MovieChat Forums > Black Christmas (1974) Discussion > the killer was....case closed

the killer was....case closed

posted 8 years ago by johnnybravophone-dy
25 replies | jump to latest

peter.

1. Yes, peter wasnt there with jess when billy called, but he was there afterwards when jess was informing the police. remember he was calling from the same house, so he got down there quickly.
2 he showed no remorse when finding out about the other girls dissapearence.
3. how could he know she was hiding down in the basement? he had to be damned sure to break the window.
4. at the end, the police officer says the morgue could not pick up all the bodies because there wasnt enough room. this implicates peter was left in the house. there is a scene of an empty bloody bed which is where his body was placed, and afterwards he moved. he never died.

peter=billy

[–] VivienCastro 8 years ago

But then how do you explain the ending? From purely story telling perspective, why would you take the approach of pointing towards a character, and then at the very end making it apparent it's actually someone named "Billy" who is still alive. It just doesn't make sense, sure we can imagine possibilities to make it work but it's really a stretch.

[–] SilverGameDog 8 years ago

I think you're confused.
Black Christmas isn't a whodunnit kind of film
It's not a mystery of who the killer is
It's billy
This has always been a problem people have had with this film. They want to know who the killer is and what their motivation is.
Michael Myers - a crazy escaped mental patient who killed his family years ago. Why is he killing? Because the last member of his family is Laurie
Mrs. Voorhees- a crazy woman at a camp. Why us she killing? Because her son Jason drowned years earlier because counsellors weren't paying attention and now she kills all counsellors.
But with Black Christmas the filmmakers have always said its just a guy and his motives are unknown.
And that's the way real life is sometimes too. Not everything has a reason or cool back story.
Billy was s guy. He was crazy. He killed people.

[–] HEYitzED 8 years ago

Although let's be clear. Michael Myers had no motive in the original. They only included the sister storyline in the sequel. I honestly think it's scarier the less we know. That's what makes Black Christmas special.

[–] TonyC4444 7 years ago

I was gonna say the same thing. Carpenter should have just left him a whack job who wanted to kill people because he was crazy, and not some wierd wanting to kill everyone in his family angle. It was better.

By the way, I am right behind you.

[–] SandyR (7421) 2 years ago

Exactly.

[–] sommert-507-32566 7 years ago

Billy was s guy. He was crazy. He killed people.

And that was a great touch that helped make the film more liked for me. Same reason I kind of liked 'The Dead Pool' when it turns out the killer really is some loon that was sending death threats to people, rather than being one of the 'suspects' in the cast. That's not saying it's a great film, just it was a nice touch IMO

[–] DrmWmn 8 years ago

Sorry, no. Peter's body was removed from the house. True, the morgue was full, but they were transferring them to another county to handle the overflow. "Billy" was a total stranger with mental issues, who presumably raped and murdered his sister, Agnes, as well as many others.

 <---Bella's "Kiss Me" Face

[–] snparks 8 years ago

The killer's motive remains unknown to us because its his own secret and the director did not want it revealed to the audience for obvious reasons. Left to dig into are clues and hints of why the killer killed and there are plenty of theories.

And to answer the original post, the reason why Peter's timing matches those of the killer is because the director wanted Peter to be the red herring all the way to the end, until its revealed to us that he wasn't the killer all along.

This is why you get Peter calling when the killer doesn't and vice versa. Peter lurking around the house to give the indication that he comes and goes at will. And the biggest part about the killer's shadow resembling Peter, which really fooled a lot of people but upon careful inspection, you can see that it's not Peter!

There's one scene and one scene only where there's proof Peter was never the killer and it's when the two men are in different areas at different times. The movie is a mystery so its on purpose for us to be left in the dark, but if you watch the film several times or to see it only in parts, this proof can be found.

[–] duke-verity 8 years ago

There is also very clear visual proof that Peter wasn't the killer - proof that is right before the audience's eyes, but which so many viewers have failed to comprehend or process since the movie came out in 1974.

Eyes! We see the killer (partially) only once in the entire movie, a huge closeup of his eye as he hides in a closet. The killer's eye is brown.

After Peter has been killed we get a big closeup of his face, eyes wide open and staring into death. That shot was chosen in order to emphasise Peter's bright baby-blue eyes. Peter can't have been the killer. The killer has hazel brown eyes.

It's remarkable how many people have failed to notice this obvious reveal over the years. Many are still erroneously convinced that Peter was the killer.

[–] highschoolkiller 8 years ago

When the killer was stabbing barb he was wearing the same sweater as peter and he had the same haircut. that's why i Always thought it was Peter.

I hated Jaws, it had too much shark, and dont get me started about King Kong, waaay too much gorilla

[–] snparks 7 years ago

Not the same haircut, however similar, like so many young guys back in the 70s wore that shaggy hairstyle. And not the same sweater, but similar. And definitely not the same face or eyes as evident through the unicorn-stabbing scene of Barb in the bedroom and then the closeup on the killer's eye between the door. This made it more than clear who the killer was supposed to be.

[–] baddogbites 7 years ago

Peter was not the killer. Even Bob Clark said on the special features and commentary that is was not Peter. They wanted you to think it was Peter, but Jess kills Peter in the basement and when she is drugged and everyone leaves the house, we hear Billy (the killer) up in the attic with the undiscovered bodies of Miss. Mack and Clare. I also have the very rare novelization by Lee Hays, Which was published by Popular Library in February of 1976 (after the movie release, which is odd). In the novelization, Billy begins to descend from the attic to the second floor as he is all alone in the house with the helpless Jess.

[–] ReturnOfWhiskey 7 years ago

case closed

As it relates to Peter NOT being the killer. Case closed indeed. Idiot.



[–] bill_istic82 7 years ago

Wasn't this addressed in the remake

[–] daughterofolaf 7 years ago

case closed

As it relates to Peter NOT being the killer. Case closed indeed. Idiot.

 That was pretty much going to be my response. There was no mystery here so I'm not even sure why the OP feels the need to solve something that wasn't in question. I almost think he KNOWS what an idiotic post it is which is why he never came back to discuss it.

"Your petty vengeance fetish will have to do withOUT Mr. Groin!"

[–] Mr_Ectoplasma 7 years ago

Peter is a classic red herring. The ending is evidence enough that he wasn't the killer considering Jess killed him and yet someone was still in the attic. The thing that makes this film so unique is that the killer is left a blank slate, so to speak. We never really get the satisfaction of seeing him or knowing who he is.

[–] kgwrote-854-104240 7 years ago

I think the killer was some random guy who went nuts or was demon possessed after his girlfriend got an abortion or , more likely, an ex of the main character.
The story is a warped version of the Nativity so instead of a virgin birth you get a whore abortion story.

I wouldnt read too much into it..someone remarked that the guy by the school bus could be the killer---possible as he was watching over children...

[–] kurt7825 7 years ago

the fact that peter knew she was hiding down in the basement is very suspicious. i've always wondered how he could know ever since i first seen this movie 30 years ago

for that reason alone it is possible peter is the killer

[–] Cultfilmfeverforever 7 years ago

Peter reminded me of the really good looking guy who nails Mr. Harrison with a blindsiding snowball. I had hoped he would reappear in the film. He brought heat to the frigid frost, that one.

[–] kurt7825 7 years ago

i thought that was peter for years lol. that guy seemed a little suspicious to.

[–] [deleted] 7 years ago

johnnybravophone-dy - Troll! Nice try though...