Black Christmas (15)

Starring: Katie Cassidy, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Lacey Chabert, Michelle Trachenberg, Oliver Hudson, Andrea Martin, Crystal Lowe and Kristen Cloke

All so many remakes have turned out to be better than the original. Unfortunately for Bob Clark’s 1974 remake of Black Christmas this is not the case. With hammy acting and gruesome yet fake death scenes, that you don’t know whether to laugh or cry at, this season enjoy the slay ride without having to hide behind the sofa.

The story begins with a house full of sorority sisters including Kelli (Katie Cassidy), Dana (Lacey Chabert), Lauren (Chrystal Lowe), Heather (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) Melissa (Michelle Trachenberg) and their house mother (Andrea Martin). All about to enjoy the holidays, or so they think. Several years previous the house belonged to a family. A young child abused my his mother turned one Christmas morning and rampaged through his house killing his mum and step father before being captured and taken to a asylum. Everyone believed young Billy to be dead but every Christmas is vowed to escape the asylum and return home. This year he succeeds with blood curdling consequences for the sorority sisters.

With a packed out cinema I witness this eye popping horror flick, cowering as the killer came close then sitting up, feeling bemused when the killings seemed like I was watching a college students efforts at their first film. With every horrid movement during the killings followed an over exaggerated sound effect making the scenes more humorous than scary. My verdict of this remake horror ‘classis’ is that it is just another teen flick horror with the usual scenarios including a power cut, lone women going into dark and deserted places and prank phone calls and not forgetting the creepy noises from the attic. Not necessarily worth shelling out hard earned money to see at the cinemas but certainly worth a look if you fancy being scared and made to laugh at the same time.