Blumhouse is once again trying its hand at classic horror films centered around holidays. Following the success of last year’s Halloween, the production company is now in the midst of remaking the 1974 slasher Black Christmas, which is scheduled to be released right in time for the holiday it’s named after.
The story follows a group of sorority girls who are being terrorized by a homicidal maniac during the holiday break. They try to keep themselves safe from the killer, but soon learn that he’s much closer than they thought. While the reimagining of the chilling tale is sure to pay homage to the original, there’s also expected to be quite a few twists along the way.
Black Christmas will star Imogen Poots, Aleyse Shannon, Brittany O’Grady, Lily Donoghue and Caleb Eberhadrt. Sophia Tokal, who starred in V/H/S, will direct from a script written with April Wolfe.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time a studio has decided to reboot the terrifying yuletide flick. Glen Morgan directed a loose adaptation of the source material back in 2006. Though it did manage to gross $21.5 million against a $9 million budget, the movie received largely negative reviews from critics and audiences alike.
The film also stirred up controversy from religious organizations due to its brutality in a festive setting, as well as the decision to release the feature on Christmas. Blumhouse doesn’t seem intent to repeat the latter mistake and has already said that the movie will open to audiences at least a week earlier than the actual holiday.
Of course, Black Christmas is just the latest in a slew of well-known horror features to be remade. Stephen King adaptations It and Pet Sematary have already been brought back, with reboots of Candyman and Child’s Play both on the way as well. It remains to be seen if this movie can attract the same buzz that the others have, but Jason Blum appears hopeful that the cult classic will bring people to the theater during the holiday season when it opens on December 13th.
