Cary Elwes has joined the cast of Blumhouse’s Black Christmas remake in a mystery role. Blumhouse revealed just last week that it would be doing a remake of the 1974 cult horror classic. The original Black Christmas was directed by Bob Clark, who, funnily enough, would later go on to direct a far more wholesome festive film in the shape of 1983’s A Christmas Story. Set on a college campus just before Christmas break, Black Christmas focuses on a group of college girls - including Olivia Hussey and Margot Kidder - stalked by a deranged killer who taunts them with menacing phone calls.
As one of the earliest slashers and one of the earliest movies to feature the ‘final girl’ trope, Black Christmas influenced many later slasher horrors - most notably John Carpenter’s seminal 1978 slasher Halloween. It was previously remade in 2006 with a film directed by Glen Morgan (Willard, Final Destination 3) and starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead (10 Cloverfield Lane, Fargo). The 2006 remake was not very well received, however, in part because it gave the movie’s killer motivation and a backstory, which the original Black Christmas cleverly stayed away from.
Given Blumhouse’s horror credentials, Black Christmas fans are hopeful this remake will fare better than the 2006 remake. Now that Deadline has reported the talented Cary Elwes has joined the cast in an as yet unknown role, a quality remake looks even more likely. Although he’s probably best known for his role as Westley in another cult classic, The Princess Bride, Elwes is a seasoned horror actor too. He’s starred in Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Psych 9 and played Dr. Lawrence Gordon in the Lionsgate horror movies Saw and Saw 3D. He’s also set to star as Mayor Kline in season 3 of Stranger Things when it airs next month. While his role in Black Christmas remains a mystery, his casting is certainly good news for the Blumhouse remake.
Elwes joins fellow cast members that include Imogen Poots (Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, Green Room), Aleyse Shannon (Inez & Doug & Kira, Charmed), Brittany O’Grady (Star, The Messengers), Lily Donoghue (Jane the Virgin, The Goldbergs), Caleb Eberhardt (The Post, The Defenders) and Ben Black (The Cul De Sac, Roman Empire).
Blumhouse’s Black Christmas remake will be directed by Sophia Takal (Always Shine, Into the Dark) and features a script penned by Takal and screenwriter April Wolfe. Filming will start soon on location in New Zealand and Black Christmas is appropriately set for release just a couple of weeks before Christmas Day on December 13.
Next: 18 Horror Movies That Deserve A Remake
Source: Deadline
- Black Christmas Release Date: 2019-12-13
