'Black Christmas' by Alumna Sophia Takal '07 In Theatres Now

On Friday, December 13, Universal brought the horror film, Black Christmas by Barnard alumna Sophia Takal ’07, to theatres with a wide release. Takal, who took many undergraduate film classes in her time at Barnard, directed and co-wrote the film that was produced by Blumhouse Productions. 

Black Christmas is Takal’s new take on Bob Clark’s classic original from 1974. In it, a group of female students are stalked by a stranger during their Christmas break. That is until the young sorority pledges discover that the killer is part of an underground college conspiracy. The film stars Green Room actress Imogen Poots, Cary Elwes, Aleyse Shannon, Brittany O’Grady, Lily Donoghue and Caleb Eberhardt.

Indiewire’s Kate Erbland describes the film as having “a contemporary spin that actually makes all those big reveals genuinely chilling. Takal’s new film — her first studio-backed outing after indies like Green and Always Shine, and her second foray into the Blumhouse milieu after directing an episode of its Into the Dark series last year — utilizes the key elements of Clark’s feature (sorority house, Christmas break, crazed killer) and turns it into something fresh and exceedingly timely.”

Sophia Takal wrote, directed and starred in the critically-acclaimed feature film Green (SXSW 2011), which won the SXSW Emerging Female Director award, was nominated for a Gotham Award and is distributed by Factory 25. She recently directed an episode of Into the Dark (2018). Takal produced and starred in Lawrence Michael Levine’s Wild Canaries (SXSW 2014), opposite Alia Shawkat, Jason Ritter and Kevin Corrigan. She also produced, edited and starred in Levine’s Gabi on the Roof in July opposite Kate Lyn Sheil, Amy Seimetz and Lena Dunham.  

Black Christmas is now playing in theatres.