Between Ari Aster’s daytime nightmare Midsommar, Jordan Peele’s doppelgänger thriller Us, or remakes based on Stephen King’s genius – 2019 has been a fantastic year for the horror genre. If you’re itching for more terrors on the big screen in the season of warm hugs and endearment, there’s a Black Christmas remake for you. The 1974 iconic slasher has been reimagined for the modern day and it stars Imogen Poots and Princess Bride’s Westley, Cary Elwes.
The new Black Christmas has a group of sorority sisters who are stalked by a mysterious murderer during holiday break at their college. Aside from the horror elements, the movie also tackles topics pertaining to social issues today’s modern women often face. When CinemaBlend’s own Jeff McCobb sat down with Imogen Poots, she talked about some of the most difficult Black Christmas scenes to film. Check it out:
As she explains, the toughest moments to film for the actress were between her and Aleyse Shannon’s character Kris. The two sorority sisters have completely different ways they react to situations and they often butt heads due to this. While Imogen Poot’s Riley is often content with staying quiet and reserved in situations, Kris is always fighting for her ideals – including a petition she makes against Cary Elwes’ professor character, who only teaches the text of white male authors.
Imogen Poots describes these scenes were challenging in a good way because they are real arguments that are grounded in reality. Throughout Black Christmas, Poots’ Riley is trying to find her voice but she’s struggling with an incident in her past that still haunts her. Because Kris is more confident than Riley is, their relationship is often at odds.
This Black Christmas is the first of its kind to be PG-13. The original was one of the first slasher films ever and was pivotal in beginning the popular horror subgenre. It was previously remade in 2006, starring Katie Cassidy, Michelle Trachtenberg, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Lacey Chabert. However, it absolutely bombed with a $21.5 million global box office haul.
2019’s Black Christmas also stars newcomers Madeleine Adams, Lily Donoghue, and Brittany O'Grady as Hawthorne College sorority sisters. The horror flick is written by Sophia Takal and April Wolfe and Takal directed. However, the movie is not being welcomed with positive reviews, with a 42% Rotten Tomatoes score. Check out our review of the film.
Black Christmas opens alongside Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart returning to their video game avatars in Jumanji: The Next Level -- with new additions Danny Devito, Danny Glover, and Awkwafina joining the cast -- and Clint Eastwood’s controversial bio-drama Richard Jewell. Check out what else is in theaters this December and other holiday movies to check out on streaming.
