True story behind Black Christmas and the first slasher film

• Black Christmas paved the stage for films like Halloween and established the slasher clichés that were used in them ever since.
• Ray Moore’s plot was partially inspired by the urban legend “The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs” When A Stranger Calls was later inspired by this urban tale.
• Black Christmas is based on true occurrences in Westmount, Montreal in November 1943

Since its premiere in 1974, Bob Clark’s cult classic Black Christmas has inspired two remakes and captured the attention of horror aficionados for decades. Black Christmas paved the stage for films like Halloween and established the slasher clichés that were used in them ever since. The fact that this famous slasher has origins in both a well-known urban legend and a real-life murderer distinguishes it from the competition. Yes, all you fans of true crime, Black Christmas is based on an actual incident that occurred in Montreal, Canada.

In the movie Black Christmas, a group of sorority ladies who are on holiday vacation begin getting threatening phone calls. As the women attempt to identify the killer and locate his hiding place, these threats eventually escalate into actual physical acts of violence. They soon learn the psychotic killer is in the house with them as the women are being killed off one at a time. Sounds recognisable? This is due to the fact that Ray Moore’s writing was partially inspired by the urban legend “The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs.” When A Stranger Calls was later inspired by this urban tale.

Black Christmas’s plot was originally adapted from Moore’s script Stop Me, which had the working title Stop Me. The urban legend, which was first published in the 1960s and rose to fame in the 1970s, told the story of a babysitter who received threatening phone calls from an unknown caller. According to the urban tale, the unsettling caller keeps asking the babysitter to “check the kids,” which makes her uneasy enough to call the police. The babysitter keeps the unknown caller on the phone for long enough for them to track him and discover where he is hiding in the house. Moore created his own plot and storyline based on the elements of this urban legend to give viewers goosebumps.

Black Christmas’s plot was originally adapted from Moore’s script Stop Me, which had the working title Stop Me. The urban legend, which was first published in the 1960s and rose to fame in the 1970s, told the story of a babysitter who received threatening phone calls from an unknown caller. According to the urban tale, the unsettling caller keeps asking the babysitter to “check the kids,” which makes her uneasy enough to call the police. The babysitter keeps the unknown caller on the phone for long enough for them to track him and discover where he is hiding in the house. Moore created his own plot and storyline based on the elements of this urban legend to give viewers goosebumps.

Black Christmas is based on true occurrences in Westmount, Montreal in November 1943. George Webster, 14, killed his mother with a baseball at home. George’s brother, sister, and a family friend all suffered head injuries from the bat, but none died. Never explained, he was accused with his mother’s murder on February 28, 1944, but judged incompetent to stand trial and sent to a mental hospital. The murders of Wayne Boden, nicknamed as “The Vampire Rapist,” also occurred in Montreal between 1969 and 1971. Nick Mancuso, who played Black Christmas’ killer, confirmed in 2020 that George Webster’s atrocities inspired Moore.

Black Christmas almost went by the moniker Stop Me because it already had a true crime component. This potential moniker was chosen in honour of William Heirens, also known as The Lipstick Killer, who murdered three women in Chicago between 1945 and 1946. At a crime scene, Heirens scribbled “stop me” in lipstick, and the nickname stayed with him ever since.

True-crime podcasts, shows, and movies have been popular for a decade. Horror and true-crime aficionados can enjoy a ‘inspired by true events’ cult classic this holiday season by watching Black Christmas. Black Christmas 4K is out December 6. This 3-disc set includes the restored original film, the camera negative with voice commentary, and bonus features.

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