Black Christmas (2006 Film Review)

2006 Dimension Films/MGM
Written and Directed by: Glen Morgan
Starring: Katie Cassidy, Michelle Trachtenberg, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Oliver Hudson, Lacey Chabert, Kristen Cloke, and Andrea Martin
MPAA Rating: R; Running Time: 90 Minutes
The Nicsperiment Score: 8/10

Several members of Delta Alpha Kappa decide to spend Christmas Eve together in their sorority house. It's snowing outside, yet festively decorated and warm indoors. However, unbeknownst to the sisters, fifteen years before, the house belonged to a very non-sorority family. The mother murdered the father and moved in her abusive lover. The severely abused son, who grew up locked in the attic, was treated worst of all, and eventually murdered the mother and his new step-father, then got shipped off to an asylum. The house was absorbed by the nearby and growing New Hampshire college of Clement University. And now, it's Christmas Eve night, and Billy and/or someone related to him is coming home, with murder on the mind
I guess you should take this review with a grain of salt. After watching 2006's very loose remake of 1974's Black Christmas, I was shocked to see the film had received very negative critic and audience scores upon its release. I loved almost every minute of it, and here are several disjointed paragraphs detailing why:
I've never seen the original Black Christmas, so I come in with no bias there. However, I am a huge fan of Glen Morgan and his work with both The X-Files and Final Destination. Writer and director of 2006's Black Christmas, Morgan, drenches every single gorgeous and sometimes revolting frame here in Christmas nostalgia. I found Christmas Eve nights to be a little creepy when I was a kid in the 80s, and I was also slightly creeped out by Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker, which is finely utilized throughout this film. All that to say, I guess I am biased when it comes to 2006's Black Christmas...biased to love it!
Sure, the story is over the top and gruesome...but somehow, under Morgan's black-humored direction, it's fun! There's also a brilliant assortment of young mid-00s actresses here, from Michelle Trachtenberg (R.I.P.!), to Lacey Chabert, to Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and more! Most of them die in disgusting fashion and it's almost impossible to predict who the final girl will be. Shirley Walker, reuniting with Morgan after they first collaborated on Final Destination (with Willard in between), provides pitch perfect fun and creepy music. Critics have accused this film of being goofy and overly campy, but I generally hate camp and I greatly enjoyed this. Give Black Christmas ten minutes and if you hate it, turn it off. But, granted Billy doesn't come after me, this won't be my last time watching!