![]() ![]() Slasher fans will find some giddy amusement in the stalk sequences and outlandish death scenes, but for the most part, it's sorely lacking in genuine suspense and (not surprisingly so) originality. ![]() While there is a wealth of potential in this flick – talented director with a film that doesn't mind being cruel - it ultimately ends up just another half-baked remake of a much better film. The movie is a little too predictable to be genuinely tense, and despite some stylish directing, the substance just isn't there. ![]() So if you're in the market for some gratuitous violence and not much of anything else, maybe this sort of thing is your bag. ![]() The sad fact is that the narrative of the movie is weak, and only gets mildly interesting when blood is shed - the tell-tale sign of a mediocre horror movie. While it works as a straight-forward slasher flick that, had it been released in the late 90's, would've stood from the pack, "Black X-Mas" misses the mark completely with it's over-dramatic acting and convoluted story. The film intermingles back-story with current happenings, but loses its focus in the long-run. The story is about a deranged killer, abused by his mother and recently escaped from a mental institution, who makes his way to a sorority house on Christmas Eve to pick off its residents in rather gruesome manners. If "Black X-Mas" aims to be a slightly average slasher flick that numbs the mind for 90 minutes, then mission accomplished. If the intention was to churn out a new-age classic, then this is a failure. It helps that its got stylish direction from the usually solid Glen Morgan (one of the brains behind the "Final Destination" series and director of another remake, 2003's "Willard") and a cast that is easy on the eyes. While Bob Clark's original film might not be fit for the hip, younger audience that this remake was built for, it certainly holds its own in the league of classic slasher fare, making the choice to modernize it a sketchy one from the get-go. Such is the case of "Black Christmas" (or – gag – "Black X-Mas"). a film that still holds up today) is usually a terrible idea to begin with and almost always ends up a bust. If there's one thing to be learned from failed remakes of movies like "Psycho" and "Halloween" (among others), it's that remaking a slasher classic (a.k.a. He fights with her before ending up falling over a railing and being impaled on the star on top of a Christmas tree in the lobby below. Kelli breaks the window to her room and runs out into the hallway with Billy close behind.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |