Jess Bradford is a fictional character in the
''Black Christmas'' franchise. She is the main protagonist of
Bob Clark's seminal
slasher film
A slasher film is a genre of horror films involving a killer stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools like knife, chainsaw, scalpel, etc. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as ...
''
Black Christmas'' (1974) in which she was portrayed by actress
Olivia Hussey
Olivia Hussey (born Olivia Osuna; 17 April 1951) is an English film, stage, and television actress. Her awards include a Golden Globe Award and a David di Donatello Award. The daughter of Argentine opera singer Andrés Osuna, Hussey was born in ...
. Hussey, known internationally at the time for her role as
Juliet in ''
Romeo and Juliet
''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...
'' (1968), signed on to the role after a
psychic
A psychic is a person who claims to use extrasensory perception (ESP) to identify information hidden from the normal senses, particularly involving telepathy or clairvoyance, or who performs acts that are apparently inexplicable by natural laws, ...
told her that she would be involved in a profitable
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
film. Despite the dark undertones of the film and the
mature themes
''Mature Themes'' is the ninth studio album by the American recording artist Ariel Pink. It was released on August 20, 2012 through 4AD, and is the second album recorded with Pink's band. It is the final album released under Pink's musical proj ...
, Hussey has described shooting the film as a great experience.
In early stages of the
screenplay
''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993.
Background
After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, fe ...
, she was named Jessica Bradley; this remained her name in the 1976 novelization of the film. She is sourced in numerous academic materials for subverting many prior
horror film
Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes.
Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...
tropes of the 1960s and prior decades such as the
damsel in distress. The character is distinctive for her
feminist
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
focused story arc which follows her decision to have an
abortion
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...
despite the opposition of her estranged boyfriend. This was particularly notable at the time as it followed the 1973
landmark decision ''
Roe v. Wade
''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States conferred the right to have an abortion. The decision struck down many federal and s ...
''. This has led to her being a heavily discussed
pop culture
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* Pop (Gas al ...
figure in
film studies
Film studies is an academic discipline that deals with various theoretical, historical, and critical approaches to cinema as an art form and a medium. It is sometimes subsumed within media studies and is often compared to television studies.
...
and the
final girl theory. She is the first sole survivor of
slasher villain
Billy.
Appearances
1974 film
In the original ''
Black Christmas'', Jess is a member of the sorority house Pi Kappa Sig. Jess, along with her sorority sisters, began to receive disturbing phone calls from a disorientated man. During a Christmas party, Jess receives another obscene phone call and lets Barb, Phyl, Clare, and several other girls to listen to the incoherent ramblings of the disturbed caller, who does several different voices within each call he makes. The next day, Jess meets with her boyfriend, Peter, to tell him that she is pregnant and getting an
abortion
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...
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, 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
A fire iron is any metal instrument for tending a fire.
Types
There are three types of tools commonly used to tend a small fire, such as an indoor fireplace fire or yule log: the spade, the tongs and the poker itself. These tools make it possi ...
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. Jess manages to escape, fleeing to the basement with a fire poker for protection.
She locks the door just as Billy starts to bang on the door in rage. As Jess wanders the basement, she sees Peter looking into the window, and Jess kills him, believing him to be the killer. The police then hear her screams. They sedate Jess and unknowingly leave her in the house with the real killer, Billy, who is in the attic. Her fate is left ambiguous.
1976 novelization
The character returns in the 1976 Lee Hays
novelization although she is known as Jessica Bradley in this adaptation. The story retains the same plot as the film.
Development
Casting
Hussey, who had previously garnered international fame for her role as Juliet in
Franco Zeffirelli
Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019), was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post-World War II era, ...
's ''
Romeo and Juliet
''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...
'' (1968), signed on to appear in the film after being told by a
psychic
A psychic is a person who claims to use extrasensory perception (ESP) to identify information hidden from the normal senses, particularly involving telepathy or clairvoyance, or who performs acts that are apparently inexplicable by natural laws, ...
that she would "make a film in Canada that would earn a great deal of money". Approached by Clark to portray the lead role of Jess, Hussey agreed and left
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
for eight weeks to film in
Toronto, Canada
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
in the winter of 1973. She described shooting the film as a positive experience despite the dark subject matter and stated that she worked well with Clark and two of the other leads,
Keir Dullea
Keir Atwood Dullea (; born May 30, 1936) is an American actor. He played astronaut David Bowman in the 1968 film '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'' and its 1984 sequel, '' 2010: The Year We Make Contact''. His other film roles include '' David and Lisa ...
and
John Saxon
John Saxon (born Carmine Orrico; August 5, 1936 – July 25, 2020) was an American actor who worked on more than 200 film and television projects during a span of 60 years. He was known for his work in Westerns and horror films, often playing ...
. While admiring and respecting
Margot Kidder
Margaret Ruth Kidder (October 17, 1948 – May 13, 2018), known professionally as Margot Kidder, was a Canadian-American actress whose career spanned five decades. Her accolades include three Canadian Screen Awards and one Daytime Emmy A ...
as an actress, Hussey revealed she was intimidated by Kidder’s straightforward and serious demeanor she had on set, causing Hussey to keep herself distant from Kidder due to their differing personalities and performing styles.
Design
As the
''Black Christmas'' films take place in a winter setting, the characters wear the apt attire. Jess begins the film in a black
Christmas jumper
A Christmas jumper (also Christmas sweater) is a sweater themed with a Christmas or winter-style design, often worn during the festive season. They are often knitted. A more traditional approach is a roll neck (or "turtleneck") top-pulled garm ...
that features two large, white hands stitched across the chest worn on top of a yellow collared undershirt and matching pants.
Later on in the film, she wears a black vest and black bell-bottom jeans over a mustard collared shirt; this outfit is the one most recognized by pop culture and horror fans.
Characteristics
Academic studies describe Jess as not being entirely reserved.
Her characterization is as being timid, intelligent, and very forward-thinking — but not unsociable.
These traits of progressiveness and independence are through her decision to have an
abortion
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...
, despite the opposition of men.
She notably doesn't give in to the pressure of changing her decision despite her boyfriend's aggressive attempt at coercion.
Theories suggest Jess's grounded demeanor during these scenes of male confrontation prompts the audience's sympathy, particularly for standing her ground.
Jess's pregnancy makes her the topic of another heavily discussed concept,
Carol J. Clover's
final girl theory, which Clover attributes to female survivors being virginal.
Jess's pregnancy has led to her description as an anti-thesis to the concept.
Jess's engagement in
sexual activity
Human sexual activity, human sexual practice or human sexual behaviour is the manner in which humans experience and express their sexuality. People engage in a variety of sexual acts, ranging from activities done alone (e.g., masturbation) ...
and her decision to decline her boyfriend's proposal and reject his persuasion to keep the baby have led to discussions of her having overt feminist undertones — she aspires to have a career.
Editor Peter Normanton describes Bradford as being the focus of the film and impacting its outcome. Similarly, Alan-Bertaneisson Jones states that film focuses on Jess rather than the killer and describes her as being a "fully realized character".
Notes
References
{{Black Christmas
Black Christmas (film series)
Christmas characters
Final girls
Film characters introduced in 1974