Michelle Trachtenberg

Nothing says ``holiday’’ like the story of students set up for slaughter in their sorority house.

Or so the makers of ``Black Christmas’’ believe, anyway. A remake of a thriller made more than 30 years ago, the story was ripe for updating simply because of its premise of seasonal terror. Unfortunately, the new picture goes haywire in the same way so many other remakes of cult-classic suspense tales have; it sacrifices style for sheer gore, and that’s especially disappointing this time, since ``Black Christmas’’ comes from the ``X-Files’’ writing-producing veterans who launched another horror franchise with the cleverly done ``Final Destination.’’

OK, here’s the set-up: The sorority sisters and their house mother happen to reside in the home where years ago, an abused youngster killed his mother and the man he had taken up with. He’s stayed in hiding ever since, but you can guess what happens for the purposes of this movie: He’s ba-a-a-ack, and anyone who crosses his path — say, those sorority sisters — likely are doomed.

As with the later ``Friday the 13th’’ and ``A Nightmare on Elm Street’’ entries, it simply becomes a matter of who buys the farm and how graphically ... and in many cases here, it’s pretty graphic. The order of the actresses’ billing will give you a really good idea of whose character gets to stay around longer. Michelle Trachtenberg (``Buffy the Vampire Slayer’’) and Lacey Chabert (``Party of Five’’) are the most recognizable among the younger stars, although Mary Elizabeth Winstead — of the most recent ``Final Destination’’ chapter — and Katie Cassidy, daughter of actor and former pop idol David Cassidy, also are among the film’s prime targets. In a nod to the original ``Black Christmas,’’ the cast also includes ``SCTV’’ veteran Andrea Martin, who was in the first version as well.

If you’re looking to retain memories of the holiday season, chances are pretty good ``Black Christmas’’ won’t be one of them. Nor should it be, unless you’re looking to play Grinch in a really, really big way.