All you need to know is this is a Fan Film made for 40k n it is HEAD AND SHOULDERS better then the two feature studio backed films that tried to use the Black Christmas IP......If you are a fan of the original you will like this......Obviously the budget led to a short run time, that's unfortunate this had A LOT going for it......
15 Reviews
The twist killed the mystery.
peterskull28 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The scary atmosphere in the original is missing from this movie. This movie seems too safe and clean looking. The acting is not realistic like the original movie.
The soundtrack and sound effects is pretty good. The phone calls are good but not as good as the original. The original voice sounded like 1 man, this version just sounds like it was edited together on a computer.
The twist ruins the mystery. We had no idea who the killer was, nor what he looked like. We knew he was alone and clever or working on coincidences. In this movie, the killer is now called Billy, and now working aside with his sister? "Agnus".
I have a funny feeling that Dave McRae made this movie for reactions only, wanting people to think about this crazy twist. Of course he got annoyed by the Dr sartain twist in Halloween 2018, so he decided to bring it into this movie.
Let's just say, it was pretty good until the twist. Of course not everyone will like the twist, unfortunately I am one of them.
I do believe that Dave McRae will make something good if he doesn't use his own script. And try and get a better microphone.
The soundtrack and sound effects is pretty good. The phone calls are good but not as good as the original. The original voice sounded like 1 man, this version just sounds like it was edited together on a computer.
The twist ruins the mystery. We had no idea who the killer was, nor what he looked like. We knew he was alone and clever or working on coincidences. In this movie, the killer is now called Billy, and now working aside with his sister? "Agnus".
I have a funny feeling that Dave McRae made this movie for reactions only, wanting people to think about this crazy twist. Of course he got annoyed by the Dr sartain twist in Halloween 2018, so he decided to bring it into this movie.
Let's just say, it was pretty good until the twist. Of course not everyone will like the twist, unfortunately I am one of them.
I do believe that Dave McRae will make something good if he doesn't use his own script. And try and get a better microphone.
To pull a quote from Margot Kidder's Barb, "Not bad".
bensterpiszczek28 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This review assumes you've seen BOTH Black Christmas (1974) and this fan film. This is your final warning.
When I first heard word that an unofficial fan-made sequel to the original Black Christmas (1974) was in production, I gave a wan smile of approval. It goes without saying that the legacy of the 1974 cult classic has been built over the years due to two things, the first being the fact that the 1974 film never even had a sequel, but rather two remakes (that are both lame), the second being how scary the original is; The mystery of the killer "Billy", the soundtrack with eerie Christmas music, and how the killer never got caught. It stands out among other classic horror films not just for these reasons, but because it was considered the first modern slasher movie ever made.
With that being said, the idea of a sequel is not without fault, however. In fact, as I write this review, I think more about the plot of It's Me, Billy. Before I begin to explain my likes and dislikes, I'm going to tell you the plot
The film begins with three women named Sam, Justine, and Emma who are on their way to Jess Bradford's large countryside house for one final Christmas there. Emma's father wants to sell the house and Sam is the granddaughter of Jess, who survived the original film and became famous after many interviews and writing a book called "The Belmont Murders" (which is basically Jess's involvement in the plot of Black Christmas). A random neighbor leaves them with a key, and the three girls stay at the house overnight. During their stay, Sam and Emma discuss Sam's mother/Jess's daughter and how she died young and how Jess is (presumably) dead. When they are eating dinner with Justine, they discuss Peter (from the original film), and how Jess killed him thinking he was killer. This scene also reveals that Jess DID NOT get an abortion after the events of Black Christmas, and that Peter is Sam's grandfather.
Then, the girls start to get calls from Billy, complete with the rotary dial phone. Once the girls go to bed, noise is heard in the house, and Emma investigates it. Then Billy kills Justine very much like how Barb was killed in the original, complete with Billy's face being framed in shadow with only his eye shown. After that, Sam is awoken by noise and the ring of a rotary dial phone, gets another call from Billy, checks to see if her friends are dead, and goes into the attic. What follows is a montage shot of Sam looking at newspaper articles, a copy of The Belmont Murders sitting on a shelf, and more while Silent Night (the EXACT rendition from the opening titles of Black Christmas) plays in the background. Then Sam discovers a dead Justine in the rocking chair. She encounters Billy (as well as the original rotary dial phone from Christmas 1974) and runs out of the house and flags down the first car she sees, coincidentally being the random neighbor at the beginning of the film. It's then revealed that her name is Agnes and she chloroforms Sam, then takes her back to the house as Emma is revealed to be dead, killed the same way Claire Harrison was in the 1974 film. The film ends with Billy dragging Sam into a cellar or basement and locking her inside. There, she discovers Jess, who is revealed to be still alive. And the credits roll.
That's the plot of It's Me, Billy. And I had some minor issues with the plot and to a smaller degree the movie itself. The film surprisingly undermines the ending to the original (but being a fan film I can look past this and much of the other small things) and has Jess become a positive survivor figure, whereas Laurie Strode left Halloween (1978) severely traumatized and unable to find closure. What they did with Jess is vague at best, but I was confused by her decision to not have an abortion after Black Christmas. Throughout that film, she insists and states multiple times that she wants to have an abortion, who what made her change her mind after Christmas 1974 all of a sudden?
Like the characters in the original, they are developed to some degree before being killed by Billy. In this film, we actually see more of him (complete with distorted POV shots and long white hair), as there is no longer a red herring here. The reveal of the random neighbor to be Agnes herself was a fanservice twist, but it contradicts Bob Clark's behind the scenes notes on the character whom Billy kept referring to in Black Christmas. Not to mention it begs multiple questions: Why are Billy and Agnes kidnapping Jess and Sam? Where was Agnes during Black Christmas? The more I think about it, the more it confuses me.
What I did like about the film, however, was that other than the Agnes twist, the fanservice was on point. I wish we would've gotten a less subtle reference to Barb or maybe some other character for continuity purposes, but it's a fan film. It doesn't have to be perfect. I also liked the use of Silent Night from the original film's opening credits, as well as how silent some scenes were, as they helped build suspense.
In conclusion, It's Me, Billy is a good fan film (despite a few minor issues) that I highly recommend if you've seen Black Christmas from 1974.
When I first heard word that an unofficial fan-made sequel to the original Black Christmas (1974) was in production, I gave a wan smile of approval. It goes without saying that the legacy of the 1974 cult classic has been built over the years due to two things, the first being the fact that the 1974 film never even had a sequel, but rather two remakes (that are both lame), the second being how scary the original is; The mystery of the killer "Billy", the soundtrack with eerie Christmas music, and how the killer never got caught. It stands out among other classic horror films not just for these reasons, but because it was considered the first modern slasher movie ever made.
With that being said, the idea of a sequel is not without fault, however. In fact, as I write this review, I think more about the plot of It's Me, Billy. Before I begin to explain my likes and dislikes, I'm going to tell you the plot
The film begins with three women named Sam, Justine, and Emma who are on their way to Jess Bradford's large countryside house for one final Christmas there. Emma's father wants to sell the house and Sam is the granddaughter of Jess, who survived the original film and became famous after many interviews and writing a book called "The Belmont Murders" (which is basically Jess's involvement in the plot of Black Christmas). A random neighbor leaves them with a key, and the three girls stay at the house overnight. During their stay, Sam and Emma discuss Sam's mother/Jess's daughter and how she died young and how Jess is (presumably) dead. When they are eating dinner with Justine, they discuss Peter (from the original film), and how Jess killed him thinking he was killer. This scene also reveals that Jess DID NOT get an abortion after the events of Black Christmas, and that Peter is Sam's grandfather.
Then, the girls start to get calls from Billy, complete with the rotary dial phone. Once the girls go to bed, noise is heard in the house, and Emma investigates it. Then Billy kills Justine very much like how Barb was killed in the original, complete with Billy's face being framed in shadow with only his eye shown. After that, Sam is awoken by noise and the ring of a rotary dial phone, gets another call from Billy, checks to see if her friends are dead, and goes into the attic. What follows is a montage shot of Sam looking at newspaper articles, a copy of The Belmont Murders sitting on a shelf, and more while Silent Night (the EXACT rendition from the opening titles of Black Christmas) plays in the background. Then Sam discovers a dead Justine in the rocking chair. She encounters Billy (as well as the original rotary dial phone from Christmas 1974) and runs out of the house and flags down the first car she sees, coincidentally being the random neighbor at the beginning of the film. It's then revealed that her name is Agnes and she chloroforms Sam, then takes her back to the house as Emma is revealed to be dead, killed the same way Claire Harrison was in the 1974 film. The film ends with Billy dragging Sam into a cellar or basement and locking her inside. There, she discovers Jess, who is revealed to be still alive. And the credits roll.
That's the plot of It's Me, Billy. And I had some minor issues with the plot and to a smaller degree the movie itself. The film surprisingly undermines the ending to the original (but being a fan film I can look past this and much of the other small things) and has Jess become a positive survivor figure, whereas Laurie Strode left Halloween (1978) severely traumatized and unable to find closure. What they did with Jess is vague at best, but I was confused by her decision to not have an abortion after Black Christmas. Throughout that film, she insists and states multiple times that she wants to have an abortion, who what made her change her mind after Christmas 1974 all of a sudden?
Like the characters in the original, they are developed to some degree before being killed by Billy. In this film, we actually see more of him (complete with distorted POV shots and long white hair), as there is no longer a red herring here. The reveal of the random neighbor to be Agnes herself was a fanservice twist, but it contradicts Bob Clark's behind the scenes notes on the character whom Billy kept referring to in Black Christmas. Not to mention it begs multiple questions: Why are Billy and Agnes kidnapping Jess and Sam? Where was Agnes during Black Christmas? The more I think about it, the more it confuses me.
What I did like about the film, however, was that other than the Agnes twist, the fanservice was on point. I wish we would've gotten a less subtle reference to Barb or maybe some other character for continuity purposes, but it's a fan film. It doesn't have to be perfect. I also liked the use of Silent Night from the original film's opening credits, as well as how silent some scenes were, as they helped build suspense.
In conclusion, It's Me, Billy is a good fan film (despite a few minor issues) that I highly recommend if you've seen Black Christmas from 1974.
Stunning, tense, and incredible sequel that honors the original.
deeporiginal29 May 2021
Don't listen to the people who didn't "get it" or the trolls who hate Dave McRae. It's a brilliant professional film that is supposed to make you question what you just saw and discovered. Brilliant Black Christmas sequel that is soaked in atmosphere, mood, creepy phone calls (which are done BEAUTIFULLY) and tension that will drive you crazy! It honors the original, while taking a bold step forward. Watch it! Black Christmas fans will LOVE IT, and Bob Clark would have been proud!
Awesome flick!!!
yankeesfan137431 May 2021
Unbelievable Fan Film! Looks like a big studio movie!
markryan-5759823 September 2021
Black Christmas fans are going to LOVE This film. It pays so much respect to the original classic.
I see some clearly trolling and lowball reviews here. Don't listen to them. This fan film was beautifully shot, acted and directed. It looks nothing like a "fan film" and so much like a big studio film. The camera work, and sound design were the films greatest strength, followed closely by the acting and directing. If I had a nitpick, it would be that it ended too soon, and maybe that it took a while for things to really get going. But, like, that' s a nitpick.
I really hope the filmmakers continue the story, I am very excited to see what happens next. This SHOULD have been the Black Christmas remake. Just hand the keys over to these people please.
I see some clearly trolling and lowball reviews here. Don't listen to them. This fan film was beautifully shot, acted and directed. It looks nothing like a "fan film" and so much like a big studio film. The camera work, and sound design were the films greatest strength, followed closely by the acting and directing. If I had a nitpick, it would be that it ended too soon, and maybe that it took a while for things to really get going. But, like, that' s a nitpick.
I really hope the filmmakers continue the story, I am very excited to see what happens next. This SHOULD have been the Black Christmas remake. Just hand the keys over to these people please.
A big let down
jakecandrum-946473 June 2021
The acting is very good. I can't deny that, and the writing was even pretty good. I even enjoyed the beautiful cinematography. Especially the lovely blue lighting in the nighttime scenes. It was done very tastefully. I can appreciate the Halloween inspired look and feel of those scenes.
There is a particular scene where the women are having dinner and it is interrupted by a musical sting when it cuts to a POV shot. I understand it's supposed to be reminiscent of the original but WOW. It lacks any amount of nuance and style. I actually laughed when it happened because it sounded like some bombastic keyboard sting copy pasted from a 'How to make a horror film 101' tutorial.
The scenes leading up to the finale look very great but are filled with constant over dramatic music. I understand that they need to build tension but it just plays while she's walking through house and eventually to the attic. It actually sounds like this piece of music was recorded before the scene was shot. It builds up so much that by the time the titular line is spoken, it falls completely flat. So badly that it made me chuckle. A total miss.
The moments after that are pretty good. Just my opinion but I think it should've ended once the body is revealed in the back of the car. I actually thought that was the ending and I was quite impressed but then it kept on going. The real ending felt out of place like it was out of a Texas Chainsaw movie (one of the newer ones) and leaves you with a bit of a twist. The ambiguous ending in the car seemed more Black Christmas like but I guess they didn't like that.
I've seen the work that these guys have done before and I usually enjoy it! I just don't think this one measures up.
Once again, great acting and great cinematography. But overall, a big let down.
There is a particular scene where the women are having dinner and it is interrupted by a musical sting when it cuts to a POV shot. I understand it's supposed to be reminiscent of the original but WOW. It lacks any amount of nuance and style. I actually laughed when it happened because it sounded like some bombastic keyboard sting copy pasted from a 'How to make a horror film 101' tutorial.
The scenes leading up to the finale look very great but are filled with constant over dramatic music. I understand that they need to build tension but it just plays while she's walking through house and eventually to the attic. It actually sounds like this piece of music was recorded before the scene was shot. It builds up so much that by the time the titular line is spoken, it falls completely flat. So badly that it made me chuckle. A total miss.
The moments after that are pretty good. Just my opinion but I think it should've ended once the body is revealed in the back of the car. I actually thought that was the ending and I was quite impressed but then it kept on going. The real ending felt out of place like it was out of a Texas Chainsaw movie (one of the newer ones) and leaves you with a bit of a twist. The ambiguous ending in the car seemed more Black Christmas like but I guess they didn't like that.
I've seen the work that these guys have done before and I usually enjoy it! I just don't think this one measures up.
Once again, great acting and great cinematography. But overall, a big let down.
Great to Watch and Listen
aaron-7052429 May 2021
Very Amateur!
Relayer-7318 September 2021
I'm sure it didn't have much of a budget so for that, I will give it somewhat of a pass. But that doesn't excuse the bad acting and direction. Also I noticed some flaws in the sound editing. I guess the house looks pretty cool. But yeah, not impressed at all. Whoever made this it's back to the drawing board as they say!
Home run!!!
treakle_197828 May 2021
Home run!!!
treakle_197828 May 2021
Hollywood quality flick
motionpic0523 December 2021
After multiple fan films based off hit horror films like "Friday the 13th" and "Halloween", it is refreshing to see one made for Black Christmas. Of course, Dave and Bruce delivered!
This has the quality of a Hollywood film you would typically see from production companies such as Blumhouse or New Line.
This has the quality of a Hollywood film you would typically see from production companies such as Blumhouse or New Line.
That's How It's Done
JakeSamuelTanner22 July 2022
I love the DP work. Especially in certain moments near the end, that gives me major, Halloween Vibes. I was almost expecting to see Michael Myers to emerge out from the shadows.
Some great shots. Especially a really nice tracking shot. That I'm a sucker for. So I loved that.
Some really intense & Suspense moments. Especially one moment, that is impossible for me to watch, from start to finish. In a good way.
The action is solid. There are some scenes that I didn't care for the performances. But nothing bad.
There are some shots, that I didn't like. Not many at all though.
The film feels longer than what it really is. In a good way. There's actually quite of bit going on. It Leaves me wanting more.
That's kind of a negative too, Cause it feels like I didn't get enough at the very same time
It's my favorite short film. Yet.
Some great shots. Especially a really nice tracking shot. That I'm a sucker for. So I loved that.
Some really intense & Suspense moments. Especially one moment, that is impossible for me to watch, from start to finish. In a good way.
The action is solid. There are some scenes that I didn't care for the performances. But nothing bad.
There are some shots, that I didn't like. Not many at all though.
The film feels longer than what it really is. In a good way. There's actually quite of bit going on. It Leaves me wanting more.
That's kind of a negative too, Cause it feels like I didn't get enough at the very same time
It's my favorite short film. Yet.
Stunning, awesome, can't wait for part 2
jamiemayjohnson18 December 2023
Warning: Spoilers
The fact that this is a fan-made film is mind-blowing. I felt just as disturbed as when I watched the original. There is a review on here about the ending being bad... I emphatically disagree. I thought the ending was perfect and left me with as many questions as the OG. The acting was good, but what really made this so interesting to me was the actual story. It was a very clever way to move the story. I like the idea of the grandmother still being alive and them working together to defeat Billy. I am so excited to see what they do in part two. I believe they are making it currently, which is fantastic news. For anyone looking to watch this film, don't let a couple of lames in the comments dissuade you. It's worth the watch!
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