Episode 9 Black Christmas

In this episode of Mind Over Murder, we unpack Black Christmas (1974), the proto-slasher that quietly shaped everything that came after it. Long before masked killers became formulaic, this film centered fear around isolation, unseen threats, and what happens when women are not taken seriously.

Kallie and her mom, Teresa, explore the film’s most unsettling elements, from the anonymous phone calls and the killer’s unseen presence to the repeated dismissal of women’s intuition and fear. Beneath the holiday setting and early slasher tropes is a story about control, denial, and the danger of assuming women are “just overreacting.”

The conversation also touches on the film’s historical context, including early slasher conventions, abortion as a controversial plot point in the post-Roe era, and how cultural fears about young women shaped the story. Teresa shares a personal experience that makes the phone calls hit especially close to home, adding a real-world layer to the horror.

This episode looks at Black Christmas not just as a horror movie, but as a case study in how fear, misogyny, and institutional failure can be far more terrifying than what’s on screen.

Content note: discussion includes stalking, violence, and themes related to sexual autonomy.