Black Christmas (1974) original; aka Silent Night Evil Night

 1974 was one hell of a year for the horror genre, arguably the two most influential horror movies (and arguably two of the most influential films of all time too) were released within ten days of each other, the original The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Black Christmas. Black Christmas was the first film to do many things, it was the first Christmas horror film (first holiday horror film as well), it was the first sorority horror movie, it was the first horror film where you never see the killer, the first where ending is never clearly resolved, the first to do the big twist with the phones (think When a Stranger Calls[1979] or [2006]), and the one which the director was most proud of, the first realistic look at college life in the US. Bob Clark may have become most famous for the 80s comedies Porky's (1982), or the immortal holiday cult classic A Christmas Story   

(1983), but like many and most famous directors, he started in the horror genre. Like most directors he only viewed making horror films as a necessity to pay the bills until he would later be big enough to make the films he wanted to do, but those who have seen his horror films usually agree that they are some of the best ever made. This film is about a serial killer stalking the residents of a college sorority around Christmas. This film came out four years before Halloween (1978) which would set the horror world ablaze creating the slasher craze which would eventually in one way or another affect every horror movie ever made after the 70s. When I watched this one I had no idea of the historical significance it had and I was just like "wow this is pretty similar to Halloween, it's really good though, and hey they stole that part from When a Stranger Calls!" When in reality When a Stranger Calls blatantly ripped off this film. This film even if you have seen all the movies it influenced before you see these one, it still feels great. The film is still scary, still funny, and the juxtaposition of the killings around "the most  peaceful time of the year" still works great. While The Texas Chainsaw Massacre influenced horror movies to eventually go down the path of extreme violence and gore, this film is just as influential in the way that it is stylized and shies away from being extremely graphic (though it does have its

moments).This film truly still feels fresh, especially in its portrayal of the college students, I felt like they were similar to some people I've met being a current college student. The film is also notable for its young stars Olivia Hussey (Romeo and Juliet) Margot Kidder(Superman), and Keir Dullea (2001: a Space Odyssey). It should almost be a crime that this film has dwelt in obscurity while the other films that were influenced by it prospered enormously. This film does have pretty devout cult following that it has gathered over the years though, including such celebrity fans as Steve Martin (in the documentary in the bonus features on the disc, Olivia Hussey said he told her it's one of his favorite movies and he's seen it 23 times), and a little guy named Elvis Presley, who watched it every year around Christmas until he died, and since then Priscilla and Lisa Marie have kept up the tradition every year since.The film also had a remake in 2006 which earned the approval of Bob Clark, the remake is notable in the sense that it sets out to resolve some of the loose ends left by the original. The film's most famous scene is when a girl is asphyxiated by a plastic bag over her head. This film is a part of Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments, and I give it a 5/5. You can view the trailer below:

P.S. In an interview on the special features of the DVD, Bob Clark tells a crowd of fans how four years after Black Christmas he planned on making his final horror film with John Carpenter. Clark said he had an idea of making kind of a sequel to Black Christmas but this time setting it on Halloween, Carpenter loved the idea and agreed to do it. Bob Clark decided to withdraw early on before production even started and gave full credit to John, I don't know if this is true or not but he said it, and you can seek out the interview yourself.