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They said theres no script, Takal recounts Jason Blum telling her just nine months ago.
you’re free to do whatever you want.
It just has to come out December 13.
They were like, Do you think it’s possible for you to handle it?
I was like, No, but Im gonna try.
So I spent about a month in a frantic Adderall haze writing probably eight drafts on my own.
Op-eds in theNew YorkTimesandThe Hollywood Reporterhail the movies subversion of genre tropes and forcefully progressive politics.
Elsewhere,deeply personal reactionsnote the films unique ability to mirror sexual-violence trauma onscreen.
Enter the Slasher Cinematic Universe
Objectively, 2019sBlack Christmasdeparts from its predecessors.
It took a while to settle on this approach to the retelling.
That particular spin onBlack Christmasdidnt fly at Blumhouse, but not because it didnt adhere to the source material.
Youre not making a movie for Talmudic scholars ofHalloween, says Samuelson.
All we said to Sophia was, Just put those things on the board.
Thats where Wolfe comes in.
She really liked my ideas and said, Would you want to write this with me?
And I was just like, Fuck yeah!
You never say no to Sophia.
Just do what she wants.
One of the central tenants of Takal and WolfesBlack Christmasis the power of women standing together.
Why have one Final Girl when you could have a community of triumphant women?
I liked this idea that the killer was misogyny, Takal told Vulture.
Its there to remind you, Youll never be able to fully get rid of this or us.
(Samuelson says Blumhouse execs took turns reviewing the script in a process they called checker boarding.)
I didnt know!).
Still part of the conversation.
Its Green-lit!
I was like, I havent heard anything, but I have this plane ticket.
I guess Ill fly there, and if its not green-lit, theyll pay to fly me back?
I have no idea.
Then I got a call from Jason Blum in the car on my way to the airport.
Dont fuck it up!
Blumhouse had two editors working full-time to cut the film thereafter, a new tactic for the studio.
He says Takal put in seven-day workweeks to push it to completion.
Some members of the horror-genre community decried the rating, but Takalclaimedit was by design.
Negotiating with the MPAA did get tricky, though, Samuelson says.
The movies violence is often rooted in sexual aggression, even if Rileys rape isnt shown onscreen.
(The film has since grossed $21.5 million worldwide.)
Reception has indeed been mixed, with some fans of the 1974 version taking issue with Blumhouses plot swerves.
Currently, it boasts a D+ on CinemaScore and a 50 on Metacritic.
If you are not provoking a reaction in people, youre not doing your job.
