Black Christmas

During winter break, a circle of sorority pledges finds itself stalked by a mysterious intruder, turning a familiar campus into a claustrophobic nightmare. As the threat escalates, the women must rely on each other to survive and protect their own, all while the hallways echo with whispers and fear. Riley Stone, Kris Waterson, Marty Coolidge, Jesse Bolton-Sinclair and the rest of the house wrestle with paranoia, misdirection, and a growing sense that danger isn’t just about a single killer. The tension comes from a creeping sense of surveillance and menace that seeps into daily rituals, campus shifts, and friendships. Without warning, their assumptions about safety are challenged as the night pushes into chaos. The film also probes how power and fear shape group dynamics.

Directed by Sophia Takal, with a screenplay by Takal and April Wolfe, Black Christmas is a modern reimagining of the 1974 original created by Roy Moore. It was released in December 2019 in theaters nationwide.

Box office numbers show a worldwide gross of 18,529,730 dollars against a 5 million dollar budget, giving the film solid returns for a mid range horror release during the holiday season and across multiple territories worldwide.

While it drew attention from horror fans, the film did not receive major awards or nominations. Its reception focused on performances and how it reframes familiar slasher tropes, inviting discussion about female solidarity, empowerment, and the price of secrecy on a college campus.

Critical consensus was mixed, with some reviewers praising the cast led by Imogen Poots as Riley and the tense staging, while others found the film derivative. It raises themes of community, vigilance, and the harm caused by secrecy, while placing female characters at the center of the action.