shit about one whack job phone call."
• Heather: "I'm really not okay with any of this. I mean, buying a Christmas present for a serial killer?"
Melissa: "No, you see. Serial killers murder repeatedly for sexual thrill. Billy Lenz was a spree killer. Dude just fucking lost it."
• (referring to Heather)
Mrs. Mac: (out of earshot) "Privileged bitch. Frigid Southern princess!"
Facts & Trivia
• Glen Morgan approached Mary at 4 AM in an airport ater finishing filming Final Destination 3 with her and offered her the part of Kelli. She turned it down as she did not want to be stereotyped as a scream queen, but accepted the supporting role of Heather because she is a fan of the original.
• Before Mary was slated to play Heather, the role was offered to Camelia Belle and Amber Tamblyn. Belle was working on When a Stranger Calls and Tamblyn was commited to The Grudge 2.
• It was unclear on what exactly happened to Mary's character, Heather. When inquired, Glen Morgan simply said that it was up to the viewer's imagination to decide how Heather had bit the dust.
• As many as four reshoots took place, one of which was not even for the film; it was shot solely for the trailer. The scenes were shot under Weinstein's orders and Glen Morgan apparently did not know about it. Mary alerted Glen after she watched the trailer. Morgan was reportedly upset with the reshoots.
• Mary was nominated for Best Scream Queen by Spike TV's Scream Awards for her role. She lost it to Kate Beckinsale for her role in Vacancy. Interesting coincidence, Beckinsale is married to director Len Wiseman, who helmed the movie Live Free or Die Hard, in which Mary appeared in.
Trailer Preview
Our Reviews
Where the film lacks in jumpy scares and no chase scenes, it makes up for it in beautiful cinematography and angles that Glen Morgan uses to emphasise the killers wherabouts. The girls are all very unique and strong, however some lack development and are just another meaningless kill on screen. Acting from the leads is spot on though as they get chopped off one by one. Gruesome killings and dark comedy is what makes Black Christmas a worthy horror remake, but it is never quite scary enough.
- Ally
Vivid colors and eerie camera setups atone for the numerous flaws this movie might hold. However, those compensations alone are not enough. The performances are unconvincing and stodgy, at times. This is, however, understandable, as the characters they play are stereotypical. Billy's flashbacks were spooky. Despite that, by creating a backstory for our antagonist, the filmmakers have downsized the mysterious circumstances surrounding Billy. Glen Morgan means well. Despite that, Black Christmas, is no doubt, a flop.
RT Critics: 17%, based on 54 reviews RT Top Critics: 0%, based on 16 reviews RT Community: 31%, based on 241 reviews
IMDb: 4.4, based on 7102 votes Metacritic: 22%, based on 17 reviews MEW Staff: 5.0, based on 2 reviews
"As the religious, sheltered Heather, Mary Elizabeth Winstead is too good for the part she has to play, struggling to breathe life into a half-written stick figure."
- (Read Full Review: The Movie Boy)
"Katie Cassidy, Michelle Trachtenberg, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Lacey Chabert are pretty, but by not humanizing them, Morgan places viewers in his killer's perspective."
- (Read Full Review: Coast)
"Michelle Trachtenberg, Katie Cassidy and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, aren't spirited enough to give their one-dimensional personas any oomph for a gruesome killing."
- (Read Full Review: Washington Post)
"Even by the notoriously low standards of sadistic slasher pics, this remake is a thoroughly nasty piece of work, relying heavily on such gruesome spectacles."
- (Read Full Review: Variety)
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Current Projects
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The Thing (Prequel) (2011) Mary as: Kate Lloyd Directed By: Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. 29 April, 2011 (In Production) Info | Photos | Official Site
Stop/Eject Mary as: Elizabeth Directed By: Riley Stearns Indefinite Release (Completed) Info | Photos | Official Site
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