20 Cult Horror Movies You Must See Before You Die
3. Black Christmas (1974)
Although Halloween is credited as the film that kicked off the slasher genre and Friday The 13th is considered the film that inspired a slew of imitations, Black Christmas pre-dates them both by nearly half a decade. This makes it all the more impressive, then, that despite being one of the earliest proper examples of the genre, it remains one of the better slasher movies 40-plus years after its original release.
Black Christmas is a yuletide take on The Babysitter And The Man Upstairs urban legend. Exploitative in the way that only a ’70s movie can be, the tension begins with a series of threatening phone calls being placed from a deranged man who is hiding out in the attic that quickly escalate to cold-blooded murder, with sorority sisters being knocked off left and right.
Black Christmas isn’t your typical slasher, yet in a way, it is the ultimate typical slasher. This tense showing has a few subplots which make it stand out in the crowd, offering wrapped up presents of imagination for all to enjoy. Over the years, it would seem Black Christmas has finally gotten the recognition it so richly deserved back in 1974.
From the first eerie strains of benevolent holiday carols, to its chilling conclusion, you'll be glued to the screen.