Jessica Bradford (Black Christmas)
| Jessica Bradford | |
|---|---|
| Black Christmas character | |
 | |
| Created by | A. Roy Moore |
| Portrayed by | Olivia Hussey |
| Information | |
| Full name | Jessica "Jess" Bradford |
| Occupation | College student |
Jessica Bradford is a fictional character in the 1974 film Black Christmas. She was portrayed by actress Olivia Hussey.[1][2] She is the primary protagonist of the 1974 original film.[3] The character also appears in the novelization of the film. She has been regarded as one of the most influential horror movie heroines and is considered to be one of the greatest final girls.[4][5]
Appearances
Film
In the original Black Christmas, Jessica, called Jess by her friends, is a college student who has begun receiving disturbing phone calls from an unknown man. During a Christmas party, Jess receives another obscene phone call and calls Barb, Phyl, Clare and several other girls to listen. The next day, Jess meets with her boyfriend, Peter, to tell him that she is pregnant and getting an abortion which causes him to get upset. Jess later attends a search party to help find a missing girl. After the girl's corpse is found, Jess heads home and receives another phone call. She calls the police and, unaware that Peter is in the house until he startles her and argues with her. He leaves as the police come and tap the phone. She manages to keep the caller on the phone long enough for the police to trace the call and they tell her the man is calling from inside the house. Jess calls for Phyl and Barb and grabs a fireplace poker and goes upstairs. She discovers the corpses of her friends and then sees the eyes of the caller who reveals himself as Billy looking at her through the door crack, telling her not to "tell what we did, Agnes..." before she slams the door on him. He then chases her downstairs and grabs her hair as she tries to unlock the front door. She locks herself in the basement and hides in the corner as she sees Peter in the window. He breaks in and she bludgeons him after incorrectly mistaking him for the killer. The police sedate her and she is last seen sleeping in her bed.[6][7][8]
Literature
Jessica appears as the main character in the novelization of the film.[9]
Reception
In The Mammoth Book of Slasher Movies, Peter Normanton praised the importance that Jessica has on the film saying "Jessica Bradford (Olivia Hussey) has to confront a dilemma in her own life, one that will have a major bearing on the outcome of this film."[10] In Fright Xmas, Alan-Bertaneisson Jones stated that the plot of Black Christmas did not focus on the killer but rather on Jessica and the other girls from the film, saying that "This is quite refreshing, because unlike in later movies where the victims (especially the female ones) are just a line of meat to feed to the grinder, in this film Jessica is a much more fully realized character; a character with great courage, intelligence and strength (more akin to Laurie from Halloween, Ripley from the Alien movies or Sidney from the Scream movies than most female victims of slashers, perhaps especially in the 1980s)."[11]
See also
References
- ↑ "The Test of Time: Black Christmas (1974)". JoBlo Movie Network. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
- ↑ "Is 'Black Christmas' the original slasher film?". hollywoodsoapbox.com.
- ↑ "The 25 Fiercest Final Girls Of Horror". Buzzfeed.
- ↑ "The Terror Trap: Black Christmas". The Terror Trap. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
- ↑ "Celebrate Women in Horror Month With Our Favorite Final Girls". Movie Fone.
- ↑ "Black Christmas (1974)". Classic-Horror.com. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
- ↑ "Black Christmas (1974) Review". Horror Freak News. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
- ↑ "Black Christmas (1974)". Cinemassacre Productions.
- ↑ "Black Christmas Movie Tie-in Novelization". terrapeak.com.
- ↑ Normanton, Peter (2012). The Mammoth Book of Slasher Movies. Little, Brown Book Group. ISBN 1780330413.
- ↑ Jones, Alan-Bertaneisson (2010). Fright Xmas. AuthorHouse. ISBN 1452061998.