Holiday movies are sentimental and uplifting, but surprisingly devoid of knife murders. BLACK CHRISTMAS—one of the most influential Hitchcockian slashers of all time—is here to help. When sorority sisters Olivia Hussey, Margot Kidder (Superman), and Andrea Martin find themselves under attack from a foul-mouthed killer, it’s up to police chief John Saxon (A Nightmare on Elm Street) to even the odds. But what about Keir Dullea (2001: A Space Odyssey), the brooding art-school pianist? Could he have something to do with the mutilation rampage? BLACK CHRISTMAS is a terrifying and demented holiday tradition that gets everything right. We’d expect nothing less from Bob Clark, the pioneering director of A Christmas Story. – American Genre Film Archive

“The film stands as the mother of the modern slasher.” – Jourdain Searles, Thrillist