Black Christmas Getting “Definitive” Behind-the-Scenes Book

Filmmaker Bob Clark might be most known for his classic holiday movie A Christmas Story, but nearly a decade earlier, he delivered audiences the seminal slasher film Black Christmas, which is getting an all-new book that dives deep into how that project came to life. Many audiences consider John Carpenter’s Halloween as the film that helped popularize the slasher subgenre, but devout fans know just how important — and influential — Clark’s 1974 film remains, which has since gone on to earn remakes in both 2006 with Black Xmas and in 2019. It’s Me Billy: Black Christmas Revisited is expected to hit shelves in 2022.

The book is described, “Featuring brand-new & archive interviews brought together for the first time ever with cast/crew, new academic insights into the film’s themes & visuals, as well as investigating the 50-year legacy of the film including in-depth explorations of the characters, the journey from concept to release, the fandom, the controversies, and the numerous remakes/spinoffs, It’s Me Billy: Black Christmas Revisited will be a true festive gift for fans of this ground-breaking and revolutionary proto-slasher.”

The book will include:

• Foreword by Dan Duffin (owner of It’sMeBilly.com)
• Interviews with cast and crew including Nick Mancuso, Lynn Griffin, Stan Cole (editor), Burt Dunk (camera operator), and many more still to be announced.
• Interviews with cast and crew from the remakes.
• The first comprehensive reading of the original film in an academic theory context.
• Interviews with leading filmmakers and fans from around the world about the impact and legacy of the movie on them and their careers.
• A look at the various spin-offs and merchandise from the film.
• Archival interviews all brought together for the first time in one book.
• And much much more to be revealed!

“It’s always been there, independent and proud in the background, with its own life. Always talked about in smaller circles. But in an ever-evolving world of DVD, Blu-ray, social media, and the Internet as a whole, where people can find out and uncover more details about their favorite films and even interact with some of their favorite stars, Black Christmas has never broken through this mold as much as the more well-known and documented films of the genre,” authors Paul Downey and Dave Hastings shared of the endeavor. “And with its 50th anniversary slowly creeping up on us like Billy climbing silently up the side of a house on a cold Christmas break, we thought it was time to finally bring all these unheard stories to the foreground, for both existing fans and new fans who are starting to discover such an iconic and overlooked classic. We cannot wait for everyone to read it!”

You can head to It’s Me Billy: Black Christmas Revisited on Facebook for all the latest.

Are you looking forward to the new book? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!