the idea of a lady-avengers update on all those classic horror tropes is sort of delicious; unfortunately, it's undone in the end by a nonsensical script stacked with silly supernatural twists
Sophia Takal's update of the cult classic turns the real horror of campus assault into a springboard for cheap thrills; It's a movie made for a syllabus, not to entertain
it's quick, cheap-looking and entirely devoid of suspense, atmosphere and dramatic tension, so inept at times that it makes 2006's questionable remake suddenly seem like a misremembered masterwork
ineffective both as a thriller and as violent feminist wish-fulfillment; Unfortunately, Takal's Black Christmas is far more ordinary, a blunt object in a fight demanding either sharp knives or explosives
a feminist horror flick that lacks nuance in its feminism and thrills in its horror. But it should be applauded for reinterpreting rather than just retreading the original
"Black Christmas" turns into an entertainingly over-the-top face-off. You can't take a movie like this too seriously, but it's still one of the rare slasher films that offers a holiday from bloodshed for its own sake
"Black Christmas" should be celebrated, because we're not only given an important film here, but one that I can see my daughters and many others finding something they can get on board with
by Joshua Rothkopf [Time Out New York ]
by Benjamin Lee [The Guardian ]
by Jerry Smith [Dread Central ]
