Many offer Halloween as the classic against which all stalker movies should be compared, but four years earlier, Black Christmas, a minor but exemplary effort succeeded in being far creepier, and avoided many of the former's failings. The telephone scenes are unnerving, the killer truly scary, and the ending is superlative, with a terrifying coda. It strains credulity sometimes, but the terrific use of setting, especially the snowbound Canadian campus, and the admirable character development (so it's not Anna Karenina; how many horror films actually give attention to the minor characters?) make for a highly recommended, as well as historically important, terror film. Olivia Hussey gives a standout performance, Margot Kidder steals her scenes, and Andrea Martin makes an impact in a non-comedic role. Definitely outshines its knockoffs.