This week on Horror Heals, Corey and Kendall unwrap a special gift for horror fans everywhere—a festive, frightening conversation with Lynne Griffin, the star of the 1974 slasher classic Black Christmas. Celebrating the film’s 50th anniversary, Lynne shares behind-the-scenes stories, from Bob Clark’s joyful direction to the creation of the film’s haunting visuals.

Black Christmas at 50: Lynne Griffin's Legacy

Lynne also explores how the movie broke boundaries, empowered audiences, and built a legacy that endures to this day. From signing pictures of herself with a bag over her head to dreaming up her next role as a serial-killer grandma, Lynne brings humor, charm, and insight to this unforgettable episode.

Plus, get the scoop on her involvement in It’s Me Billy, the fan-made sequel, and find out why Black Christmas continues to captivate horror lovers around the world.

Hello? Hi Lynn!

Okay I'm, sorry. This has been such a roundabout event. I didn't know I was gonna have to get a root canal. Oh, no And then it didn't go as planned And I got really sick anyway, but i'm better now. Wow good

I had to get a root canal when I was 12 it's, a comedy of error story. I was shoveling the driveway and I guess it's a holiday related thing because I was shoveling the snow off the driveway in the Midwest. I went to put the snow shovel back over the fence. I put it, shovel first and our, sweet German shepherd mix dog gizmo jumped up, smacked the shovel part of it, which knocked the handle into my mouth.

I finally did a lot of research and found a dentist that could correct All the mistakes that have happened by previous dentists. thank God I found this guy because he was like oh, no, you can't move this and, you know, people, I guess if anything went wrong they just wanted to pull teeth out.

Right. And I went, you know what, I'd like to keep my teeth if I can. No kidding. everything seems okay right now. Good. Till the next time. Well, we're glad you're feeling better. Thank you. Yeah. . And I hope you're feeling well and full of holiday spirits, right?

That's right. Oh my goodness. Yes. Well, we are, and it's, you know, black Christmas has been one of our favorites. and, and, annual celebration here. So we started sharing the movie with our cousins who lived near us, in Boston. A few years back and we've just kind of recreated like a black Christmas party and, they adore it.

there's wine involved. Barb would be proud. Yeah, exactly. Barb would be pleased. Yeah, Barb would be pleased. Claire would probably switch to the hot chocolate.

Literally just about a half an hour ago, I'd mentioned to Kendall, like, I think they earlier this year released a making of book about Black Christmas and while googling that just realized that someone wrote a novelization of the movie that's coming out. And you wrote the foreword to it! Yeah! I tell you, there has been so much interest.

there's been building interest certainly over the last five years, but because of it being 50 years old this year, other people are doing a board game, a couple of young filmmakers and myself, made a sequel, To black Christmas that you can watch on YouTube.

for free. It's me, Billy. I said to them, well, I can't be in it. I'm dead. they said, no, no, we've written a role for you. I play Claire's sister, Nancy, a private investigator who solves the long ago cold case. Really cool. Love that. Love it on YouTube. Chapter one and chapter two. I suggest you watch the two of them together. And I'm in the second half. Very cool. It's the gift that keeps on giving, right? But yeah, and now somebody has made an action figure. Of Claire. there is an action figure of Claire. I think you really know you've made it once.

You have your own action figure. Absolutely. And the detail is brilliant. right down to the bag on the head and the costume It's brilliant. She's sitting in a rocking chair I love itWell, we will have that soon, we've got to get the gift that keeps on giving what's really remarkable about them there's many remarkable things about black christmas but You know, while the Claire character is, only briefly in the movie, she carries through the entire film,

I said to Kendall the other day, I bet the name Claire is the most spoken name in the full movie.

I'm sure that's true. And of course the image of Claire, you know, with the bag in her head on the rocking chair, it was used in the marketing. that's the iconic image. When people think of black Christmas, that is the image they think of, of you suffocated and that's why, once the film was rediscovered when it was released on DVD and Blu ray.

Fans started coming after the movie, I guess. now I do these conventions and I get to sign pictures of myself with a bag on my head. sometimes if things get really slow at the conventions, I'll put a bag on my head and then I get a lot of attention.

I love it. there are pictures of me with a bag on my head, it's crazy. when we were making this film, Towards the end of it, Bob Clark took me aside and said, I wanna show you something.

And, took me in and showed me the mockup of the poster. and, said, I hope you're all right with this. We wanted to use this image on the poster, and I thought that was kind of amazing and wonderful. Little did I know. how many years later.

That image is like everywhere. Yes. So you mentioned the conventions and you know that the conventions are near and dear to our hearts here and this podcast concept happened because of a horror convention, just seeing, how, powerful.

The healing power of horror is for our mental wellness. I imagine you've had people come up to your table over the years and talk to you about that. That's really fascinating because I've certainly talked to a lot of people recently about it. I found one of the things fascinating was how many young women were coming up to me and telling me that they felt the film was very empowering for young women.

You know, at the time we didn't think that but because first of all just bradshaw I mean, she takes matters into her own hands We're talking about, making a film in late 73 releasing it in 74 and she talks about getting an abortion which was absolutely Revolting back then nobody spoke of getting an abortion.

I grew up Roman Catholic, Each of the characters is flawed, but each of the characters, I mean, even though, I don't know, I guess because, you know, we all die except for dear Olivia. But I think you feel there's, strength in all those women, in different ways, and they show it in different ways.

It's really interesting, That this is now another element for me to think of it being in some way healing or empowering, to be able to say you can take charge of your own life, you can Move forward. I keep thinking of Jeff and how strong she is.

And when we were making the sequel, we really wanted to create new characters, that would be in the sequel, as strong young women as well, Jess Bradshaw, in our thinking, does not have an abortion, and she does give birth to a child, who then gives birth to another child, who is Sam, who stars in It's Me Billy.

to bring these characters back and have them committed to finding the answer is part of what I always think of with mental health issues it's very important to find your answer. and if that means looking very directly into yourself and, saying, what are the demons?

What are they? And let me identify them and let me know. Remove them, or at least set them aside, or at least know how to deal with them on a day to day basis. Yes, and I think you hit upon something really important, is that here we are 50 years later and the conversations and the things that are still happening, at least in the United States, it's amazing.

You know, if you think about the Peter character and his point of view, it's like, wow, how poignant. That was for bob clark to recognize 50 years ago. Yeah absolutely it made me think of something else but It'll come back, you know because there's other things that i've been talking to people about And I guess one of the things was that someone had asked me why do you think?

There is this sort of subgenre of humanity who is fascinated with horror. I find that a hard question to answer. I have met so many people through the conventions who have a devotion to this genre, like they, like, it's a religion and yet they're, wonderfully charming, open.

I love meeting these people. They are fascinating because their commitment to particular films and Black Christmas being one of them, is astonishing to me. And I do wonder What is it about the horror genre that does attract people? Let's, let's say you. Yeah, well, I mean, I'll say for us, I think it started out as a feeling of being a little bit of an outsider, you know, as young people, you know, Kendall and I are a couple.

And so, growing up, as a gay person, feeling a little bit like I'm on the fringe and sort of connecting with the characters who are the outsiders, but they're fighting back, they're persevering against the demons. and I think that's what sets Black Christmas apart, because, it's not just about people meeting horrendous ends.

It's not just about that. There's a much deeper core, I think, in the movie. Absolutely. and, you know, I'm not even really sure I can say for certain, although I think Bob Clark Was a genius in many ways, as a filmmaker and also a very well adjusted Happy person who was making horror movies, although he also made a christmas story, which is my other favorite christmas movie But that he had That awareness at the time, I can't say that we were in that bubble of going this is going to be an important film, down the road.

I can't say that we felt that.

I assume Bob was actually trying to portray a lot, because even though the script is written by somebody else, so much of the input in the film is Bob. It's definitely Bob. And Bob was one of the jolliest person I have ever met. I mean, he made the whole thing like a Christmas party.

you're making a horror movie, but you're all having the best time, just the best. songs, drinks, cookies, every day was like a Christmas party. Even in the attic. He still made it fun. it was basically Bob, Burt Junks, the cinematographer and myself in the attic.

And Bob would sit in the rocking chair opposite me with his foot on the rocker, so he's rocking me back and forth. And he's the one that likes to sing, and make jokes, and, you know, even say to me at one point, Okay, the crew is breaking for lunch, Lynn, just stay there, we'll bring you something with a straw.

You know? I mean, just a delightful human being. And a real, technical genius, too. so much of the cinematography was groundbreaking at the time. it's incredible. you hit upon a couple of great things. the combination of the writing and directing.

You get to know these characters well, so quickly. and you get to know Claire. even after she's killed, you get to know her better through the characters that continue to appear in the film. there's no generic person here. Everybody seems very real. you juxtapose that with such a unique idea for the killer is that you never see the killer, but you see things through the killer's eyes,

It's so disturbing, you know. Yeah, well, but I think this is why, I mean, it truly is disturbing, because I always think you're more frightened of what you don't know, or you don't see, You hear something, you hear the creak in the wall or in the attic or in the basement, but you don't know what it is.

You're not shown right away what it is. And I mean, we love the fact when we were making it to me, Billy, that they kept saying the only reference we really have. For Billy, because obviously Billy is the star of It's Me Billy, is the eyeball. And they said to me, do you remember what color the eyeball was?

Because we're going to get an eyeball. We want an eyeball. I remember this color as eyeball. It's very clear. That's the only thing you do see of Billy in Black Christmas. Right, and I love that you also bring up, a Christmas story because here's this super dark Christmas movie.

the bleakest of the bleak. we really don't know at the end of the movie, is Jess gonna survive? Billy is still in the house and the cops leave. poor Claire. Nobody's even bothered to find her She's being well preserved in that cold attic.

Now that would have been an interesting sequel. And then on the flip side, you've got a Christmas story almost a decade later, which has also become one of the most beloved and rewatched Christmas movies of all time. I was thinking about this earlier today, What if a Christmas story is actually the prequel to Black Christmas?

And Billy is actually the boy character growing up, you know? It's like, Billy, you'll shoot your eye out! Are you saying the little boy grows up to be Billy? Well, it could be! Two different time periods. Randy is very, very suspect. Yes. Yeah. Yes, that's true. That is true. It could be Randy. Randy. I mean, he likes to hide under the kitchen sink with his cup of milk.

True. so you know, he's obviously, but, but then again, you know, you go. This thing with the rifle, and you know, you'll shoot your eye out. I mean, there you go. Ha, shoot your eye out. Very interesting. Yeah. Yeah. I think we've hit upon something. I think we've got like the mashup movie that we've got to make now.

the more it does, you know, it does like, you know, when I think of how many times I've watched the film, I actually watched it once on an IMAX screen, which was incredible. I saw so many things I hadn't seen before. But you go, it does keep bringing up issues and conversation, and certainly, for the last year and a half when we've been working on this other film and trying to really collaborate and put together, what do we think actually happened?

What did actually happen? it's been fascinating to think, also, because I think you'll find It's Me Billy really interesting, because it does deal with mental health. Mm hmm. Yeah. And, particularly, Billy's, and what is Billy's story. Mm hmm. Yeah. Now fascinating. how do you feel about the, remakes that have, I mean, there's been two remakes over the years.

I mean, initially, everybody told me not to watch them, there was one that I didn't mind and one that I thought was ridiculous. some of the acting in it was really, really quite fine, and then there was one where somehow they introduced some sort of black goo, and some fraternity, I, I, I, I kind of got lost in, I don't know.

Whatever they were, the story they were trying to tell it. And also, I don't know how well they'd actually Captured what the original was like and, and the, the atmosphere in the original, they seem to kind of go a little almost comic, which. Well, at least I thought it was that. I couldn't, suspend my disbelief.

I don't believe this. The thing about Black Christmas, the original, is you can believe everything is actually happening. But once you start introducing some surreal elements, it loses its authenticity to me. Yes. And I think the magic of the original is that you are left almost in the dark as to who the Billy character is.

you get little hints through the phone calls, but I love movies that let your imagination run wild because you really don't know what's happening, when he's voicing his parents and what happened to Agnes, your mind can go to some really scary places.

I think you're going to be fascinated when you watch it. To me, Billy, you're going to go, Wow, what is it? Because we went all over the place, you know? And it is, really interesting because the young lady, Victoria, who plays, Sam, who is the granddaughter of, Jess Bradshaw.

Yeah. and we kept saying to her, So. You must be the wart because when Agnes says it's just like having a wart removed I always assume she's referring to having an abortion. It's just like having a wart removed. So we kept calling Victoria the wart Wow, okay that's a wild concept Fascinating that you go if we look at Beyond Black Christmas.

I don't think that Bob ever really meant to make a sequel. I think he kept the ending enigmatic for a reason. I never heard that he was actually planning on doing anything to, you know, obviously, tie and eat Bo on the end of that film and try and, and But these two young Canadian filmmakers decided that they would do it.

I was delighted that they did, because I think it is something that everybody said, What did happen? Only it's villain. Only it's Agnes. You know? And we're, and you'll get to meet them anyway. that's a nice uh, nice uh, Christmas aperitif.We would be remiss if we didn't mention a very underrated film that you were in called Curtains, which also takes place in wintertime.

no spoilers everyone, but it is nice to actually make it. to the end of a film. I have been killed so many different ways on film.

My husband and I really threw up a list. drowning? Yeah. set on fire? Yeah. Jumped from a tall building? Yeah. You know, I mean, there's so many strangles. Yeah, okay. So, you know, it's, it is interesting to actually, talk about curtains, from a different perspective of my character.

Although I try not to be a spoiler because nobody knows. and even when they're watching the film, they evidently don't really suspect much. So it's an interesting, what would you call that a bookend to that particular, decade of my career? we'll keep it spoiler free here.

I mean, if people haven't watched Black Christmas yet, shame on them. they should know that Claire dies in the first act. Curtin's had a lot of problems initially and, the director took his name off it. We did a lot of reshoots on it. maybe even the last.

Quarter or third of the film is something that we shot a year later after Peter Simpson the producer took over and decided to do a new Ending for the film. when it was released I remember seeing it in an awful little movie theater in New York somewhere, with about six other men.

then it came out in a bootleg version with some other films, But then, somebody discovered it, decided to remaster it, and the new, Clean, beautiful blu ray. It's fantastic. Even though I still think there's a lot of holes in the film.

I think when you watch it, If you watch it carefully, you're going, Wait a minute, what happened to him? And how did she get there's a lot of loose ends in it. But I think it still holds up, and I just always loved the idea of six actresses up for the same part, and one of them will kill to get it.

The story of my life, you know? Love that.

It was really, really fun. The cast was really fun. I really loved working with John Vernon. I loved the original director, Richard Schoepke. I thought he was terrific. He was such an auteur. He had such a gorgeous eye. The way he was filming things and the way he directed it. but I think the producing company wanted more of a slasher film.

so they got what they wanted. I think now, Curtis may have a little bit more of a life, and more people seem to be gradually discovering it. I hope so, because it's definitely an underrated gem, And I was plucked out of the Stratford Festival. in Canada playing Shakespearean roles to play a stand up comic, which was terrifying.

I had never done anything like that in my life. they said to me, okay, we're gonna shoot this scene where you have your stand up routine and, we're going to shoot it at Yuck Yucks, the comedy place where Jim Carrey got his start in Toronto. you just write something and we're going to film it with a live audience.

Oh my goodness. No pressure. Right. No pressure, it was a lovely challenge I was always playing what Claire is referred to as the perpetual virgin. So to play someone who is A little more spoken, racy, randy, whatever you want to call her.

She speaks her mind. So, it was a lovely character to play. Very different. Well, the last question that we always ask our guests, and I have a little bit of a sneaking suspicion who you might say, but, Who is your favorite final person in a horror film?

A character. A favorite final person. Yes. Oh my favorite character in a horror film. Well, final character, the one that makes it through and lives till the end. Well, that certainly wouldn't be me. oh, gee, God, thinking about how much I like Halloween and how much I'm just, enamored with Jamie Lee Curtis and the fact that she won an Oscar.

I don't know whether I would call it Halloween. My favorite character in a horror

It's a tough one. Yeah, well I would think it would be more, Like, for me, like, It would probably be a favorite villain, Okay. As opposed to That's totally fair. I don't know if we're talking like older films or modern ones, one of my favorite characters, and I don't know whether it's really a horror film, is the way the Joker has been portrayed recently, and I don't know if you have watched The Penguin.

I haven't finished it yet, but I have started it. Yeah, and it's pretty darn good. The penguin's pretty great. But you see, I do favor villains, and They're always much more fun to play rather than, the goody goody girl.

Much more fun to play the bad girl. I have put it out into the universe that, If someone listens to any of these podcasts that I do, what I want to play, before it's too late, is the little old sweet lady who lives next door, who invites you over for tea and cookies, but she's really a serial killer.

I've got this twisted idea, and Kendall and I have been going back and forth about, some fiction stuff that we want to write. there is a screenplay that I want to write called Grandma and Grandpa's House. the inspiration comes from my sweet grandparents who would never harm a fly.

But I want to turn them into serial killers. That's brilliant! my husband is an actor. So, you know, this is something that we've been trying to work on. We're actually working with some guy in Chicago right now, and, talking about trying to, put up, because my husband wrote a play called The Slaughter Brothers Dying Circus, we're trying to turn that now into a film.

there's something about, the sweet, benign, you know, she probably has lots of cats and sings when she's gardening and would be the least person that you would expect. then I came up with the idea that she likes to do jigsaw puzzles.

The operative word being saw. once she's dismembered everybody in the basement after giving them tea and cookies, she puts them back together like a jigsaw puzzle. I love that. So it has kind of a Frankenstein theme to it. This all came because my husband just shot Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein.

Ah! So he had a part in that. So we've been obsessed with Frankenstein at the moment and, you know, reanimating him. That might be, Frankenstein, the monster might be my favorite character. The one that scares me the most is the werewolf in the original werewolf movie. That terrifies me. I don't know, something about this guy just, Turn into a werewolf in front of your eyes.

And that kind of crazy stop motion thing that they do with the makeup. It's terrifying. Yeah, absolutely. Let's write the screenplay. It just seems to me it's going to happen somewhere, somehow. I love it. I just keep having these images of, you know, because I have this really elaborate scissor collection.

That I do. Lynn does have the scissor collection. Some of them are quite gruesome looking. But you go, that would be part of it too. she likes to collect, oh you know what movie I really like speaking of? Frankenstein and then, Pearl. Did you see the movie Pearl?

Oh, yes. With Mia Goth? Yes. So Mia Goth plays the young woman in Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein as well, so, I got to meet her, what a sweetheart. but again, that kind of, I mean, Pearl is such a character that you just don't suspect. There's something about the innocence of someone. Right.

Someone. And I always think there's a phrase that says The devil always wears a pleasing face. Yeah. You know, so if you could see me right now, I'm smiling, my dimples are showing you would never say I could be a drunk smuggler. I could be the jackal.

Right. No, I love that. There's another good series right now, the jackal is airing with Eddie Redman. I love all this stuff. I love the, the sort of, you know, in fact in early days, I'd say probably Lizzie Borden was the person who fascinated me the most. we love how your mind works, Lynn. It's fantastic. it's giving me all sorts of inspiration for what we can have Grandma do. Now, where are you located? We are in New England. just on the seacoast of New Hampshire, right outside of Maine.

It's beautiful here. How lovely! Yes, it's very nice. That's a place I've always wanted to visit.

i'm in toronto So i'm in this pocket that we only got a little bit of adjusting but around us like north of us Northern Ontario, and certainly south of us when you're talking Buffalo, Detroit, like below Lake Ontario got just dumped. And we haven't seen much of it here at all, knock on wood.

the great part is that my husband is originally from California, so we head back to my husband's home state in San Diego to celebrate with his family. I'm hoping the sun will be shining. Yes, oh, love San Diego. So beautiful. Well, wonderful.

This has been a delight and we will definitely stay in touch. You've got my wheels turning about the grandma and grandpa movie. as soon as I get a good outline going, I'll send it your way. I make sure that you send me an address so that I can send you one of my black Christmas homemade snow globes or ornaments.

Oh, absolutely. we would adore that. Thank you so much.