Bob Clark’s Black Christmas has been remade twice and has inspired countless imitators. One of the reasons for its lasting popularity is the ambiguous ending – which left the fate of its heroine and mysterious killer up in the air. A fan-made sequel, currently being crowd-sourced, explores what happened after the original ending 46 years ago.
Enjoying a long platform release throughout the U.S. in late 1974 and the following year, the Canadian thriller made a nice profit for its distributor Warner Brothers. Released in some markets as Silent Night, Evil Night, Clark’s film was hugely influential in creating the slasher subgenre that would peak in the early 80s. The film revolved around a sorority house in the last days before Christmas break. An unseen intruder, hiding in the attic, begins making threatening phone calls; eventually killing some of the remaining students. The template inspired dozens of similar films, from the blockbuster Halloween (1978) to more obscure titles such as The Dorm That Dripped Blood (1982).
Olivia Hussey played distressed college student Jess, distracted by an unwanted pregnancy with her volatile boyfriend (Keir Dullea). After discovering that the disturbing phone calls were made by someone in the house, the intrepid heroine went to warn her friends – only to find them dead. Her ordeal ending with the authorities finding her unconscious and the supposed killer apprehended. The film concluded with Jess left in bed as police stand guard outside the sorority house waiting for her parents. Inside, it was revealed that the killer was still in the unchecked attic and still calling the house. The film credits played over the haunting sound of the continuously ringing phone.
Black Christmas Fan-Made Sequel Offers Answers
While Roy Moore’s original script had elements of a mystery, complete with red herrings, the identity of the killer was secondary to the suspense. His ending made clear that none of the main characters could have been “Billy” the name the killer repeated during his tirades on the phone. Intriguing visual elements in the film added several layers to the story, including the alcoholic sorority mother Mrs. Mac (Marian Waldman). Photos in the house reveal Mac and her sister were a vaudeville act – and one found in the attic suggests that Mac had lived there for a while. Could she have been related to the unseen killer who clearly had been in the house before? These questions have always tantalized fans of the underrated classic.
A new fan-made short film that picks up 50 years after the original might have a few answers. Filmmaker Dave McRae’s It’s Me, Billy is described as “an unofficial sequel” to Clark’s original. Currently being crowd-funded on the Indiegogo platform, the action takes place, ostensibly, in the house of the original heroine. According to the press release: “Unaware of the danger that’s hunting her, Sam and her two best friends are spending Christmas Eve at her grandmother’s old country mansion. Stalked by a sinister evil that’s been lurking in the shadows for nearly 50 years, Sam is about to come face to face with her grandmother’s chilling Christmas past, the deranged psychopath known as Billy.”
As of this writing, the production team has already raised $18,000 of the $45,000 needed to make the film. The teaser trailer emphasizes the original’s dark tone and sinister soundscape, making clear that it's a true follow-up to the 1974 original. Two remakes have been released, a cynical 2006 version directed by Glen Morgan (Final Destination) that over explained the motivation of the killer, and a Blumhouse version which kept only the title and the sorority house setting. Neither films were embraced by fans or critics. Admirers of the original are hopeful that McRae and his team will be able to deliver a true follow-up in the spirit of the original Black Christmas.