[Book Review] It’s Me Billy: Black Christmas Revisited (2022)

An ideal accompaniment piece to the 1974 Canadian slasher classic Black Christmas directed by Bob Clark, It’s Me Billy: Black Christmas Revisited written by Paul Downey and David Hastings is an in-depth exploration of the horror film that influenced John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978).

In the context of slasher movie history, time and time again Black Christmas (1974) is unfortunately overlooked, forgotten about and pushed to the wayside, overshadowed by the more popular and celebrated Halloween (1978) directed by John Carpenter. Yet ultimately without Black Christmas, there would perhaps have been no Halloween. Unlike the latter, the former does not have countless documentaries and commentaries about the process and production of the film, nor it’s cultural cinematic impact. It’s this void that It’s Me Billy is looking to fill.

As well as containing interviews with crew and cast members, It’s Me Billy deep dives into the production aspects of the festive murder mystery movie. The second chapter is a detailed breakdown of the inception of Black Christmas, from its origins and the urban myths that influenced the story, it’s conception covering the scriptwriting, the director Bob Clarke and the actual filming, concluding with the reception of the horror movie once it was released into cinemas. Of particular interest is it’s intense detailing of the cinematography work behind the camera techniques that were employed in the filming of Black Christmas, paying extra attention to the point-of-view lens of Billy (the intruder), that then went on to become a staple technique for the slasher genre that would boom come the 1980s.

Apart from discussing the original Black Christmas from 1974, the book then continues with the remakes. Concentrating on the Black Christmas of 2006 courtesy of Dimension Films production company, again the book sets out its origins, the experience on set and also the reviews the film garnered after it’s release. It’s Me Billy also touches on the third Black Christmas version from 2019 produced by horror production powerhouse Blumhouse. The satisfying conclusion of It’s Me Billy is one that explores the legacy that the original Black Christmas has left on the horror cinematic world, as well as this legacy’s hand in the slasher revival which is currently having a moment. It also contains an interview with the filmmaker behind the short film It’s Me Billy: A Black Christmas Film Fan which offers an interesting insight into the mindset of Black Christmas fans and their desire to not let the franchise be forgotten.

It’s Me Billy: Black Christmas Revisited is, as previously mentioned, an ideal companion text to both the original and it’s movie offspring. Despite there being a few instances of repetition within the information and text itself, it’s a satisfying read for those die hard fans of Black Christmas (1974) as well as those looking to educate themselves on their horror movie history by researching one of the ancestors of the ever popular horror subgenre, the slasher.

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