Book Review: It’s Me Billy – Black Christmas Revisited

It’s Me, Billy: Black Christmas Revisited
Published by BearManor Media, 2022. 299 pages.
By Paul Downey & David Hastings

Black Christmas is a film that should have so much more attention than it usually gets. I know it’s a fan favorite, but it just seems like that it should be brought up and referred to, anytime the horror genre from the early ‘70s, or the slasher sub-genre is being discussed.

Thankfully, we have this wonderful book by Paul Downey and David Hastings that delves a lot deeper into the film. There is a ton of interviews with both the cast and crew, with articles and references about the movie, from the initial release, original review quotes, and a lot more. We get to read about the origin of where the initial idea came from, originally called Stop Me!, and how it transitioned into a screenplay. For a story that is really shrouded in mystery, specifically who “Billy” is, it does a good job giving readers more details but really without spoiling anything.

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2024 Year Review: Never to Forget

January 5, 2025 by Jon Kitley in Rest in Peace, Year End Reviews and tagged Brett Baish, Charles Cyphers, David Emge, David J. Skal, Donald Sutherland, Jonathan Haze, Kristin Wicks, M. Emmet Walsh, Mark Damon, Olivia Hussey, Paul Morrissey, Roger Corman, Shelley Duvall, Silvia Tortosa, Susan Blacklinie, Tisa Farrow, Tony Todd | Leave a comment

2024 was a particularly rough year for me on a personal level with the losses we suffered. We have listed the celebrities that we have lost over the last 12 months, that had some connection to the horror genre, like we always do. Thankfully their work always makes it easier to keep them alive for future generations. But there were a couple of people in my personal life that left us that really left a hole in my dark and twisted heart. I posted about them when they first passed, so there is no need to go into any major detail now. But I just wanted to say that for those that aren’t left immortalized in film, it is up to us, their friends and families, to keep their memories alive. I know every time I go to a convention, Halloween Party, or even just a movie night, I’ll remember the excitement of my cousin Brett Baish going to shows with me, and all the support and great conversations with my dear friend Kristin Wicks. They left us way too soon.

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Olivia Hussey – Rest in Peace

December 28, 2024 by Jon Kitley in Rest in Peace and tagged Black Christmas, Ice Cream Man, It, Olivia Hussey, Psycho IV: The Beginning, Romeo and Juliet | Leave a comment

There are icons in the horror genre sometimes for the amount of work they do. But then there are others that make such an impact in one film, that they are forever connected to that. Actress Olivia Hussey is just that, starring in the 1974 film Black Christmas, the truly first slasher film. But it was announced yesterday that she had passed away yesterday, at the age of 73.

She was first catapulted into stardom with her appearance in Romeo and Juliet (1968), but it was in Bob Clark’s holiday horror film where most fans will know her from. She did have a few appearances in the genre, such as in It (1990), playing Mamma Bates in Mick Garris’ Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990), and even with Clint Howard in Ice Cream Man (1995).

Our thoughts go out to her friends and family during this most difficult time. But she will live on in the incredible performances that she left us with. Rest in Peace.