Discussion in 'Archived Threads 2001-2004' started by Wes Ray, Jul 10, 2001.
If Warner Bros. insists on ignoring the gold mine of classic films in their vault (including a great deal of classic horror films) then we must try to get this film released by someone competent. I have contacted Criterion about the release of this film, and I'm sure they will contact me back within a few days like they did my last request for a film. This one has a much greater chance of seeing the light of day, as there is no current US DVD release of Black Christmas.
Looking at the list of previous horror/suspense films that Criterion has released (The Lady Vanishes, Carnival of Souls, Sisters, etc.) I believe Black Christmas would fit in perfectly. It is considered by many to be the first true slasher film, and was definitely the first to use any sort of holiday theme. It has a classy cast, including Keir Dullea, Olivia Hussey, Margot Kidder, and John Saxon, and unlike a lot of slashers that you only watch for the special effects and/or gore (not to say that there's anything terribly wrong with that) this film is genuinely scary.
What better company to release a quality US DVD of this film, which will no doubt go unreleased for many years. Criterion should try to obtain the rights to this one and give horror fans, and movie fans in general, a real treat. I'm sure many of you have never seen this movie, and many of you may have never even heard of the movie, but try to rent it if you can. You'll see what I'm talking about. You'll see why Criterion should release this film, and deliver a disc with more features than the previous Critical Mass disc.
- Audio Commentary with director Bob Clark and one or more members of the cast.
- Interviews with cast members who aren't involved with the Audio Commentary.
- A documentary about the history and making of "the first slasher film"
- Interviews with horror directors (perhaps John Carpenter) about the influence this film had on genre pictures following this film's release.
- Essays on the film and/or the history of slasher films in general.
- Fangoria magazine's retrospective article on the film from a couple of years ago.
- Possibly, an essay detailing why horror movies from this period (1974) went through so many name changes at times.
- Maybe an interview with the artist (if still alive) of the artwork on the original 1-sheet poster about the artwork and importance of posters to horror films of the period.
I'm sure some of you can think of other ideas for extras that you'd like to see. The ones I've already listed are things I believe would be very interesting and easily obtained by a company like Criterion (who usually includes similar extras on their discs).
Horror fans, movie fans...Let's stand together to show Criterion how much we want this film. I own the Canadian Critical Mass DVD, but there was a lot left to be desired and I would instantly buy re-purchase the title if Criterion released a special edition of it. The film is right up Criterion's alley and I think that if enough of us request it, they will seriously look into it. They have been really good in the past about listening to fan feedback and I'm sure I will hear back from them within a couple of days. Give me some news to report to them. Give me a thread full of support for this title. Let's show everyone how powerful the members of the HTF and the fans of Black Christmas can be.
So, who is with me? Anyone seen the film and would love to own a Criterion Collection version of it?
It would be a sure bet for purchase by me! Simply a wonderful film that provided thrills and chills after many a repeat viewing!
Sure count me in, I love slashers I could watch them all day. I have watched Friday the 13th 1-9 over and over and over.
COunt me in too. This is my favorite of the holiday horror pics even though there isn't a murderous santa claus of snowman or reindeer.
This is one of my top 5 favorite films of all time, so definitely count me in! Come on everyone, you must vote for this!
I have the canadian release and it is a very good movie, not a bad transfer. It is full screen- that is the original aspect ratio(so it says on the box) A criterion release woulb be very cool though. I will agree with the folks above that this is a scary movie.
I've never seen Black Christmas unfortunately, but count me in!!
Don't you think this title might be more appropriate for Anchor Bay or Fantoma?
Seeing as though Criterion has worked with Warner Bros. before (Brian DePalma's Sisters) I feel they would be a much more suitable company for a SE release of Black Christmas. If your statement was meant to put down horror films, let me remind you that Criterion has released a great many of them on Laserdisc, and quite a few on DVD as well. Diabolique, Sisters, Carnival of Souls, The Blob, Fiend Without a Face, etc.
Black Christmas is the type of rare, little-known horror film that would be perfect for Criterion to release on DVD here in the US. There are a great many horror fans out there who have A) Heard all the good things about the film and are having trouble finding a copy of it, B) Have heard of it and own it but would like to see it introduced to a wider audience, or C) Haven't heard much about it.
It needs to be released and re-introduced to a new generation of fans. Criterion is the company that would treat it best, so that is why I have targeted them.
Well, I'm pretty happy with the current edition, but I'd probably pick up a new version if it had interesting extras.
Put me down for one. Come on guys. Vote!
I got a response from the guy at Criterion. He says that they do not currently own the rights to Black Christmas but that he forwarded my request to the "higher-ups" at Criterion and that they would look into it.
This was a very different response than the one I've gotten for some of my other requests to them, so to those of you who think they have a template response that everyone gets no matter what they ask for, think again. Criterion really reads these e-mails and it would help out our cause if a lot more of you decided to e-mail them about Black Christmas. Like I said, it's by Warner Bros. and they've already worked with Criterion by allowing them to release the DVD of Sisters. We can do this. We need a lot more signatures here and a lot more e-mails going to them.
Please, be polite with your requests, as the guy who's answered me both times is a really nice guy. I was surprised that they e-mailed me back, but I'm sure they'll e-mail you guys back as well within a few days. It took a couple of days for him to get back with me.
We can do this guys. Post a reply in this thread once you hear back from Criterion. Let them know that there is a demand for this film right here in America, and not just Canada.
If Warner could actually get their act together and issue a great DVD, I'd be happy. Criterion, I'm sure, would do a terrific job guaranteed if they can get their hands on it. This movie should be more well-known, because it's scary as hell just like movies used to be.
I'm all for it. It's one of my favorites.
The thing is, there are a lot of horror fans and movie fans in general who need to be experience Black Christmas. It's a classic horror film that needs to be re-introduced to US audiences.
I would love a Criterion release of this horror classic. The Canadian disc is decent, but could definitely be improved in the audio and supplemental departments. Seeing a DVD by Criterion like the Laserdisc they did of Halloween would be amazing. This fits Criterions criteria perfectly too, as this is surely one of the most important classic films in the horror genre. This is a genuinely frightening film, and does not resort to blood or gore to chill the audience. If Criterion can produce a DVD for the "important classic" Armageddon, then surely they could take time out of their busy schedule and release Black Christmas!
I don't care who releases it, just release it and make it good!